Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This is my first clutch of corns . . . Ever. I am excited to say the least! The father was an 04 snow male (unknown het) x an 07 amel female het snow. She laid 14 on 3/14 for her first clutch and they have been cookin around 87 since, no mold no dimpels all fertilized!! My other amel female laid 20 on 4/4 but don't know if she is het for anything . . . . .guess we will find out!

-----
1.0 Sunrise (sshhh)
1.0 Yellow Belly
1.0 Het pied
1.0 Pastel
1.0 nerd hypo
1.0 Spider Het hypo
0.5 Het nerd hypo
0.2 poss Het nerd hypo
0.1 poss Het albino
0.1 het pied
0.6 Breeder normals
0.1 black pastel (unproven)
0.1 Tiger ball (unproven)
0.1 genetic reduced pattern
0.1 mojave (best looking one ever! thanks Jeff Luman)
0.1 Pastel Het ghost
0.1 BCI 8ft
1.0 snow corn
0.1 albino Het snow corn Laid 14! Gravid again!!
0.1 amel corn laid 20!
0.1 amel corn
0.1 ghost motley corn
0.1 blue tail monitor
2.0 Reed frogs
2.2 felines aka boa food ;o
And I am not gonna count all those rats . . .

Brian
Brianhettinger@hotmail.com

Congrats on your first clutch. It's a great feeling isn't it?

I started working with snakes in the last 60's. I tried my hand at hatching eggs in the middle 70's. All the eggs molded and did not know anyone that could help. I caught gravid snakes and found clutches but had the same result.
I started again two years ago. Now there is great information and plenty of people to help. I will always remember the first clutch as one of the most exciting experiences of my life. I wanted to do this so long that it just became a "need."
Good luck with babies and keep us posted.

Dave

-----
One man with faith equals the majority.
Thomas Jefferson

"All the eggs molded and did not know anyone that could help."

Is there a wat to stop eggs from molding? i always thought that if they got moldy they were just bad eggs. Boy do I feel stupid.
-----
Scott
"The most powerful person never has to use it"

I just got the eggs too wet. The mixture I used had more water than it should have. Back in 1978 there may have been something written on the subject that I did not know of. I used a paper that just gave basics without going into detail. There was no internet and finding information was not easy. Hope this helps a bit.

Dave
-----
One man with faith equals the majority.
Thomas Jefferson

Great info.....I have used vemiculite mixed with water. I made sure the mix wasnt too wet....but still had some eggs get moldy....of course I wasnt aware she was gravid and didnt have a nesting box so I am sure the eggs werent good in the first place....only had 4 good eggs out of 12...not a good ratio huh....oh well you learn from your mistakes
-----
Scott
"The most powerful person never has to use it"

That's a good looking clutch of eggs - congratulations!

Tim

Big congrats! you said cooking at 87, maybe a typo? not to give advice but that might be a bit on the hot side for corns, most literature says 78-86 and I think most people shoot for the cool end around 80-82, some people on this forum have even sited reasons for lower, just thought you might want to consider?
-----
Jeff Benfer
gartersnakemorph.com

Thanks for the advice at least you care to share and isn't that what these forums are for to help educate and share knowedge with each other no matter how long or how many animals we all have?? So to answer your question about 87 being a typo no it isn't as I have read that corns will hatch any where from 78 all the way up to 90!! And I have also read that variations in temperature produce healthier and stronger babies .?.?.?. Any one tried this before?? so I have had this first clutch incubating at several variations of temps from 80 all the way up to 87 (my ball python incubator is locked at 87) but the second clutch of eggs has been at 85 consistant so I sort of have acontroll clutch to compare them to but so far (32 days) every egg looks good in each clutch still . . . . . Maybe I will drop both back down to about 83 just to be safe.

Thanks for all the kind words and advice everyone!!

This hobby is so much fun, I bred lake malawi cichlids before this with lots of success and then found out that my only snake at that time was very special as he was yellow and black and was nothing that had been seen before so that's what got me in to breeding balls but the as for the corns they were "just another rescue animal that I would get healthy and find a good home for" lol I don't think my girl friend ever belived that as much as I tried to convince myself lol and thanks to her support we have made a small buisness of it, or at least were trying. . . . Again thanks to all of you for the support from the very beginning
-----
1.0 Sunrise (sshhh)
1.0 Yellow Belly
1.0 Het pied
1.0 Pastel
1.0 nerd hypo
1.0 Spider Het hypo
0.5 Het nerd hypo
0.2 poss Het nerd hypo
0.1 poss Het albino
0.1 het pied
0.6 Breeder normals
0.1 black pastel (unproven)
0.1 Tiger ball (unproven)
0.1 genetic reduced pattern
0.1 mojave (best looking one ever! thanks Jeff Luman)
0.1 Pastel Het ghost
0.1 BCI 8ft
1.0 snow corn
0.1 albino Het snow corn Laid 14! Gravid again!!
0.1 amel corn laid 20!
0.1 amel corn
0.1 ghost motley corn
0.1 blue tail monitor
2.0 Reed frogs
2.2 felines aka boa food ;o
And I am not gonna count all those rats . . .

Brian
Brianhettinger@hotmail.com

>>Thanks for the advice at least you care to share and isn't that what these forums are for to help educate and share knowedge with each other no matter how long or how many animals we all have?? So to answer your question about 87 being a typo no it isn't as I have read that corns will hatch any where from 78 all the way up to 90!! And I have also read that variations in temperature produce healthier and stronger babies .?.?.?. Any one tried this before?? so I have had this first clutch incubating at several variations of temps from 80 all the way up to 87 (my ball python incubator is locked at 87) but the second clutch of eggs has been at 85 consistant so I sort of have acontroll clutch to compare them to but so far (32 days) every egg looks good in each clutch still . . . . . Maybe I will drop both back down to about 83 just to be safe.
>>
>>Thanks for all the kind words and advice everyone!!
>>
>>This hobby is so much fun, I bred lake malawi cichlids before this with lots of success and then found out that my only snake at that time was very special as he was yellow and black and was nothing that had been seen before so that's what got me in to breeding balls but the as for the corns they were "just another rescue animal that I would get healthy and find a good home for" lol I don't think my girl friend ever belived that as much as I tried to convince myself lol and thanks to her support we have made a small buisness of it, or at least were trying. . . . Again thanks to all of you for the support from the very beginning
>>-----
>>

It's still fun.
I still get excited when the eggs come and when they hatch.
I hope it never gets boring.
80 to 83F would be good for incubating.
I think the general concensus is cooler is better then hotter.
It may take a little longer for the eggs to hatch but there is still speculation that high temps can cause kinks and other problems.
I'm begining to think too much moisture can be a culprit in kinks as well.
good luck and ENJOY!
keep us posted

-----
Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"Resistance is futile"
Jimmy Johnson
(Draybar)
Draybars Snakes

_____

How's it going bud? Good I hope.

Ok, what is it?? Rootbeer Bloodred?

Walter

>>How's it going bud? Good I hope.
>>
>>Ok, what is it?? Rootbeer Bloodred?
>>
>>Walter

That little guy hatched in '07
he was the result of a 50/50 corn/meahlmorum het hypo to a cinnamon het amel.
He didn't quite retain that look, though. I sure wish he would have, definitely unique.

-----
Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"Resistance is futile"
Jimmy Johnson
(Draybar)
Draybars Snakes

_____

>>>>How's it going bud? Good I hope.
>>>>

sorry Walter, things are going pretty good here.
Still feeling the recession like everyone else but hopefully
things will level out soon.
How's it going on your end?
-----
Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"Resistance is futile"
Jimmy Johnson
(Draybar)
Draybars Snakes

_____

The little guys im going to put them both at 82 as soon as I get home tonight!! Hopefully they aren't kinky little dudes, shouldn't be as they were at the lower range longer I just bumped them up on sunday. that's the only reason I have carmel albino balls I love their color but I don't think its right to breed those phenotypes that have genetic problems. Im still on the fence about breeding spider ball pythons but supposedly my spider is from a no wobble line . . . . Hopefully.

Thanks again draybar!! Tons of help.
-----
1.0 Sunrise (sshhh)
1.0 Yellow Belly
1.0 Het pied
1.0 Pastel
1.0 nerd hypo
1.0 Spider Het hypo
0.5 Het nerd hypo
0.2 poss Het nerd hypo
0.1 poss Het albino
0.1 het pied
0.6 Breeder normals
0.1 black pastel (unproven)
0.1 Tiger ball (unproven)
0.1 genetic reduced pattern
0.1 mojave (best looking one ever! thanks Jeff Luman)
0.1 Pastel Het ghost
0.1 BCI 8ft
1.0 snow corn
0.1 albino Het snow corn Laid 14! Gravid again!!
0.1 amel corn laid 20!
0.1 amel corn
0.1 ghost motley corn
0.1 blue tail monitor
2.0 Reed frogs
2.2 felines aka boa food ;o
And I am not gonna count all those rats . . .

Brian
Brianhettinger@hotmail.com

Whoops typo. Should have said that's why I DON'T HAVE CARMEL ALBINO BALL PYTHONS LOL
-----
1.0 Sunrise (sshhh)
1.0 Yellow Belly
1.0 Het pied
1.0 Pastel
1.0 nerd hypo
1.0 Spider Het hypo
0.5 Het nerd hypo
0.2 poss Het nerd hypo
0.1 poss Het albino
0.1 het pied
0.6 Breeder normals
0.1 black pastel (unproven)
0.1 Tiger ball (unproven)
0.1 genetic reduced pattern
0.1 mojave (best looking one ever! thanks Jeff Luman)
0.1 Pastel Het ghost
0.1 BCI 8ft
1.0 snow corn
0.1 albino Het snow corn Laid 14! Gravid again!!
0.1 amel corn laid 20!
0.1 amel corn
0.1 ghost motley corn
0.1 blue tail monitor
2.0 Reed frogs
2.2 felines aka boa food ;o
And I am not gonna count all those rats . . .

Brian
Brianhettinger@hotmail.com

>>The little guys im going to put them both at 82 as soon as I get home tonight!! Hopefully they aren't kinky little dudes, shouldn't be as they were at the lower range longer I just bumped them up on sunday. that's the only reason I have carmel albino balls I love their color but I don't think its right to breed those phenotypes that have genetic problems. Im still on the fence about breeding spider ball pythons but supposedly my spider is from a no wobble line . . . . Hopefully.
>>

no, I think you will be fine. You were a little high but I don't think you were in the danger zone...in the 90's
The eggs look good.
I think you are doing quite well.
-----
Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"Resistance is futile"
Jimmy Johnson
(Draybar)
Draybars Snakes

_____

Incubation temps and temp variations.....I've hatched hundreds of corn eggs and don't even OWN an incubator. Don't even have one at all. I don't even know what temps they're at, but they always hatch just fine.

A couple of weeks before the eggs are due to be layed I put in the nest box. This is a rubbermaid container with a hole cut in the lid. I fill it full with super soaked spagnum peat moss. By the time the eggs are layed, the moisture content of the spagnum is just about right because it will dry out some. Once the eggs are layed, I tape a note card with all of the pertinent information of that clutch over the hole. Once a day I open the box for about 30 minutes. I have 2 refrigerators that don't work that I use to set the egg boxes in. I don't EVER even have to touch the eggs. A couple of months later they hatch. I've seen some very high hatch rates and a few 100% hatches.

My methods may seem very crude to some, but they work great.

I meant 1/2 full with the soaked peat moss. Why doesn't this forum let you edit your messages?

That's funny as I am incubating my first clutch of corn eggs in a tub in my rack that is lined with peat moss, (they are in another small tub filled with pearlite that is in the rack tub and the small tub inside the big tub stays at 99% hunidity) if I move em foreward they are at 80 if I move em back towards the heat tape then they stay at about 87 but I do have an incubator for my ball python eggs as I have heard that they do require a constant 88.5 degrees.
-----
1.0 Sunrise (sshhh)
1.0 Yellow Belly
1.0 Het pied
1.0 Pastel
1.0 nerd hypo
1.0 Spider Het hypo
0.5 Het nerd hypo
0.2 poss Het nerd hypo
0.1 poss Het albino
0.1 het pied
0.6 Breeder normals
0.1 black pastel (unproven)
0.1 Tiger ball (unproven)
0.1 genetic reduced pattern
0.1 mojave (best looking one ever! thanks Jeff Luman)
0.1 Pastel Het ghost
0.1 BCI 8ft
1.0 snow corn
0.1 albino Het snow corn Laid 14! Gravid again!!
0.1 amel corn laid 20!
0.1 amel corn
0.1 ghost motley corn
0.1 blue tail monitor
2.0 Reed frogs
2.2 felines aka boa food ;o
And I am not gonna count all those rats . . .

Brian
Brianhettinger@hotmail.com

I'm going to have to buy an incubator in 2010 when I start working with balls as well.

I too have an incubator for ball pythons, but last year I didn't use it for corns either, I basically did the same thing you are doing using the rack. On the top shelf of my rack I had some extra length of heat tape that I just ran over the top of the rack and so I just put the egg containers inside a larger tub(23"x16"x16H) and then placed that big tub on top of the heat tape on the top of the rack and had the egg boxes away from the heat tape. It ran about 80-84 inside the big tub, with daily (day to night) temp flucuations in that range, with 100% hatch rate on both clutches, not exactly precision incubator rocket science, but it worked just fine.
-----
Jeff Benfer
gartersnakemorph.com

I remeber my fist clutch. I purchased my candycane and was going to try to breed her to my amel. 22 days later she dropped a clutch of all slugs. That was it for that year. The following year she dropped 10 bred to the same male all 9 amel 1 snow. That year I also bred the same amel to a female classic with no hets. 14 all good and great looking babies she double clutched 8 all good looking lil ones. Since then it has become an addiction.
Tom

Congratulations! If you think seeing a clutch of eggs is exciting wait till you see the little snouts poking out!! I've been doing this for awhile and I still feel like a child on Christmas day!! Good stuff!! Jeff

Oh boy! Christmas in may! I had 5 completley out of the eggs last night after I got home and the other 8 looked great! One never pipped on its own so I cut my first egg, we will have to wait to see if we went 14/14 or not . . . . . It would be awsome to have my first clutch hatch 100%
-----
1.0 Sunrise (sshhh)
1.0 Yellow Belly
1.0 Het pied
1.0 Green Hypo
1.0 Spider Het B Hypo
0.1 Green Hypo
0.5 Het nerd Orange Hypo
0.2 poss Het nerd Orange Hypo
0.1 poss Het albino
0.1 het pied
0.1 Bell Jungle
0.6 Breeder normals
0.1 black pastel (unproven)
0.1 Tiger ball (unproven)
0.1 genetic reduced pattern
0.1 mojave (best looking one ever! thanks Jeff Luman)
0.1 Pastel Het ghost
1.0 salmon boa
0.1 BCI 8.5 ft x m
1.0 snow corn
0.1 albino Het snow corn
0.1 amel corn
0.1 amel corn
0.1 ghost motley corn
1.0 albino vanishing pattern nelsons
2.0 Het albino vanishing pattern nelsons
0.1 blue tail monitor (adult male wanted)
2.0 Reed frogs
2.2 felines aka boa food ;o
And I am not gonna count all those rats . . .

Support our hobby and business

Brian
Contact us