Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Found my borneo female on eggs today in her large rubbermaid nest box with cypress mulch. Going to let her incubate. Do I need to control the ambient temperature of her cage?

I always use an incubator but if I were to try the natural way I would try and keep the ambient temp around 85 to 86 so as not to stress her to much.I am sure it is very demanding for her body to complete this task being she was not allowed to choose the best spot to lay her eggs as she would have in the wild. I would be most concerned with correct Humidity. keep us posted on her progress.

Keith

I took your advice and removed the eggs. They look very good at this point. Mark

incubation with bloods or stp’s, you will need to maintain a nest site temp of 86 to 88 F, with an ambient relative humidity level of at least 90%. Their thermoregulatory capabilities are limited and their eggs need the higher humidity levels. Good luck with that clutch.

Kelly

Here's a picture of the eggs. The incubator set up should have higher humidity than they had in the nest box. Do they need to be sprayed?

NOOOOO!!! Don't shoot.. I mean spray, it will kill the eggs. Just make sure your moisture level in the incubating substrate is right. It shouldn't be dripping water but a light squeeze would produce drops. Keep covered and make sure not even condensation drops from the lid hit them. Good luck Mike
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Mike Jenks-Solar Serpents llc

or any other lowland tropical rain forest python species, except Green Tree's. With incubator designs where the humidity may be a little more difficult to maintain, there is no problem spraying the eggs directly on an occasional basis. The key is that you just don't want them standing directly in a pool of water. If the incubator is tight, and it maintains consistent condensation on the sides of the egg container, then you may not need to mist. With most python species I work with, I usually use maternal incubation with the eggs and always mist the female every 2 or 3 days and let the water run down over the egg mass between the females coils. And I have misted blood eggs in an incubator as well. I have never had a problem arise from this practice whether in an incubator or with maternal incubation. It makes sense, as the eggs of the larger tropical pythons are laid on the ground usually during the rain season, and the female is directly exposed to rainfall periodically during the incubation period. Just try to avoid over saturation of the incubating substrate, although that is rarely a problem.

Kelly

I have to agree with Kelly, I havent had a problem with condensation or misting hurting these eggs. I always have strong condensation on the inside of my boxes and also keep the humdidity in the incubator at about 90%. I like using straight Perlite, the top layer seems to dry out a bit and the bottom layer stays nice and damp. I find it to be very sterile and not prone to mold.
Keith

Agreed as well, I'm just overly cautious on that advice, water damage can really suck!
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Mike Jenks-Solar Serpents llc