I got ball python eggs! And a new morph

EnzoLeya

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I haven't been on in forever, but I remember there were a few snake enthusiasts on this site


I have been breeding my pastel and normal since November. This was my very first season breeding and I got 7 eggs about a week ago. The pastel http://www.slitherinsisters.com/reso...=1273710257263 Half of the clutch should be pastel and the other half should be normal. I'm hoping for at least half pastels or more!!!

This was her two days before laying, you can see how huge the last 1/2 of her body is, the eggs were moving down.


I caught her in the process of laying


Once she was done


The eggs


Babies inside, I actually saw one move it's head around while I was candling!


And the new morph addition, a mojave. If you breed two of these together you make a white snake with a black smug on the head.



And a cool tongue picture (spider morph)



I can't post all the pictures that I want to because photobucket isn't working for me! It's loading in snail speed and won't show a lot of my pictures


My collection page (on my website) http://www.slitherinsisters.com/our-collection.php
 

-_aj_-

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Hey, i thought i hadnt seen you round here for a while, welcome back


Kool snakes not all the pics will load for me stoopid laptop
but dodged onto your swebsite
 
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EnzoLeya

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Originally Posted by -_aj_-

Hey, i thought i hadnt seen you round here for a while, welcome back


Kool snakes not all the pics will load for me stoopid laptop
but dodged onto your swebsite
No I haven't


They won't load on mine either!!! I don't know why, but photobucket is being a real pain for me today.

Edit, oh now they are loading. This is just weird! I hope they load for everyone else now!!!
 

-_aj_-

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different ones are loading each time i refresh lol i love the one of momma curled up with the eggs
 
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EnzoLeya

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Originally Posted by -_aj_-

different ones are loading each time i refresh lol i love the one of momma curled up with the eggs
Now they aren't showing up for me!!!
All the other websites work just fine!

She was actually pretty nice to me when I took her off the eggs! Some mommas are really nasty! They are very concerned with their eggs, just like any new mom would be with babies. It was really cute because she was looking over each and every one making sure it was perfect! I was able to grab her by the back of the head and by her tail and take her off without a fight. She started eating again a couple days later and is doing great!

This coming breeding season, November, I should have 4 girls that are up to breeding weight, and I'm planning to buy another breeder girl from a friend, so I might have 5 clutches next year!!!
 

pushylady

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The eggs do look so big. Good thing that snakes have stretchy insides.
That's really cool to see, I hope they all hatch out OK. How long do they incubate for?
 
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EnzoLeya

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Originally Posted by Britt0285

I have a huge fear of snakes but that is pretty cool!
I used to be pretty afraid of snakes, mostly because they move really fast. These guys are slow movers and they don't get very big. They also aren't aggressive snakes. They got their name because they would rather ball up than bite. I have yet to get bit, but my perfect record will probably be ruined once I get hatchlings. They are nippy little things! It won't really hurt though, even a full grown ball python hardly draws blood, they have very tiny teeth and no fangs. One thing I never knew is that only poisonous snakes have fangs.

Originally Posted by CatMom2Wires

What do the eggs feel like?
They are soft, but heavy. Now that they have been incubating for awhile they are firm, but they are still very pliable. At the end of incubation they will get really soft again and start deflating.

Originally Posted by Bellaandme

Those eggs look so big compared to mama. Are they soft-shelled? It's a beautiful snake.
They are big and soft shelled. They stay relatively soft throughout the whole process, but more so at the end so the babies can get out.

Originally Posted by pushylady

The eggs do look so big. Good thing that snakes have stretchy insides.
That's really cool to see, I hope they all hatch out OK. How long do they incubate for?
Lol they are big! She had some really beautiful healthy eggs! She hasn't ate since February 5th so she would have plenty of room for eggs. I had been pairing her since the first of November, so you can imagine how long it actually takes to get eggs, it's a long wait!!! I stopped offering her food on February 5th because she started refusing, which is a good sign they are building (making eggs). It's best to not feed them while they have eggs because there just isn't a lot of room, as you could imagine! Now that she's off the eggs she's eating like a monster.

One reason to take the mom off the eggs, other than for percentage of eggs that survive, is so they start eating sooner. They will not eat while they are incubating eggs.

The eggs incubate for 60 days. I incubate at 89 degrees. A drop of 3 degrees or a rise of 3 degrees will kill the eggs. Too wet or too dry will also kill them. Ball python eggs are very particular! It's stressful to think of everything that could potentially go wrong, but so far so good! I have a really nice thermostat running the incubator-an old fridge-so the temps should be good! I'm planning on seeing some hatchlings around the end of June


Oh and I forgot to say, all those eggs are stuck together. You can't pull them apart once they are stuck or you will rip the eggs. They come out soft and wet, but they stick together really quickly!
 
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