It is egg laying season

[Catherine]

It is exciting to open the egg box and see the newly hatched eggs for the first time. They are always beautiful and so cute. Usually at least once during hatching season I have an "oh wow" litter.  The babies are more than I hoped for. I still haven't lost the feeling of thrill from the fist time a striped snake hatched. Phoenix is now a young lady and might have a clutch of her own this year.  Seeing that beautiful striped baby was incredible.

This is Phoenix's younger sibling.

I kept this one as well.

Could you have let something this pretty go to someone else?

[Ruth]

That's a very pretty snake! Did she just hatch?

[Catherine]

She was six months old in that picture. Baby snakes are very small when they hatch and very fragile. She was that colour however. Right from hatching she was remarkable. I still haven't quite named her(or him since that isn't clear either).
She does live in a larger container with two other snakes now. It is safer to keep babies in smaller containers. They get scared in a bigger space and refuse to eat. 

The first eggs won't hatch until some time in April. Some of the eggs won't even be laid until June or later.

It takes patience to breed corn snakes. I have waited three years for some of my girls to be ready to breed.

[Ruth]

You sure know a lot about the snakes. I'm sure they are very happy to have families with you.

[Catherine]

I have had the help of a very experienced reptile breeder. If he says do it a certain way I do it that way. His egg hatching success rate is good. He has the incubator that I use.

Of course I know my girls and I am sensitive to their needs. I like my snakes to live in groups all year round. They are close to each other and happy together. When egg laying season comes they are really in tune with each other. I let them choose who to pair with. Raven did not like Jack. It was a prefect breeding , but she didn't like him. I separated them and found her a male she likes. Jack is happy with Caitrin so all is well.

The new couples are pairing off so I will set them up in their permanent tanks soon.
It is sweet to see them choose each other.