Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey, thought I would share my wonderful news. Came home from school today and my Normal het Motley (possibly hypo het motley) was in the process of laying 10 beautiful eggs. She shed 8 days ago. Seemed to be a huge effort to lay those ten eggs, I'm glad she didn't have any more. Her mate is a striped normal, poss. het amel, no other known recessive genes. So I'm expecting (barring surprises) 50% Motley Striped, and 50% normal. It's SO EXCITING! These are my first cornsnake eggs! (well sorta!)

Other than Aphrodite, I also have Athena getting ready to lay eggs. She shed a day after Aphrodite, and laid a slug yesterday (about 80% the length of today's eggs, and about 20% the diameter).

In addition to those two, I have Calypso, bred 36 days ago for the first time, shed 5 days ago, restless as anything, but I'm not sure if she's gravid or not. Her restless behaviour and lack of appetite say she's gravid, but her lack of girth tell me she's not. Haven't a clue if she'll lay eggs or breed with the male again. I could tell on both Athena and Aphrodite the number of eggs they had within five days of their shedding, but Calypso has a few barely noticeable (feel-able) lumps, but otherwise appears to feel NOT gravid. So my guess is that she is either preparing to lay slugs, or is just ovulating.

Now I just have to hurry up and wait for the eggs to hatch, they are due on the 4th of July!

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~Sasheena

isn't baby season great. For a while you come home and check to see who laid eggs, who gave birth and what surprises they have provided. I have been keeping snakes for 22 years and breeding them for about 20 and I am still like a kid at Christmas this time of year.....
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Jim Hopkins "Hoppy"
Hopkins Holesale Herps
Hopfam1@aol.com

I think it's the eggs/hatchlings part of it all that is the most addictive. Last year was my first year to breed snakes, and if I didn't have the "snake bug" before then, I sure got it permanently when those little ones hatched! It's definately a renewal, which is what nature intended I think. Something about a little snakey just poking his head out of that egg and saying "Hello world". It's neat to have ten nice eggs from my Corn. Wish the breeding would solve the question as to whether or not she's a hypo, but it won't really matter that much. Even if they're the most normal looking hatchlings in the universe, they're still wonderful!

Now that the first one laid her eggs, the waiting gets more intense! I have one other small corn who laid a small slug the day before yesterday, seems to have 9 viable eggs left in her, and now I'm just hoping that, like kingsnakes, she is just getting rid of excess baggage, and the ones she keeps a little longer will be viable and not bind her up. She doesn't appear to be doing any sort of straining, the eggs are quite a distance from her vent, so I think that she is just biding her time. It's been 8 days since she shed as of today.
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~Sasheena