Breeding Questions

[Mangles]

This will be my first year of breeding some of my snakes and hopefully I have three gravid girls at the moment. I have just set up a bar fridge incubator, which is keeping a good constant temperature.

I have been doing a lot of research, however there are a few things either not covered properly or different methods of doing things, so I though I would ask a few questions for the more experienced breeders:

1. What substrate do you use in the laying box?

2. After laying how do you get the female from the eggs? I have heard they can become quite aggressive.

3. What medium do you use for incubation, water, vermiculite and/or perlite, and what % do you use?

4. Do you leave the eggs in a clump or do you separate if possible?

5. I have heard of people putting small air holes in the container housing the eggs in the incubator. Is this correct?

6. How often do you open the incubator to check the eggs and how often and for how long do you take the lid off the container to circulate the air? Do you do this more often towards the end of the incubation period?

7. When they start hatching do you pip the eggs?

Thanks.

 

[Colin]

This will be my first year of breeding some of my snakes and hopefully I have three gravid girls at the moment. I have just set up a bar fridge incubator, which is keeping a good constant temperature.

I have been doing a lot of research, however there are a few things either not covered properly or different methods of doing things, so I though I would ask a few questions for the more experienced breeders:

1. What substrate do you use in the laying box?

2. After laying how do you get the female from the eggs? I have heard they can become quite aggressive

3. What medium do you use for incubation, water, vermiculite and/or perlite, and what % do you use?
4. Do you leave the eggs in a clump or do you separate if possible?

5. I have heard of people putting small air holes in the container housing the eggs in the incubator. Is this correct? .

6. How often do you open the incubator to check the eggs and how often and for how long do you take the lid off the container to circulate the air? Do you do this more often towards the end of the incubation period?

7. When they start hatching do you pip the eggs?
Thanks.

1. moistened sphagnum moss on top of a piece of marine carpet

2. If you can get someone to assist its usually much easier. One person holds the head [gently] so no one gets bitten.. while the other person carefully unhooks the females tail from underneath the eggs and gently unwinds the female off the eggs.

3. Different people uses different mediums [or none] but I use vermiculite for my morelia. Percentage of vermiculite to water depends on species, but morelia, about 50 / 50 by weight. that is 1 kg of vermiculite to approx I kilo of water [I litre or water = 1 kg]

4. I prefer to leave in the clump they were laid

5. I personally I dont have air holes in my egg containers but theres probably a bit of a gap where the lid contacts the wire of probe thermometer.

6. I have a glass window in the incubator door so can see inside and see thermometers that monitor temperature and humidity. I have never really taken much notice how often I open the containers. I leave them alone for the first week. Then depending on how much moisture build up [condensation] is in in container and just take the top off and fan some fresh air in and close it again probably every few days on avaerage but I like the vermiculite mix to be drier towards the end of incubation period. So the last week or so probably every day or more when needed.

7.yes. I carefully pip the eggs that havent already pipped about 24 hours of the first hatchie poking his head out of the first egg.

Cheers

 

[gman78]

Just jumping on the thread

 

[Colin]

Although I sent a PM to mangles yesterday, I posted the above almost 6 hours after his initial question was asked because no one else on here seemed willing to comment.. and this morning this thread still remains very silent.

I'm not saying what I say is 100% correct or the best way to do it all. Its probably not, as theres many different methods and ways. I'd just like to hear some other peoples methods etc as Im always interested in hearing how other people do things so that I may be able to learn from it and incorporate into my own systems..

Personally I think mangles post is one of the best herp questions on here for some time.
Lets have some decent feedback and input.....

 

[solar 17]

Incubating

I have used no medium for years just water, works perfectly and every year i incubate womas bhp's stimmies and spotties no problems this idea you must have a medium is just an old habit that a lot of people don't want to let go of and the idea of having too much humidity isn't correct either as at 30.5-31.5 the humidty is relative and as far as water dripping on the eggs and aborting them ,well in probably 400-500 cases [eggs] its never happened to me....cheers solar 17....................ps if you don't like the idea thats fine but don't say it doesn,t work as myself and several others use this method....

 

[wokka]

This will be my first year of breeding some of my snakes and hopefully I have three gravid girls at the moment. I have just set up a bar fridge incubator, which is keeping a good constant temperature.

I have been doing a lot of research, however there are a few things either not covered properly or different methods of doing things, so I though I would ask a few questions for the more experienced breeders:

1. What substrate do you use in the laying box?

2. After laying how do you get the female from the eggs? I have heard they can become quite aggressive.

3. What medium do you use for incubation, water, vermiculite and/or perlite, and what % do you use?

4. Do you leave the eggs in a clump or do you separate if possible?

5. I have heard of people putting small air holes in the container housing the eggs in the incubator. Is this correct?

6. How often do you open the incubator to check the eggs and how often and for how long do you take the lid off the container to circulate the air? Do you do this more often towards the end of the incubation period?

7. When they start hatching do you pip the eggs?

Thanks.

1. I dont use substrate for most species.
2.Generally just pic up the eggs. With larger species such as OLives I cover the female with a towel.
3.Last year water; this year vermiculite about 10: 1 by volume, so it clumps together but you cant squeeze out moisture.
4.Seperate if possible and not too many per container so there's plenty of air per egg.8 olive eggs in a 28liter container.
5.Four 2mm hole per lid although I dont know that it is necessary.
6.When ever I need to add more eggs which is normally daily. Remove the lid occassionally to wipe surplus humidity off container.The incubator is humidified and in a controlled temp room so it doesn't make much difference.
7.Sometimes

 

[dee4]

1. Dampened sphagnum moss, if it dries out a tad I just spray it with a water bottle.

2. I get someone to help, or if that is not possible I use a towel to drop over the females head for easier handling.

3. I have used vermiculite at 50/50 in the past. I have set up a couple of containers this year with the 100% water methods.

4. I seperate if possible.

5. No holes but not a air sealed container either.

6. Every week, just enought to refresh the air in the container.

7. After the 1st egg yes I pip the rest.