It's egg laying time!

[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.