Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi folks,

2 days ago a strage looking alterna hatchet out from a egg of my Highwayy 277 x X-Mas Mountains clutch.

Some information:
I incubated the eggs like in the last 5 years, same temperature (between 78 & 82 F), the hatchlinges needed 62 days to get out of the egg, I didn´t opened the eggs they all hatched complete alone, 9 from 11 hatched out.

All look in the same way but only one is differend, anyone an idea what this could be?

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Regards Malte

www.lampropeltis-alterna.de (german site)

What am I missing? Looks like it needs a shed. Unless the rest are all blairs phase then I am missing something. Could you post a pic of the rest of the clutch to show whats different.

Hi,

I mean the strange color of the head and the strange look of the skin on the body.

I would agree about the shed but I shot the picture of it the day it hatched, the animal hatched out this way. I never seen this before.

The other animals from the clutch look normal, all like the father (thin black bandings, no orange, light grey)
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Regards Malte

www.lampropeltis-alterna.de (german site)

Maybe the camera's not catching it? It looks normal.
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Brian Suter

www.serpenteer.com

You don´t see the super bright/pale part on the head between the eyes? the regions around the bright/pale part (like the snout) are a dark grey.

Here´s another pic from the same day:

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Regards Malte

www.lampropeltis-alterna.de (german site)

I see what your talking about Bud, but I am not sure if it is anything other than a wacky shed at this point??? Maybe wait until after the first shed and post another picture for us to see..

Either way this one looks a little dry.. Maybe raise the humidity so it sheds out normally..

~ Mike Russo

looka this.....

Hi Mike,

I know what you´re talking about. But isn´t it unusual that the snake hatches "in the shed"? The pale head has an other condition than the rast of the snake, no dry skin etc.

I´m just asking if someone has seen this before maybe the snake is "not good developed" (sorry for my bad english, I´m not a native speaker)
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Regards Malte

www.lampropeltis-alterna.de (german site)

As you know all hatchlings shed out a few days after they hatch, but i think your saying that this one looks different than the others you have seen.. And, i agree with you. I am not sure what the odd coloration on the head is?? But, I have seen hatchlings that look similar to yours (oddly dry and looking like they are stuck in a thick shed) and they have always failed to thrive and died on me a few weeks after hatching.. some have even taken a meal or 2 for me on their own and then passed..

I am willing to bet others have seen this too, but there is really not much traffic on this forum when it comes to basic husbandry issues like this one..

Keep me posted on this one..

~ Mike Russo

i thought that.....didn't cook long enough....

Thanks for the info, I also had the suspicion that something went wrong during the incubation. All others look normal, hope that it will survive.

I will inform you, how it goes on...
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Regards Malte

www.lampropeltis-alterna.de (german site)

Could it be.. Gunmetal phase alterna? hmmm...

Hope the alterna pulls through. Best wishes, StevenX

The second pic shows it. In the first one, my eye just registered it as glare. I can tell that now looking at it again, but only after seeing the second pic. I have had animals hatch "in shed", but not gray-bands.
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Brian Suter

www.serpenteer.com

Hi,

it seems that Mike was right, last night the little snake died.
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Regards Malte

www.lampropeltis-alterna.de (german site)