Many years ago, Erine Wagner(curator Woodland park zoo, ask the expert, and much more) and I juggled colubrid eggs to prove that point. And they hatched. I also have a pet ferret take a clutch of corn snake eggs and hide them on me. I found them, they were all full of holes, hmmmmmmm most hatched.

There is a optimum temp, for most eggs, low eighties is great for colubrid eggs, high eighties and low ninties, is too hot and it will actually take longer to hatch, cooler temps also take longer.

Snake eggs ability to maintain moisture is temperature related, the hotter they are, the less humidity they need. The cooler, the more. A working moisture level at 80F will cause the egg to drown or burst at 87F or so. The opposite is true, full eggs at a high temp will dent at lower temps.

In nature, they nest the eggs in bone dry areas that are humid. Nests in nature, have flucuating temps(at least around here). Wild colubrid eggs can hatch in 40 or so days or overwinter. So they indeed can work in a varity of contitions.

In this case, if the eggs were fine and the temps were dropped, the eggs can normally dent, but will fill out if the temps return to normal. But who knows, it could be a dead egg or a million other things. But your right, fertile strong eggs are hard to stop. Cheers

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