Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So, yesterday I walked into the room and saw my snake qoiled around some eggs. I didn't know I had a male and female snake, because I bought them both when they were just hatchlings( but at different times). I have no idea what to do, or how to go about this. I bought a little 1 gallon plastic tank and filled it about half way with Vermiculite, and put a heating pad underneath the tank. I also got a hydometer and a thermometer.. I've been able to keep the temp. stable, but not the humidity, so I wrapped the tank up with plastic wrap leaving about a fourth of the lid uncovered, so there was oxygen in the tank. Well, it still wasn't humid enouf, so I replaces the vermiculite, with water, so I have the eggs in a little bowl of vermiclutie, that is floating in water, but I still have the same problem of hydration. I am getting worried, because the eggs are getting are getting sunken in looking and has dimples. IF anybody has advise that can help me pleasedo, anything will, help I'm so worried about the eggs. thank you.

Simply put them in a small plastic shoebox container of vermiculite medium that has had water VERY SLOWLY added to it as it is mixed thoroughly so that it just stays clumped together when squeezed. You DO NOT want to see any water dripping at all from this, or you will need to add more vermiculite until the correct moisture consistency is reached again.

Then dimple the medium slightly so it sort of creates an indented "cradle" for the eggs. Then work a bit of the vermiculite around them so that they are basically 1/4 to 1/3rd buried just a tad. They will absorb all the needed moisture like a sponge.

Keep them at about 80 to 81 or so degrees(a bit safer if temps should spike for whatever reason). If you see them starting to swell, bulge, or distort any, they are too moist, so you need to add more vermiculite so they don't drown the embryo or rupture.

Also, if you see them start to indent, they are too dry, so you need to add just a bit more water to the mix.

Put them(and the mixture) into a small plastic container, and add just a few tiny air holes approx. 1/8th inches in diameter, with a drill bit, or melt the holes with a thin soldering iron(which is what I do).

At these temps(80 to 81 degrees), they should hatch in approximately 56 to 60 days for common kings(getula).

If the eggs are in a real tall pile, and you cannot safely pry the upper one's apart from the rest, drape some moistened sphagnum moss ofer them by wetting it, then wringing it out real well by squeezing tightly in your fist, then fluff it up, and drape over the eggs like it might actually be in a natural setting to the best of your ability.
Also, any different place, method or scenario can take some "tweeking" to arrange heat sources/distances from eggs, etc.. to get the optimum desired outcome. Just keep cool and push things around a bit until your good judgement is met. It is as easy as that really.

Last year, I used a small space heater setup in a spare bathroom to hatch eggs stacked on a tiered table, but right now, my eggs are in a small bathroom vanity below one of the sinks with a heating pad placed on a metal tray. The year before that, I used big plastic bins with water, and aquarium heater tubes down in the water.

All of these can easily work exactly as planned at 80 to 81 degrees, it is just a matter of getting all these things tweeked a bit to get these temps, and even gapping lid tops of things to get the right temp(not the actual egg container though), just what they are enclosed in.

best regards, ~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Thank you SOO much. I'll do that right now.