This is my first clutch and I feel like things have gone fairly smooth but now I dont know whats going on. We are at day 40 now with humidity and temp steady at 85% and 82f. 10 eggs one lost its veins early on and then molded last weekend. The other nine have had strong veins and very pink/red this entire time but today I noticed three look more yellow. I can see movement in one of them still. The media feels a little on the dry side but I’m not sure if that is affecting them or how to safely add more moisture. Sorry the one picture is blurry, I didnt realize and I dont want to open it back up again.
They are fine. Don’t candle them so late in incubation. Yellowing is normal. Try not to handle and let nature do it’s thing.
Not sure what species you’re working with, but those look like good colubrid eggs to me. Eggs get less white and their texture changes as hatching nears. Often they also dent inward during the final days, which looks a lot like dehydration but isn’t. Thebabies are drawing calcium and other nutrients from the eggshells in preparation for their entry into the world.
If you do think they need a little moisture, you can add a couple mL of water at the edge of the medium. It will gradually be absorbed and distributed. Make sure the water has no chlorine and is the same temperature as the eggs/incubator. Depending on your setup you could also nestle a tiny cup (like the little dosing cups for medication)of nonchlorinated water in the corner of your container. It may not change anything, but shouldn’t hurt.
Thank you guys for answering, now i have another question. Sorry this is my first cutch so im nervous about doing everything right. My babies started hatching today yay!!! Is it okay for this little one to sit out the egg with the yolk/umbilical still attached?
That can happen. It’s not a huge deal so just leave the baby alone until it drops the sac. It’s a beautiful baby by the way. It looks like an albino superconda. What was the pairing?
Thank you! Yes I’ve got two albino supercondas so far. Mom is albino conda and dad is conda het albino. Got another 7 eggs to go. Should I leave them in the box until they shed or would it be okay to move them to their tubs (ones that have dropped the sac that is)? I’ve read conflicting things on that. I’ve also read to wait until after shed before offering the first meal, is that the hatching shed or first real shed? Wow I’m so excited and I’ve been getting ready for years yet now I feel sorely unprepared.
Also how long should it take for the sac to drop? Am I looking at hours or a couple days?
I don’t have any experience with breeding snakes so I can’t give you first-hand advice but I’ve read a lot about it so I can probably still help.
There’s a lot of conflicting information on whether to leave them in the incubation container or move them to a tub, I don’t think either way is wrong. I would leave them there until their first shed since that’s what most breeders do.
I’m pretty sure that you wait until the very first shed (the hatchling shed) to offer food. If they aren’t interested just try again later, they are notorious for being picky eaters.
There’s not a good way to predict when the sac will drop. It could be a couple hours but it could be a couple days. It will fall off when it’s ready to.
Also, congratulations on the clutch, do you have pictures of the other hatchling?
Thank you I appreciate the info. I did run home on my lunch break to check on them. The above pictured one seems a bit shy.
And here’s the second one still working its way out.
No other pips yet but I’ve read they can hatch over the course of a couple days so not worried yet.
Both babies are super cute! It sounds like everything’s going well.
Thank you! Crossing my fingers the other 7 hatch without issue. I can’t stop looking at the pictures, they are so stinkin cute.
Albino supercondas are my favorite hognose morph combo. I just think they look so cool and their head colors and patterns are awesome.
I love condas and supers, just completely obsessed with them. Especially the ones that have the thick stripe down the spine. I am already noticing the slight pattern variations between these two and its just so cool.
I left my babies in the egg tub until they had their first shed — I don’t think I’ve heard of anyone doing it differently since they typically shed almost immediately after hatching. I also don’t think it’s a big deal if you decide to remove them and set them up in their new tubs immediately.
I also had a baby who hatched with the umbilical cord and yolk sac still attached, it fell off on its own after awhile.
Hoping I’ll get to pair my hoggies next season, haven’t been able to produce any the past couple years due to unforeseen issues that have come up.
If all goes to plan and the two females hit breeding weight (they’re both in the 150-175 gram range) I’ll have three females and two males to pair.
I’m thinking…
1.0 snow x 0.1 albino superconda
1.0 lavender het albino x 0.1 het albino
I also have my normal female but I’m undecided on which male I want to pair to her
Very pretty baby! Congrats on hatchlings arriving!
The “first shed” you’re referencing normally means the one which happens shortly after hatching.
I would go ahead and move the baby with the yolk sac still attached to its own deli cup. I’m speaking from corn snake experience, but I wouldn’t want it to cause hurt to itself by crawling around if the yolk sac or umbilicus were sticking to substrate. They can herniate rather badly, and any damage to the umbilicus opens a path for germs into the body. Siblings
If it were my baby, I’d put it in a clean deli cup with a tiny amount of clean water at incubator temperature, just enough to cover the bottom. That way the baby will finish absorbing the yolk, and won’t damage itself before the sac naturally detaches.
Thank you, that helps clear up some of my confusion. In regards to the pairing, my vote would be the snow male. But I’m very much partial so a dh snow is more appealing than het lavender to me
Thank you very much! I’ll be home in an hour so I’ll get it set up right away. I’m still unsure about feeding the first time, do I wait until after the first real shed or can it be sooner? I don’t want to offer sooner if its going to stress them out unnecessarily.
Oh good! That’s excellent. As for their first feeding, you can offer it after that postnatal shed. Literally the first shed.
Yeah, that’s probably what I’m gonna go with — better to have a known 100% dbh snow than a het lav poss het albino
And yes, you can offer food immediately. They may not take right away, some of them I had to leave a live pinky mouse in overnight and they ended up gone by the next morning. One baby took a month before she started eating, so be prepared for the picky ones! I luckily didn’t have to resort to scenting for any of mine at least, but it can still be nerve wracking waiting for them to accept a first meal.