Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Found one of my ball pythons in the process of laying eggs yesterday morning before work. The final count appears to be six healthy eggs and and one dud. This is pretty exciting for me as it is my first attempt at breeding egg layers and I thought that it would be a fun learning experience to try out. Now I am just going to have to keep my fingers crossed that my homemade incubator will work out ok.
Thanks for looking!

Congrats!!
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1.0 husband
1.3 kids
0.1 african sulcata tortoise
1.0 Argentine Black & white tegu
2.2 canine buddies
1.1 Ball Python
0.1 Haitian Boa

Milo,
....Those eggs look pretty valuable to me. I hope your homemade incubator is reliable. I have hatched a bunch of colubrid and python eggs in my cheapo Hovabator with an expansion ring. You could probably order one and have it at your house pretty quick to have ready just in case.
Congrats and good luck!
Jeff

>>Found one of my ball pythons in the process of laying eggs yesterday morning before work. The final count appears to be six healthy eggs and and one dud. This is pretty exciting for me as it is my first attempt at breeding egg layers and I thought that it would be a fun learning experience to try out. Now I am just going to have to keep my fingers crossed that my homemade incubator will work out ok.
>>Thanks for looking!
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I looked into getting a hovabator but decided to go with a homemade because I have had a Coca-Cola fridge in storage that I haven't been using. I figured it'd work since it's already insulated and has a fan installed plus I like having the glass door for viewing the thermometers real easy.
I did run it for a week or so before I expected the female to lay so that I could make sure the temps stayed fairly constant but you can be sure I'll be watching it very closely for the next 55 days or so.

Congrats, I have a friend that does BP's, I'm sure he'd be willing to answer any questions you might have. He has sevferal trays of eggs in his incubator right now.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
26.49 BRB
20.21 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Thanks for the offer Dave. I might take you up on it if anything comes up. I have done a lot of reading to kinda prep myself but that doesn't always compare to talking with someone with first hand knowledge if I have specific problems arise.

>>Found one of my ball pythons in the process of laying eggs yesterday morning before work. The final count appears to be six healthy eggs and and one dud. This is pretty exciting for me as it is my first attempt at breeding egg layers and I thought that it would be a fun learning experience to try out. Now I am just going to have to keep my fingers crossed that my homemade incubator will work out ok.
>>Thanks for looking!
>>
>>
>>
>>
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Roberts Realm Of Reptile Research
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Thanks,

I opened my mouth and out flowed a melody black.

Did you record how many days from her pre egg shed it took ?

I hear its usually 26 to 35 days and I have a female that just recently went through her shed and I think she may lay some eggs soon.

Once again congrats!!!

>>>>Found one of my ball pythons in the process of laying eggs yesterday morning before work. The final count appears to be six healthy eggs and and one dud. This is pretty exciting for me as it is my first attempt at breeding egg layers and I thought that it would be a fun learning experience to try out. Now I am just going to have to keep my fingers crossed that my homemade incubator will work out ok.
>>>>Thanks for looking!
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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>> Roberts Realm Of Reptile Research
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>>Thanks,
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>>Frank Roberts
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>>I opened my mouth and out flowed a melody black.
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Roberts Realm Of Reptile Research
=========================================================
Thanks,

I opened my mouth and out flowed a melody black.

I did, and she layed her eggs 29 days after her shed.

Good luck with yours and be sure to post pics once she lays them!

>>I did, and she layed her eggs 29 days after her shed.
>>
>>Good luck with yours and be sure to post pics once she lays them!
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Roberts Realm Of Reptile Research
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Thanks,

I opened my mouth and out flowed a melody black.

Congrats!! Momma sure is purty.

This year I made an incubator out of an old fridge that I rigged up some heat tape and a thermostat to. So far I've successfully hatched a few geckos, and have some Kinsnake eggs getting ready to hatch in a couple weeks!
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Aubrey Ross

©
www.SlipstreamSerpents.com

Good luck with your kingsnake eggs. What temps do you incubate them at?
The reason I ask is I had a friend who brought some eggs out here a couple of years ago from California and he hatched them while he was staying with me but he just left them in an egg container and put them in my snake room. The room was heated but about ten to twelve degrees less than what I have my fridge/incubator set at for the ball eggs. That was the only time other than now that I have ever seen fertile snake eggs but he did all the work associated with those.
Another kingsnake question if you don't mind, I have a female kingsnake that I have never tried to breed or has never been with a male for that matter, yet has layed eggs for the past two years in a row. Any idea why she is doing this, or what I can do to stop her? She does seem to lose a considerable amount of mass each time so it seems kinda pointless unless I am trying to get fertile eggs from her.

Once they're of breeding age, egg laying critters produce eggs whether they're fertilized or not. Iguanas and birds lay regardless of the presence of a male. I guess I never really thought about egg laying snakes, but it makes sense that they do too. Perhaps only way to stop her is to spay her.

If she's gonna lay eggs any ways, might as well get a male and have viable ones???
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
26.49 BRB
20.21 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Actually thought about trying that next year. Like you said, if she's gonna do it anyway...

Excellent. Good luck, keep us posted. What does the father look like?

Thanks,
Ed

>>Found one of my ball pythons in the process of laying eggs yesterday morning before work. The final count appears to be six healthy eggs and and one dud. This is pretty exciting for me as it is my first attempt at breeding egg layers and I thought that it would be a fun learning experience to try out. Now I am just going to have to keep my fingers crossed that my homemade incubator will work out ok.
>>Thanks for looking!
>>
>>
>>
>>

Thanks.
The father is a normal looking ball, het for albino. I bought the female in 05 and my original plan was to buy an albino male to breed with her later. I ended up getting a couple of het males for $25 bucks though, so I decided that was the most cost effective way to go. Just make my own male albinos.
I also have an unrelated 04 het female that has been with the other male so if I get eggs from her I can potentially get unrelated males to breed with both females in the future.
We'll see how it goes. I really just wanted to experience what incubating and hatching eggs would be like since everything else I have ever bred has been live births.

Hey Milo,
Congrats on the first clutch of eggs. I'm hoping for my first ever clutch of eggs in June. My Florida Kings mated this year and the female is acting gravid and should be getting ready for the pre-lay shed. I'm notorious for 'expect the worse and be pleasantly surprised' approach but its hard not to get excited.
Nice work,
Paul

Good luck with your eggs! Post some pics when you get em.
I definately agree that its better to be suprised than disapointed but that's easier said than done.
I'm probably checking on these eggs to often but those six full size ones are all candleing well now so I am pretty exictited about that. It will be neat when I can start seeing the babies take shape and developing in there.

That's cool, congrats!