Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

[Dan]

Tonight "Pandora" laid 37 eggs (not bad for a first clutch i thought). The average weight of the eggs was 219.5g, with the lightest being 176g and the heaviest 254g. The whole clutch weighs in at just over 17.5lbs.

She started at 19:50 GMT (just as i was putting in a box for her to lay in - which she ignored ) and finished at around 02:15 GMT.


The little egg:


The big one:


Some random shots:







Incase you are wondering why there is only ever one egg in the photo's it's because she was nice enough to let me remove each egg as she laid it. This enabled me to weigh each one before putting it neatly in the incubators instead of incubating a mass lumps of stuck together eggs.

I'll wait a couple of weeks before weeding out any infertile ones and then carry on my 90 day wait for them to hatch
_________________
TFA

The future is bright, the future is a net like pattern.................

I'm NOT an expert, so if you don't want to know my opinion don't ask!!

[Scott W]

well done Dan, that's a great sight to see. Makes me wonder which snake lays the largest eggs? (gotta be a retic surely?)
_________________

Please DO NOT pm orders for reptiles, send email instead scott@captivebred.co.uk

[Stuart]

congrats Dan..those eggs are huge!!!.keep us updated on how they do.Great pics too.

[Dan]

Thanks guys. There were 38 in total but the last one has got a pointy end and doesnt look quite right so while it is in one of the incubators i'm not counting it.
Scott, i've seen a few (literally) different python eggs but these are by far the biggest i have ever seen. It's amazing how after reading the average size is just under 200g for so long that i am still shocked by the sheer size of them.
When the first was laid at 240g i thought it was just an anomally, which was confirmed by the following egg weighing just 186g. It turned out though that out of the entire clutch, only 3 were under 200g and that big one is just friigin mahoosive.
_________________
TFA

The future is bright, the future is a net like pattern.................

I'm NOT an expert, so if you don't want to know my opinion don't ask!!

[JStroud]

Congrats Dan, those eggs are huge...means even bigger babies

[Denise]

Congrats Dan

Den

[Stuart]

[Stevec]

Well done Dan, I really look farward to seing the babies. Interested to see the incubator you are using for that lot if you have any pics?


If I can offer any advice mate it would be not to turn them over or shake them vigorously side to side. (The pattern should be nice without the need to do so)


Congrats, and keep us updated, Steve

[snakesalive]

lmao@steve

nice one dan those eggs are huge LOL

and i thought the scrub python eggs were big LOL

all the best of luck dan

k
_________________
snakes...who would keep um...i dont know

[Dan]

Thanks Steve, i am trying not to think about the babies yet (though it is very hard).
Incubator wise i am using 2 both of the same design (i made up 3 but only needed 2). Basically just a poly box with a 2 or 3 inch layer of vermiculite (1:1 mix by weight with water). On the bottom is a heat mat that allmost completely covers the bottom of the box, there is an inch or so gap on the long edges.
There was a lot of debate about the incubation medium. The problem is/was not many people have bred big retics with any frequency at all in this country so the people i spoke to were pretty much all american.
The general consensus was to either use a purely vermiculite medium or a 50/50 vermiculite and perlite mix (not a layer but a complete mix). So i opted for both. One box as described above and the other with the vermiculite/perlite mix, again 1:1 water by weight ratio.

I'll take some pics later on although TBH there isnt much to look at
_________________
TFA

The future is bright, the future is a net like pattern.................

I'm NOT an expert, so if you don't want to know my opinion don't ask!!