Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello everyone!!!

It's been a total of 62 days since the laying of the eastern milk snake eggs I've told you about before, and I have cages all set up for the eleven babies assuming they all make it. (I had 12, but remember one died ).

Anyway, I have a question and no it is now "When will they hatch?" My question is, when they hatch, should I leave them in the inc. chamber for a few days before moving them or separate them right away? I read somewhere that there is a chance milks/kings will eat each other right out of the egg, but can they really do this that far before the first shed?

Thanks for your advice and help so far, I will post pics when they hatch. I probably didn't tell you before but this is my first time incubating eggs ever so they probably would have died without your help.

crocacutus

Well, most milks do okay with staying in the moist incubating medium until after their first shed, that is when most problems will tend to arise. I have never produced any Eastern milks personally, but I certainly have produced many other types of milks, and I usually leave them in their moist vermiculite until they have shed, then I immediately take them out and house them individually in small containers. The moist humid environment in the incubation container really helps them shed initially without a problem.

Now it is always a very small possibility that something bad could happen, but it is very unlikely. I know other people that have had bad experiences with a few North american milks in the past, but it is definitely not the norm.

If it ever happens to me, I guess it will be one too many times though to be honest..LOL!, but I seriously doubt you will have a problem up until their shedding though in my opinion. Kings are a bit of a different dtory though..LOL!

good luck with those guys!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

How do I know which one sheds? Do they all shed at the same time?

crocacutus

>>How do I know which one sheds? Do they all shed at the same time?
>>
>>crocacutus

Just be safe and separate them once they hatch. Accidents can and will happen, why take the chance? Then you will not have to worry which one shed and which one didn't, although it should be quite obvious.
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Joe

No, they will shed at different intervals. But you can easily do as Joe M. suggested, and separate them now. Just make sure they have some moist sphagnum moss, or vermiculite, and/or spray a fine mist on the their lid or inside too to make sure high humidity is kept to assure they still shed properly, that's all.

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

OK, thanks!

crocacutus

When you do separate the babies, make sure to provide a cup of moist sphagnum moss on the heated end that they can crawl into. Babies need humidity - they feed better on average, in general, for the most part (lol) when they have access to a humid hide*.

*Disclaimer: Not guaranteeing they will feed, but lack of humidity works against you (them), so eliminate that hurdle right away.

In the wild, they would be hatching in an area with ample humidity. After that, they tend to stay or go where they won't dry out. So, in captivity, to take them from the humidity and put them in a dry cage is not the best plan. So keep that humid hide in those baby cages. Good luck!
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Mark

....I could not agree more with that!!

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com

I agree with Doug. And they should be fine.
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Mike
KingPin Reptiles
www.kingpinreptiles.com