Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey everyone,

I woke up this morning and when I was checking my oldest female she was laying on a clutch of eggs. I guess my main question is should I just leave her to incubate them on her own, or should I be getting a hovabator.

She hasn't eaten in the last 2 1/2 months, and it been colder around here than usual. Around 70 at night. My only concern is one of the eggs is outside of her coil.

I've been reading about breeding, but this is my first clutch. I really want to do things the right way.

I know the debate between artificial and natural incubation is like coke vs. pepsi. I'm just concered the one little guy isn't going to make it.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide. I'll post some pics when I get a chance....

In my haist I forgot some basic info:

Cage is at 79.5 degrees, humidity of 59%. I just moved her enclosure into a warmer room, hoping to bring the temp up to around 82-25. I'll let the cage regulate until I get home tonight and adjust the humidty accordingly. 70-80% is what I'm shooting at, right?

She still hasn't coiled around one of her eggs, but I'm not sure she's done laying yet. She's not showing her vent, and I want to give her some "privacy"

I thought about offering her some ice-chips, but that didn't work when my offspring was being layed...

Hi ou812ono,
Congratulations!!! My first question to you is do you have an incubator set up yet? If not, your cage temp. should be in the mid-range of python egg incubation temps. of 86*-90*F. & you'll want to mist the cage frequently to maintain a high humidity. I prefer to artificially incubate all my eggs. It's easier to control everything that way. Now to the lone egg. Is it full-size & white or small & brownish? If you have a small flashlight like a mini-mag light you can candle it to see if it's fertile. Turn off the room lights & put the flashlight up to it; if you see blood vessels, its fertile. If it's a solid yellowish hue, its most likely infertile but don' throw it away yet. Bad eggs will decompose quikly & you'll know for sure. Since its not attached to the rest of the eggs you can get rid of it anytime. I really recomend that you get the eggs into an incubator ASAP. I can help you with a quick & easy design (email: bill@regalevolutions.com) or you can search the net. Good luck!