It's egg laying time!

[Catherine]

They always lay their eggs at night.

My sweet little Pete has already laid 11 eggs and 8 of them seem to making it. Pete is my favourite snake and she is a little delicate so I do worry, but she came through just fine.

Mike is now in the egg laying box and has at least 16 eggs so far. She definitely has more eggs to go. She looks tired, but a good rest and a good meal tomorrow and she will be fine. They are good big eggs with lots of calcium and plenty of yolk so they should be fine.

Aurora my snow corn is very close to egg laying so as soon as Mike is finished I will need to clean things up in the egg box so Aurora can use it.

Raven is close to egg laying, but maybe has another week to go.

Caitrin and Isis refused food yesterday so they are a couple of weeks away from egg laying. I may need to set up a second egg box because two of them might decide to lay eggs on the same day.

It is anyone's guess as to when the hognose snake, Amy, is due. She is so hard to tell and she does not like the nice clean egg box. So I have redone her entire tank so she can lay her eggs anywhere and they should be okay.

I am not even thinking about egg hatching time yet.

[LPC]

I hope all the hatching goes well.

[Tobi]

Wow! You will have such a brood, when they have all laid Catherine! Do snakes always lay their eggs in the Spring? And do they only lay eggs when they have been mated? They are not like chickens -are they? And lay anyway? Sorry -so many questions, but I have no idea.

[Catherine]

Snakes only lay eggs when they have mated, but not all the eggs are fertile. Also sometimes the calcium in the shell is a little weak and sometimes there is not enough yolk to allow a baby to make it. The eggs are soft and must be kept warm and moist(in an incubator). The eggs take in air and moisture as the baby snake grows and the eggs actually get bigger. That is how you know there is a live baby snake in an egg. If something is wrong, the egg "fails" and it will mold so we remove those eggs as soon as possible to protect the good eggs.

Of Pete's eleven eggs, three have already failed, but the rest look good.

Mike just finished laying around 18 eggs. They are in a clump so it is hard to count them. They all look good, but some will probably not make it.

Corn snakes and most North American snakes breed in the spring(mine are usually early), but can breed as late as the fall. Snakes from other parts of the world can breed at different times. Some need to hibernate before they breed. Corn snakes are more flexible about that. My group was quieter, but it didn't really hibernate.

Hatching time is fun. Seeing new babies for the first time is a special moment. They are shy and take a full day to leave the egg, sometimes longer.

Aurora the Snow Corn Snake(she is white and pink) is in the nest box now, but I don't think she is quite ready to lay her eggs.....but very soon.

[hungrypigs]

Exciting times ahead with all these babies! You're going to have your hands full when they all hatch. I'm really excited for you!!!

[Tobi]

When are they likely to hatch? How long is the gestation period? I would be tempted to brew a pot of coffee and stay up all night when they are due! It would be a wonderful experience to watch them hatch!

[Catherine]

It will be at least 9-10 weeks before anything hatches. There is a real variation in gestation time. So the first clutch, Pete's eggs are due in April. Mike's eggs should hatch around mid May.
It will be crazy and exciting. I will have "boxes" of new hatchlings all over my kitchen. I like to keep them quiet for the first two weeks until they shed. It is only after that event that they will start to eat.

The hatching can take days, so we might need a big pot of coffee.
They cut a hole in the egg first and breath air for a day before they even consider leaving the egg. The first thing they do is disappear into the moss and stay hidden for days. I watched one baby leave an egg and crawl around the egg box and then climb back into the egg. I guess he wasn't ready to face the world.

Right now I am waiting for Aurora to lay her eggs. I think soon, but with the weather so bad later would be better. I have to take the eggs to the incubator and the snow is so deep and the storm so bad that I wouldn't want to risk it. She hasn't started yet so there will be no eggs today. It takes many hours to lay a clutch of 18 eggs. No wonder the girls look so tired afterwards. Mike slept all day and still looks tired.

[Libby]

I remember you talking about running around with all the egg laying and hatching last year I'm sure it's exciting though when you see them come out of the shell for the first time. I've watched a few videos on youtube of snakes hatching and I'm sitting there for an hour watching like I'm the one expecting the babies lol it's very cool to watch.

[Catherine]

It is very cool to watch. New hatchlings like newborns have such a surprized bewildered look at first. I guess seeing this world for the first time is a bit of an overwhelming experience. That is why I keep them very quiet and sheltered at first.
I shelter the moms when they are egg laying. I have a special tank that I set up. It has an egg laying box(filled with damp moss) and it is a quiet place where a girl can lay her eggs in peace. Think of it as a snake birthing room. I can see it from my bed so I can check up on them during the night.
Eggs are laid at night, just the way babies are born at night.

It is fun and exciting. I have a number of girls that are expecting, but they can't tell me when. I have to watch for signs and be prepared. Then I have to get the eggs safely to the incubator. I have a special thermal bag that I fill with hot water bottles and it nicely holds the egg box. I am back and forth so much that the transit staff recognize me to see me.

When the hatching starts I am forever running to pick up newborns.
The best part is that first sight of baby snakes poking their noses out of their eggs. It is so cute. I will try to get pictures.

[Tobi]

That was so funny...about the little one coming out -then going back into the egg-shell! I guess you can't blame her. That's how I feel about bed sometimes.

9-10 weeks is a long time for them to hatch. I am looking forward to the pictures!