Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey everyone. Today I woke up and checked on big momma, and for the first time in my life I saw ball python eggs. You can imagine the look on my face. 5 of them, plus what looks to be a dud. More pictures are available on my site if you click snakes and go to the bottom of the page. (www.ihatesoda.com) I have a couple of questions. I've got the incubator really solid on between 89-90, but what humidity levels should I try to maintain? With some water in there and some moisture on the vermiculite its only about 70%. Also I should remove the dud shouldn't I? Won't it be difficult as it is stuck to those two good ones.

Thank you to the forum!

Congrats on your getting eggs... the first clutch is always a memorable one.

I can't comment on the % of humidity, but I did want to say you might want to hang on to your "dud". It doesn't look like a definite slug to me, from the pic it looks like it's fertile.

Did you candle it?

Good luck.
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-Ross Payan - www.LeosAnonymous.com

Leos Anonymous

Ball Pythons, Red Striped Leos, and Screaming Fat-Tails

n/p

Did you see this picture? Because it sure looks like a dud. I tried candling but I'm not so sure I know how. I held my mag-lite behind it and it was kind of glowing but I didn't see any veins in the most fertile looking egg so I decided I'd hold off on candling for a few days.

I'll DEFINETLY candle it properly before taking it out.

Thanks for the kind words.

Okay, right. I thought you were referring to egg #1. That little yellow thing to the left of #1 in this picture IS a dud. It should candle as pale yellow nothingness inside. Did you candle the others to compare it to? That should demonstrate the difference clearly. Anyway, no harm in leaving it alone there. Since there is no embryo inside, it won't become so odiferous as when a good egg dies.

Congratulations.

If you put a cover on that egg container, and if there aren't any holes in it, then you should have no problem reaching 90 per cent humidity.

ff

Don't throw it out just yet! That "dud" might be perfectly good (except for the low level of calcification). Turn out the lights in the room and shine a small flashlight beam through the egg. I'll bet you see a big network of blood vessels.

Try to get the humidity over 90 per cent

-Joan

You know...usually a dud is smaller compared to other fertilized eggs...that's one way to tell.

congrats on the eggs, I hope they all of them hatch. As for what's good vs what's not, what may appear to be a dud isn't always. I would just wait and see what happens with it, if I were you. Best of luck. -Whit

I set my humidity to 90 . It fluctuates but averages around 90. Keep what appears to be a dud until you are sure. Put it in the incubator - you may be surprised. If it is a dud, then nothing lost.

Congrats! It's a great feeling isn't it!
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Jay A. Martin

Congrats!
It does look like the one that is tucked under the egg is a slug. But like the others said, if you are unsure, incubate it anyway. If it is not stuck to the other eggs, I would just move it to the side in the same container. It will probably fuzz up if it is a slug.
The one all the way to the right looks like it was just laid.
Good luck,
Joe
Joe Compel Reptiles

I told you there were eggs in her Ross!!!
Congrats on the eggs.

ChrisS - SanJose