Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey,

My cornsnake just laid 14 eggs...they all look fertile and look healthy. I didn't get my incubator made b/c i didn't think i was having eggs. Right now I have them in perlite on my snake rack which has heat tape. The temp reading from where the eggs are is about 79-83 degree F. The only problem is that I can't keep the humidity above 50%. What info can you give me that will help me keep the humidity up where it should be. There is about a 1/4 of an inch of water in the bottom of the container that the eggs are in. There are no holes in the container and I can see humidity but there isn't enough. Please help...these are my first eggs and this was my first breeding. I want it to be successful.

Thanks Charlene

Relax! While your conditions aren't perfect, they'll probably still hatch! Go ahead and set up your incubator. Wait until it steadies out at 84 degrees. Fill a tupperware box of moist (NOT wet!) vermiculite that will fit in the incubator and get it warmed. Add the eggs, trying to keep the same side up as before. Cover them, with just the top few (assuming they are stuck together in a clump) showing bits of egg. Cover these with a damp paper towel. Check periodically, if the paper towel is dry, replace it. If it is slimy wet, change some of the medium with dry vermiculite. Never turn the eggs. Check the cornsnake manual (availible on the web by Bill and Kathy Love), too. See the date they layed, and circle the expected hatching date on the calandar, too. Keep an eye on them and read all you can between now and then...

Charlene,

Are the eggs starting to dent in? If not, then your humidity is probably fine. I've never determined the humidity in my incubation containers.... If the eggs start to dry out, I add water. If there are no holes in the lid of your container, be sure to remove the lid periodically to allow for air exchange. Eggs are tough -- you'll do fine!

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Ronda Van Winkle
Northwest Herpetoculture