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Wow I can't believe its happening this soon.
Looked in on them this past evening and they are poking out.
But this seems too early. They were laid while I was on vacation in the clear plastic box with damp moss that I provided for them and were discovered on the day before I returned, april 9th.
Give them 60 days to incubate, going on what I know from American rats and they wouldn't be due till june 9th.
That makes them 21 days early or 41 days incubating in all.
Thats not alot.
I had suspected that they went unnoticed for a while but wow, I left for Florida on march 28th. That adds 12 days to when they may have been laid for a possible maximun of 53 days from the point of being laid to point of hatching. Thats with a possible 12 days of sitting in the moss at room temp 73 degrees before going into the incubator. Its no wonder I'm only getting 3 out of 7 eggs to hatch. Probably lucky to get them.
Can anyone tell me what the normal incubation time is for asian rats like these? American rat snakes hatch almost at 60 days exactly for me like clock work.
Incidentally these babies are beautiful! Bright, bright yellow in them! One has a wishbone mixed into the diamond pattern on its back.
I wish the other 4 eggs stayed viable but these are so nice I'm happy with them.
I havn't posted pics yet on this site (I'm a bit of a caveman)but for these I'll really have to give it a try.
Mike.

That's great....
We'll be waiting for pics when it's appropriate.
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Regards, Bill McGighan

Quote: "That's great....
We'll be waiting for pics when it's appropriate.
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Regards, Bill McGighan"

Bill, well it looks its just going to be 2 in all.
There is one egg that I haven't quite given up on but I'm not getting my hopes too high. The 2 that hatched are fat! I mean water snake fat!
I've got to get pics posted and really it was probably apropriate on the first post, sorry.

The lucistic black rats are starting to hatch now too and they would be early too going on the date I was told that they hatched.
Talking with my wife today we came to the same conclusion that the eggs were left for some time in the cages before being put in the incubator.
Like the mandarins out of 9 eggs laid for the lucys I'll be lucky to get 4 or 5.
This is the first year I didn't have my hands in all of it and the first year I didn't have a nearly 100% success rate for hatching.
I will definitely plan it better in the future.

Bill, can I ask what incubator or setup you use?
Wish you didn't live so far away, I'd love to drop by and BS with you some.
Mike.

Hey Mike

Sorry to hear that all the eggs didn't make it - but congrats on the two/three that did.
I don't breed Mandarin myself but I think the average incubation time is around 48 days at approx 82F, obviously sooner or later depending on temperatures.
look forward to seeing the pix of the little ones

Sue x
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Ratsnakezone