Reptile & Amphibian Forums

It's day 106 and the largest of my 3 eggs has pipped! I can't wait to see the little beauty!!!
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Jesus is Lord!

Awesome Eric! Congrats! Good luck with the little beasts. And remember, if you find yourself just overwhelmed with little girls....
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Chance Duncan
Science Teacher, Herp Enthusiast, and Reptilian Conservation Proponent
www.rvexotics.com

Congrats!!!
What was your incubation temp?

>>Congrats!!!
>>What was your incubation temp?

Temps have been right around 78 degrees. Unfortunately the first snake is out but has a small spinal bump just above the vent.
Hopefully it will be ok and make a nice PET. It's a black phase but I haven't sexed it yet.
I'm hoping to get a red female to keep/breed in the future.
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Jesus is Lord!

Are you planning on incubating at lower temps next time?

>>Are you planning on incubating at lower temps next time?

Lower? It would be tough to get much lower without putting them in the refrigerator. 78 is the typical temp they were at, but there was some variance. For instance right now @ 6:20 am they are at 76.
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Jesus is Lord!

If the temperature does play a roll in spinal kinks, the critical time would be in the first 30-45 days of incubation. During this time is when the the spinal column is formed. Although even when the eggs are in the female, a significant amount of "ground work" has already been laid as far as embryonic development is concerned. To be on the safe side, make sure your gravid female doesn't have access to anything warmer than 80*F. For example, under the tank heaters can get up to over 90*F (under the bedding) in order to get cage temperatures up the the lower 80's. I've noticed my female going under the bedding directly on the "hot spot" while she was gravid. When I checked the temperature under the bedding it was over 92*F.

Eric the good news is that a lot of time the "kinks" will sort of work themselve out with growth. I had a litter of ratsnakes that were pretty kinky and after letting the grow for a few months the kinks are still noticeable but you would have to just be feeling for them to really notice them.

Good luck on with the rest.
Bob

So how are the other eggs?