Help - Wrong Sex wrong house

[aussiegirl20022]

Ok, this is going to be an odd story.

I bought a female childrens earlier this year that was ready for breeding. So I looked around for a male, couldn't find one for sale locally so started to look for someone locally who had a male that was looking for some action.

Ended up with a male that was identical to the female, and borrowed him for some 'visitation' rights. Within a few hours of being in the enclosure he had, kicked the female out of the house, trashed the enclosure, had a swim and after little python bumpty bump, and was kicking back (sound asleep). You know what those boys are like, lol.

So after several nights (2 weeks) of this I returned the 'stud' back to his owner, only for him to scream to come back one week later. So we let him back for a week again and he did the same thing, had a ball, moved in, trashed the house and had plenty of sleep.

So i have been patiently waiting for the pre-lay shed, etc. The misses (which is in my enclosure supposedly) has not eaten and is generally looking tired and haggard and the 'stud' (which is in a mates enclosure) eating every week and getting extremely fat
Today I catch up with the owner of the 'stud', and guess what the 'stud' has been doing when he gets home from work, the 'stud' has been busy laying eggs, and has a nice clutch going.........

Opps, wrong sex, wrong snake, wrong owner.......... (I have been having nightmare than this could happen).

So my next delimer is what do we do next (we live about 50km's apart), he is not prepared for babies, I am, (he has no adequate substrate, sharing an enclosure with another childres etc) or Do we try and move the mum and the eggs? or move just the eggs and incubate at my place and let the 'stud' go home or let her incubate naturally at his place or move the incubator to the eggs...........

In the end the biggest laugh is on the me for having mixed up the pythons in the first place, we are still laughing over that..........

[MrBredli]

Move the incubator to the eggs. Once they hatch, the hatchies can be transported safely back to your place.

[Spikie wanna cricket]

ok i dont know what u should do but that is really funni i did something similar at work i mixed too cat that look the same lucky i then check their microchip numbers and sorted the problem out fast!

[Twiggz]

Quite a story. If you have planned out everything between the other owner ok, then i see no problem in you taking just the eggs and incubating them at your place- given that you are equiped to do so. I think i'd be right in saying to keep both snakes separated.

So let me get this correct- you have the male, and they naturally have the female?

[Twiggz]

Or do as MrBredli has suggested......such an obvious option.

[aussiegirl20022]

Yep, they have the female (mine) thinking it was the male, and I have the male (theirs) thinking it was the female (was waiting for a pre-lay shed). I am worried about moving the eggs such a distance.

[aussiegirl20022]

Yep, that was the first plan, but was seeking advice with regard to the other options on moving eggs etc.

[MrBredli]

You're right, don't move the eggs. Take the incubator to his place. As soon as they hatch you can take them all back to your place, but 50kms is too far, too risky.

[aussiegirl20022]

No probs, will do, might sent the 'stud' home and reclaim my 'girl' whilst at it. Still laughing at the stuff up. lol

[Twiggz]

I'm surprised why 50km is such an issue. That would be like half hour to an hour away roughly, so wouldn't the eggs be fine to move? They would only be non incubated for a short period of time by comparison. NT would be having temps higher than we currently have in Sydney no doubt so i'm a little puzzled at why the big issue? I understand that they obviously need to be incubated soon, and they have only been laid today i take it?

Intrigued.

[aussiegirl20022]

Oops

[MrBredli]

The possibility of the eggs being tilted or bumped around is the issue more so than the temps.

[MoreliaMatt]

easy to avoid, when pairing, mark one of them with a small dot of paint on the back of their neck.... so you can tell them apart!
will come off with the next shed....

[Magpie]

I'd just let her incubate them naturally.

[indicus]

Sounds like it's been quite an ordeal for you
You have a few options open to you....some which have been mentioned.
Python egg's are quite hardy; even though i use to always panic with any eggs
If your worried about your mate incubating the eggs.....
Have your incubator set up and going at home.
Take over your egg box and deposit the eggs correctly into it as if you were going to put it in the incubator.
Pack some sphagnum moss around them to avoid tipping etc while transporting them.
They will be fine outside the incubator for quite sometime; especially if it's in the first 12 hours of laying;
so don't panic......just try and avoid any unnecessary heat/rapid changing temps.....dropping etc
Get your hubby to drive carefully as he can; while you hold the eggs trying to avoid any unnecessary bumps the road has for you;
and get them into the incubator minus the sphagnum you used for packing.
Don't do what i've done in the past......drive one handed while changing gear in morning traffic; while balancing monitor eggs on ones lap.
I actually know a mate who incubated Mac eggs while on the road doing snake shows;
They were incubated from the start to the finish, while on the road.
He had a 100% hatch rate.....not that it's suggested, for obvious reason's....
Other then that I don't see a problem; if you move them as soon as you can after laying; and due care is taken...good luck