Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello All, Found this Large Ringneck 1 month ago.It ate 1 time, then refused food and made a hide in the dirt in the cage. I just found the Eggs buried in the dirt Any ideas how long before they hatch? Thanks.

Helloooooo, is anybody home? I did read on Mike's web page about incubation time. My question now is, when to separate them so they don't become dinner...

Did you remove the eggs from the enclosure? Keeping the eggs in the enclosure with an adult would've made it more difficult to monitor the eggs and the temperature incubating them. And also increases the chances of a snake knocking a egg over.
I've never heard of a ringneck snake eating a baby ringneck but I assume it's possible, especially since some ringneck sub-species will gladly snatch up a neonate snake. A feeding frenzy mistake could easily happen if keeping adults and babies together. If the eggs are with the adult I say separate them as soon as they hatch, neonates will need to be kept more moist than the adult but will still need dry areas in their enclosure so they don't get blisters.
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Mike
KingPin Reptiles
www.kingpinreptiles.com

Thanks Mike, The eggs were buried in the dirt 1/2 of the enclosure, Sphagnum Moss and wood chips make up the other 1/2. I turn the dirt 2 times a month and they popped up. I reburied them (not deep) and mist the area over them 3 times a week. The dirt side of the enclosure gets afternoon sun a few hrs a day. Should I leave them in the sun? Thanks again...

Hey Jimmy,
I wouldn't have kept the eggs in the same spot, for a couple reasons.. It would've been better to remove the eggs from the dirt and into a separate container for incubation, especially if part of the enclosure is in the sun and you cannot monitor temperatures at all. Also, if one of the eggs were to go bad there's a chance it will attract those little carrion flies which could ultimately destroy the rest of the eggs.

On the other hand in the wild I assume a ringneck snake could lay it's eggs anywhere, so who knows. Good luck with them.
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Mike
KingPin Reptiles
www.kingpinreptiles.com

Thanks Mike, as you mentioned, the snake could lay them anywhere. As they are in the Sun, it is thru defused glass (my bathroom window).