I Know that it takes about a month for her to lay the eggs. (i think) BUT, when the eggs are finally layed how long does it take for them to hatch out?
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Black rat snake gestation?
serpentGuy
Sep 11, 2003 07:51 PM
Replies (2)
patricia sherman
Sep 12, 2003 05:02 AM
About 55 to 70 days, depending on the incubation temp. Cooler will take longer, but is better for the babies. Should be in the 78 to 83 deg.F range
>>I Know that it takes about a month for her to lay the eggs. (i think) BUT, when the eggs are finally layed how long does it take for them to hatch out?
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tricia
Paul Hollander
Sep 12, 2003 05:11 PM
By the "cooler is better" theory, incubating the eggs in the refrigerator will give you the best babies. 
The only papers that I've seen that tried to find the optimum incubation temperature were printed around 10 years ago and used (New Jersey) northern pine snake eggs. Unfortunately I don't have the citation with me, but if anyone wants it, I can post it later.
Anyway, if the pine snake eggs were too cold, they did not hatch. If the eggs were too warm, they did not hatch. Optimum seemed to be 82-83 F. The study measured the hatchling's weight, feeding response, and balance to determine the optimum.
I'd like to see a similar study on a variety of snake eggs, but until then I'd go with 82-83 F for North American colubrids.
Paul Hollander
