Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Here is a pic of my ball python guarding her 8 eggs she laid on July 31, 2005. They all still look very healthy and I expect them to hatch within a week.

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1.1 Jungle Carpet Python
1.1 Ball Python
1.1 Corn Snake
0.1 Gray band Kingsnake
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
0.1 Pueblan Milksnake
1.0 Bullsnake
1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback
0.1 Spouse
8 ball python eggs due any day now!

I'm incubating them in a rubbermaid container with vermiculite. The container is sitting on 4 bricks inside a 10 gal aquarium filled with water up to the bottom of the bricks. There is a submersiable aquarium heater set to 90 degrees and the eggs inside the container have remained at a constant 88.5 degrees and the vermiculite has maintained a perfect humidity (I think) It's been like snow, just moist enough to kind of stick together if I squeeze it. The aquarium has a screen top, with another rubbermaid lid sitting on top of it (to hold in the moisture), and a towel (to hold in the heat)folded and layed over the top of the the tank. This is the first time I've used this method, so far so good. The eggs started dimpling a week ago, which I read they do 2 weeks before they hatch. I came home from being out of town for 5 weeks and a couple days later she laid the eggs, so I kind of had to improvise. I'm on pins and needles waiting. If all goes well, I'll post more pics when they poke their little heads out.

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1.1 Jungle Carpet Python
1.1 Ball Python
1.1 Corn Snake
0.1 Gray band Kingsnake
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
0.1 Pueblan Milksnake
1.0 Bullsnake
1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback
0.1 Spouse
8 ball python eggs due any day now!

It sounds like your make shift incubator worked very well. I'm kinda surprised the submersible heater is so acurate. Good luck with your clutch and be sure to post back when they are out.

Well, I had to buy the submersable heater that was the more expensive one, because it had a more narrow range of tolerance.
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1.1 Jungle Carpet Python
1.1 Ball Python
1.1 Corn Snake
0.1 Gray band Kingsnake
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
0.1 Pueblan Milksnake
1.0 Bullsnake
1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback
0.1 Spouse
8 ball python eggs due any day now!

Very cool! What will you be hatching out? We will keep our fingers crossed for you.
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Ben

ball pythons.......I hope

Cole Maas

I saw the article about you and your wife in the Reptile USA magazine. That's alright. (At least, I hope that was you.)

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Louis Kirkland
Game Balls
Game Ball Pythons

Yes Louis, that was me! That is pretty funny that someone figured that out. The article was pretty cheesy, but very true. It only took them like 2 years to use it! So, if you turn something in to reptiles mag, you never know when they might publish it!
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Ben

Looks good. I have used that system for years with great success. I insulate the aquarium with some styrofoam panels. I like the Tronyx submersible heaters. They are a little more expensive but very accurate. Once you establish the temp. you never have to touch it again. I think the only problem is when you have a lot of eggs. You would need a lot of aquariums. I have also used an igloo cooler instead of an aquarium. Works well. Good luck. Rin