return to main index

  mobile - desktop
follow us on facebook follow us on twitter follow us on YouTube link to us on LinkedIn
Click here for LLL Reptile & Supply  
click here for Rodent Pro
This Space Available
3 months for $50.00
Locate a business by name: click to list your business
search the classifieds. buy an account
events by zip code list an event
Search the forums             Search in:
News & Events: Herp Photo of the Day: Happy Rattlesnake Friday! . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Milk Snake . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Frog . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Newt . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Tortoise . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Happy Rattlesnake Friday! . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Chameleon . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: TImor Python . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Bredl's python . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Rat Snake . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Happy Rattlesnake Friday! . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Komodo Dragon . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Uromastyx . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Happy World Croc Day! . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Turtle . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Happy Rattlesnake Friday! . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Monitor . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: ETB . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Iguana . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Drymarchon . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Happy Rattlesnake Friday! . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Anaconda . . . . . . . . . .  RECALL ALERT - Recall for Tetra ReptoMin in Hawaii . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Ringneck Snake . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Blood Python . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Corn Snake . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Happy Rattlesnake Friday! . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Tarantula . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Water Snake . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Toad . . . . . . . . . .  St. Louis Herpetological Society - July 13, 2025 . . . . . . . . . .  San Diego Herp Society Meeting - July 15, 2025 . . . . . . . . . .  Colorado Herp Society Meeting - July 19, 2025 . . . . . . . . . .  Chicago Herpetological Society Meeting - July 20, 2025 . . . . . . . . . .  Bay Area Herpetological Society Meeting - July 25, 2025 . . . . . . . . . .  Suncoast Herp Society Meeting - July 26, 2025 . . . . . . . . . .  DFW Herp Society Meeting - July 26, 2025 . . . . . . . . . .  Tucson Herpetological Society Meeting - July 28, 2025 . . . . . . . . . .  Southwestern Herp Society Meeting - Aug 02, 2025 . . . . . . . . . .  Greater Cincinnati Herp Society Meeting - Aug 06, 2025 . . . . . . . . . . 
Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research
full banner - advertise here .50¢/1000 views
click here for Rodent Pro
pool banner - $50 year

RE: another Bismarck disaster

[ Login ] [ User Prefs ] [ Search Forums ] [ Back to Main Page ] [ Back to Python Forum ] [ Reply To This Message ]
[ Register to Post ]

Posted by: willstill at Tue May 25 12:35:09 2010  [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by willstill ]  
   

Hi,

I have been hatching python eggs for 20 years and I must agree with Tom's assessment of the eggs likely being too wet. In addition to the excessive pressure put on the baby from too much water in the egg, some herp species' eggs have thin shells and these eggs are also suseptable to damage caused by changes in pressure within the egg container. This problem can be compounded when the internal pressure within the egg is too great from excessive moisture. When an incubation chamber/egg box is sealed, the pressure within is constant and often greater than the air pressure in the outside environment. This can be a problem when a sealed egg box is suddenly opened. The pressure change is dramatic and the shell can be damaged. Symptoms of such shell damage are leaky eggs, specifically, wet appearing, translucent spots on the egg surface with moisture droplets. Now opinions vary, but many folks believe, myself incuded, that the areas of the shell that are damaged no longer have the capacity for air exchange that they once had. As the python gets close to hatching (is fully formed and colored) its metabolic rate increases dramatically (causing the increase in egg temperature at the end of incubation). This development causes an increased need for oxygen. If the shell is damaged and can't support this need, the baby suffocates full term in the egg.

This phenomena is well known to monitor breeders, but is not seen as often in pythons or colubrids (as their eggs seem to be able to handle pressure changes better...usually). It is very common for an entire clutch of monitor eggs to develop moisture droplets at the end of incubation and and die full term. the solution is often very simple. For me, drilling one or two small air holes in the egg box allows internal air pressure to stabilize with exterior air pressure and solve the problem. If you keep the egg box a bit drier, perhaps by switching to perlite as an incubation medium and by poking a few holes in the box, though not enough to encourage humidity loss, your problem might be solved. Good luck.

Will



   

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Subscribe to this Thread ] [ Hide Replies ]


>> Next topic:  What to get?? - cmac107, Tue May 18 20:42:22 2010
<< Previous topic:  Egg hatching w/mold on it - Jaykis, Sun May 16 11:52:10 2010