I chatted earlier about some very successful locks between my corns about two weeks ago now, and I just wanted to ask about the schedule for corn breeding. My girl has suddenly gone very blue, very grumpy, and much less explorative, so I’m hoping these are some good signs. But I wanted to ask, IS this even a pre-lay shed? It feels awfully soon unless that first lock really did it. She’s also looking a bit chunkier and wanted some input (if possible!) I don’t want to disturb her much if at all
7 Likes
I have a clutch that should be pipping any minute, and there were only 17 days between first lock and her pre-lay shed. I’ve never had it happen like that before, but apparently it can. Most of the time it’s at least 4 weeks. Just treat it like pre-lay and make sure she has a lay box. She’s pretty. 
6 Likes
Thank you! Got her as a gift along with her boyfriend with a large purchase of ball pythons, and she was so pretty I couldn’t help but try my hand at corns for once, hoping that some of the mystery pos hets I was told about could shine through
6 Likes
Keep us posted.
6 Likes
I’m thinking congratulations are in order. That time frame is a little on the quick side, but she surely might be gravid. She hasn’t shed just yet, she looks to be at the height of the"blue" stage. She will most likely complete the shed cycle, shed, then lay in about 7-14 days. Most of mine seem to be in the 7-10 day post-shed range. All of that will probably put her laying in the average timee of 30-45 days post-lock. If you haven’t, go ahead and give her a nest box with something like damp sphagnum moss. Snakes don’t necessarily follow the expected schedule and it is best to be ready early. Also, if needed, replace her usual water dish with one that she can’t fit into. Am option to soak is normally good but not when they’re gravid. They’ve been known to lay in a water dish, usually resulting in drowned embryos.
Do you know the parents’ genetics? The female is pretty. I like Motley Tesseras.
7 Likes
Miami stripe pos hets for motley (which she could just be a motley stripe, they’re so hard to tell apart) and amel which I remember X Miami mess of hets didn’t write down in time unfortunately 
I know het stripe is in him though so I assume they’re somewhat related, but when I asked the person said not siblings so that’s better
Hopefully the babies will show something or other, otherwise I’m happy with a bunch of nice looking miamis if my luck is bad.
She has a large water bowl but not big enough to fit in currently, just a kitchen Tupperware, and I was preparing her lay box tonight since I had to throw out my last ones after a gnat problem along with fifty dollars of substrate. I can’t palpate any eggs but I have no idea what I’m doing there so it makes sense, but in the second pic where I’m holding her if you look behind my hand she looks like she ate a golf ball which I hope is promising too
Edit: after some quick brain refreshers I remember amel, hypo, stripe, motley for sure
5 Likes
Sounds like you’re set for eggs to arrive. Your girl’s pattern does look to be homozygous Stripe, going by the width between the stripes and the way the pattern looks on her neck and head. I apologize, I had a brain blip and somehow thought I’d read that the male was Motley Tessera. Obviously I confused myself with something else there. Sorry! Sounds like you have a lot of potential variety in this pairing.
The easiest way to feel eggs is to lay your hand flat, palm up under some thin, smooth cloth like a sheet and let the snake crawl over your hand in a relaxed way. You should be able to feel a series of bumps if she’s gravid, like she swallowed a necklace made of giant beads.
7 Likes
So exciting! Congratulations. I agree with @Caryl on the homozygous stripe. She sure is pretty! Hope your possible hets work out. Genetic roulette is a fun game 
7 Likes
Prelay shed just happened! Nice and in one piece along the side of her enclosure like she always does for me
6 Likes
Sounds good! Most of mine lay about 7-10 days after that shed. I had one lay only two days after shedding, and I had one weirdo who shed twice before she laid her eggs. I do go ahead and offer a small meal after they shed. Something like a hopper or a couple of fuzzies. Some nutritional boost without being large enough to be a problem. Some eat, some don’t. Not everyone offers food and it’s up to you. Whatever you do, hopefully soon she’ll do what you’re hoping for and produce a nice, healthy, trouble free clutch.
6 Likes
I gave her two fuzzies a couple days ago, hopefully that’ll be okay, she is ravenous for cold fuzzies of all things so I thought I’d give her a treat
5 Likes
I wonder if glow before they go applies to cornies, too, she suddenly seems a lot brighter than usual. At least she’s back to being friendly with me
6 Likes
I’ve never thought of that, but hey, why not? Glad she’s in a good mood again. An appetite is a good thing. When you say “cold fuzzies,” I assume you mean room temp? Cooler than that can be problematic.
She may become pretty restless as Lay Day approaches or she may be content to settle in and wait. Either is normal.
4 Likes
Cold as in room temp, yep. For whatever reason she has a habit of liking that over anything warm. At least it means it doesn’t take as long to get food for her 
I’ve probably given her one or two before that were a bit colder towards the inside but I’ve been letting them thaw for longer lately rather than quickly thawing them in water to try and combat that, I get impatient thawing overnight with school and work in the morning lol
Edit: I also check her heating more frequently because of it since I get a tad paranoid if her heating went out she’d be in some trouble worse than a snake that took a warm meal, hopefully nobody thinks I’m tossing a still hard from the freezer mouse at her
5 Likes
I didn’t think you were giving her actually frozen meals. Just wondering about specifics. If the meal is too cool, especially with larger prey items, bacteria inside the meal can multiply faster than the snake’s digestive system can digest the meal. This leads to a regurge. I recall somebody from way back who was thawing overnight in the fridge, then giving the mouse to the snake right from the fridge. Not surprisingly, this was a problem.
There’s nothing wrong with a meal that’s totally room temp. I thaw their mice in hot water rather than overnight in the fridge. Meals are cooled by the time I get to the last ones in a set. I’ve only got one who cares at all.
5 Likes
a quick update since I’m getting a bit impatient on eggs honestly, checked her today and I could easily feel about eight eggs so far. Super excited for when she hopefully lays
6 Likes
Hopefully won’t be too much longer. 
4 Likes
Funny you say that! True to being a Miami, for a first timer her clutch looks huge, can only see a few there but there’s a quite a few more and a few still in her, no visible slugs yet either
6 Likes
Congratulations! That’s such a fun feeling!!!
5 Likes