Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This MD EK had been given this lay box on the 16th and had not laid her eggs by day thirteen. Longer then I had ever experienced. (used a humid hide in GB cage for now). I had used a method before that FR and J Lassister had mentioned (I think is was them anyway). I filled the back end of her cage with substrate and placed a HEAVY floor tile over same. Two days later--nine healthy eggs and an easy to remove clutch. Worked like a charm again. Thanks guys.


The box method usually works, but nice to have another method should things seem not to be going well.
Pic taken after clutch was removed. 16 days from shed to clutch being laid is the longest I have seen myself. All is well though.

Joe

That's how my temperalis do it
-----
“Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.” Emmerson

WWW.TDSNAKES.BLOGSPOT.COM

Hey Tony, do you always use the method I just showed? Maybe I need to go that full time as well. I have only had them not use the lay box twice, but I wonder if they would drop their clutches sooner if provided the "heavy object" method? I will have no choice with my Jani as she is too big to fit into any lay boxes I can find. (the ones that would fit into her cage at least).

Joe

Great results Joe!
-----
John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...

Thanks John. I was getting a bit worried there I admit. 16 days is my record.

Joe

had used a method before that FR and J Lassister had mentioned (I think is was them anyway). I filled the back end of her cage with substrate and placed a HEAVY floor tile over same.

That is how I do it. I posted that several times over the years. .

i figured it out on my own when my kingsnakes always pooped in their lay boxes and then laid underneath them instead. Finally got tired of the lay box thing (cleaning the poop and changing substrate) and decided to listen to what the snakes were telling me [they pooped in the laybox. that should have given me a clue years before] and had some plastic lids around and first tried them. Was successful 50% of the time. The lids were to light as snakes like to sqeeze into or under things. I had some extra tile and started using that. Every since then it works everytime and easy to manage for larger collections.

Though a plastic lid with a brick on top works just as well.

It gives the snakes what they want and gets the job done. Eggs are safe. And even if the eggs are left in the cage for a few days, the tile keeps them moist.
-----
1) Do you beleive what you observe or observe what you beleive?

www.Bluerosy.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I actually learned this from Frank....
Frank posted years ago about using a pane of glass on top of the nesting substrate then a board on top of the glass so that he could lift the board and see the nesting female under the glass......

I, too use a 16qt plastic lid with a rock or brick on it.......

It is amazing to see a female actually burrow a nest then lay her eggs in the center of her coils, using her body to keep the clutch of eggs from contacting the nesting substrate directly.........
-----
John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...

It is amazing to see a female actually burrow a nest then lay her eggs in the center of her coils, using her body to keep the clutch of eggs from contacting the nesting substrate directly.........

This year was the first time I had a whole clutch of eggs stuck on the bottom of the plastic. They were like glued on. The shells on this clucth is very soft. So I am guessing they had some kind of extra adehsive from being thin shelled and slimy.. I tried to remove but some of them the popped quite easily. The rest remain in this large tub. lol.

Always something new i tell ya.
-----
1) Do you beleive what you observe or observe what you beleive?

www.Bluerosy.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

John, now that you mention it that is the post I remember. When you said the pane of glass I too remember that, but you might have mentioned it again in another post, not sure. Anyway, it works awesome!! Another plus is that the clutch is not five feet high and can easily fit inside a small tub for the incubator! LOL. In my pic you can see how she is still in the tight coil position after removing the clutch.
Rainer, that is crazy about the eggs sticking to the lid!! The lid must have gotten dry on the underside or something. Good learning experience right there too I guess. I will probably use this method with a heavy tile for the rest of my gravid animals this year.
Joe

Rainer, that is crazy about the eggs sticking to the lid!!

After probably over a thousand clucthes this is the first time i had this happen.

I doubt it is something to worry about. There is something different about these eggs having a thin shell and a glue like substance. Maybe from lack of calcium..I dunno...
Also noticed some course dried material on the plastic which also helped the adhesiveness of those eggs.

Anyway, it is not something to take precautionary measures with. i am far more concerned with females eating their eggs after laying. Which i have happened over a dozen times. But you have to remember my collection is large. So my test sybjects is very high. So I see a lot of stuff happen that others don't. That makes probabilty and conclusions higher than most people on here.
-----
1) Do you beleive what you observe or observe what you beleive?

www.Bluerosy.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Joe I use lay boxes also, but I keep a close eye on the females. I have a female Honduran Milk that keeps hiding behind the lay box, so I placed some moist spagnum back there also! Just in case. Let's see pics of those Alterna.

-----
What's wrong with using CAUTION?!?!?!
King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
~ Jorge Sierra www.SierraSnakes.com