| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Sheepy |
Posted - 06/06/2011 : 16:31:52
Hey there, I come back off holiday to find my female corn had laid 10 lovely eggs under the water bowl in her viv.
I'm a bit strapped for cash at the mo an had to improvise. Also my local pet store has no vermiculite in stock at the mo. 
I wasn't expecting my female to lay any eggs until the last week of june as this has been the pattern in the last 2-3 years, usually around the 23rd june she lays.
The last 2-3 years I've never had any luck with the eggs, but this time I'm really determined to hatch them, so have been surfing the net an reading up about it. I think the problem before was the eggs just collapsed an died. I now know this was due to the humidity.
At the moment I know its not ideal but seems to be working.
I have a Tupperware pot which I have put some small holes in the top. Inside I'm using a substrate called Repti Bark -
http://www.petsathome.com/shop/reptibark-26.4ltr-by-zoo-med-27961
This stuff seems really good at holding humidity. I use it for my Boa Constrictor.
I have put around a 3 inch layer, with the eggs slightly submerged in it.
Before I put the eggs in, I soaked the bark in water an squeezed it out so it was slightly damp.
Every 8 hours I open the lid an use a syringe to inject water down 4 sides of the tub an the eggs have stayed raised an plump since I have moved them from under the bowl.
I have a dial thermostat sat in there an its hovering around 28-30 degrees. I don't have an airing cupboard as we have a combi boiler so I have left the pot in the viv, over the heat mat, an under my basking lamp.
If this is working OK, shall I just leave them as they are? and when the eggs are due to hatch, switch them into a tub of vermiculite?
Also another thing I cant find much info on, is the eggs texture..
They were laid an they were all smooth an white, now the white is slowly dissolving, an these little bright white stars are forming on them. Should I be worried about this?
I'll try get a picture or two posted up if I can borrow a digital camera.
Thanks in advanced |
| 11 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| mikerichards |
Posted - 09/06/2011 : 12:39:36
^^ this.
Your incubation method is totally useless, in a nutshell.
The reason they shrivel is because its not humid enough, the temp needs to be properly controlled, and as for that thermometer, well, you are better off guessing than trusting that.
As for the stars, thats calcium, a good healthy egg, If you carry on doing what you are doing, you will kill these ones too.
there are loads of threads about incubators, loads of them, have a search, do the leg work and you will find everything you need to know.
Sorry if you think i am being harsh, but you have had 4 years to get it right, it doesnt take a rocket scientist to breed corns, morons are doing it all the time. |
| lotabob |
Posted - 08/06/2011 : 01:09:20
Your not controlling the temperature or the humidity with anything other than hopes and dreams, I think you may have divulged the reason for them repeatedly failing. When they all failed the first year it should have been a big enough sign that things weren't right. 4th year and still no incubator, I just hope the poor little snakes died early on and didn't suffer too much on your failed attempts. Oh and the bark your using unless all the bark is kept moist it actually has the reverse effect and absorbs moisture out of the air but opening the tub every 8 hours to syringe water into the bark would let out any accumulated heat and any moisture in there floats away on the breeze putting temp and humidity up and down up and down like a yoyo.
Have a watch of this, its a bit general but has some good info
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlSS5wap-Zc |
| Sheepy |
Posted - 06/06/2011 : 20:19:52
No there no statted, but i keep adjusting the light an have raised the tub up off the mat slightly, i left a tiny corner of the tub open to view the stat, an its staying on 28.C Its been like this since last night, its the only thing i can do at the mo.
I just got back off holiday so a bit strapped for cash, i wasnt hoping for this, i was hoping to have an incubator sorted in time for this years eggs. Just a shame she did it while i was away :S |
| Invalid User |
Posted - 06/06/2011 : 19:33:39
I just noticed something, you say you have a dial thermostat, you mean dial thermometer right, the one in the pic.
I know the dial ones can be very inacurate so maybe your temps are not quite right?
Also you say the tub is over the heatmat and under a basking lamp. Are both the lamp and the heatmat statted as again they could be getting quite hot.
I'm just guessing here and throwing ideas  |
| Sheepy |
Posted - 06/06/2011 : 19:28:29
i just edited my post above, an the picture you posted is exactly how they look once all the white lumps have gone.
I would love to keep these lot an get them hatched, if these fail, it will be the 4th year :S |
| eeji |
Posted - 06/06/2011 : 19:26:43
tbh the colour doesn't look too clever, i'm not sure what the cause could be - maybe its drawing some colour from the damp substrate, or they are turning bad? :S
The little stars are nothing to worry about, one of my girls lays eggs like that and they hatch out fine (they stay white though)...
 |
| Sheepy |
Posted - 06/06/2011 : 18:36:44
Thanks for pointing that out, I did grab a read of that, an tried to do everything close as possible to that, just improvising with the materials I had. As soon as I get some cash I will grab a polystyrene box an make the incubator.
The eggs start out fully white, then they start loosing the white and look a little lumpy like you saw in the photo, but in a day or so all the lumps will be gone, the egg will be smooth again, with the little white stars shapes on them.
**EDIT**
This is how they usually look after the white has gone.
http://mojavereptiles.com/corn-snake-egg-snowflaking/ |
| Invalid User |
Posted - 06/06/2011 : 18:12:24
I know this is not your first time breeding but something is clearly going wrong each time so have a read of this as it has some great info.
http://www.thecornsnake.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=17108 |
| Sheepy |
Posted - 06/06/2011 : 18:07:42
Thanks for your reply Louise!
This is how my corn eggs have always gone. The longest I managed to keep them fat an plump was 3 weeks, which was last year.
When the egg's had shrivelled up went hard an died, I cut one open to see if anything was happening.
Inside was a worm shaped body with a little round blood spot which I assume it was the brain, an little veins running down its back.
I saw my corn snakes mate 3 times this year. Would this mean there is a good chance the eggs are fertile?? |
| Invalid User |
Posted - 06/06/2011 : 18:00:19
I have never seen lumpy eggs like that before!
Someone with more breeding experience will be able to answer your questions. |
| Sheepy |
Posted - 06/06/2011 : 17:52:57
Sorry to double post. Here is some images of how I got it set up for now.
This is what I meant about the white disappearing, an the little stars coming.
http://postimage.org/image/6ftuxpno/
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