These eggs freak me out every time!!!

[CarpetPythons.com.au]

Thanks all. I will try to keep to a post a week about their progress. The mother was a first time breeder. She had 9 eggs, with one dieing before or at 51 days. So i would say more or less 90%. I have cut other eggs this season too and have not lost one. When posting a thread like this, never say " I have never lost one from pipping this early". It always comes back to bite you in the bum. I hope it was at least interesting to see the development of their colour in the last 10 days of their incubation. I have some mixed clutches where you can clearly see the difference between albino and wild type colour development. I am trying to think if there is anything else I can post that would make for a good thought provoking thread?

 

[wranga]

Thanks all. I will try to keep to a post a week about their progress. The mother was a first time breeder. She had 9 eggs, with one dieing before or at 51 days. So i would say more or less 90%. I have cut other eggs this season too and have not lost one. When posting a thread like this, never say " I have never lost one from pipping this early". It always comes back to bite you in the bum. I hope it was at least interesting to see the development of their colour in the last 10 days of their incubation. I have some mixed clutches where you can clearly see the difference between albino and wild type colour development. I am trying to think if there is anything else I can post that would make for a good thought provoking thread?

thats great Nicole. 8 from 9 is fantastic, as was this thread. i had seen a picture of this method used in the states and spoke with one breeder here that tryed it with one egg with success. thanks again for posting this thread

 

[cosmicwolf4]

I admire the work you have done and the babies are beautiful. I know I would never have the courage to do something like this, so to see it done by someone else was great, what an education.
Thank you for this thread

 

[monty31]

hi CP i am 8 months into learning about and owning snakes and i found your pics very interesting as i have never seen it before could i ask how big are the actual eggs id emagine they would be quite small but im just trying to get better knowledge on these things as i would like to breed myself in the years to come. cheers Rob

 

[DerekRoddy]

Derek Roddy wrote that to hatch a BHP in the US, you have to cut them. To me the statement itself infers that their lines are somehow unable to hatch themselves, a step in the fundamental design of an egg, that quite possibly by the pipping of the eggs, from what is a small gene pool to start with, that they have perpetuated animals of weak genetic integrity, by circumventing one of the first physical tests of natural selection.

Absolutely not true at all.

The eggs don't hatch very well because.... we as keepers, are not providing 100% accurate environment for them to to do so. We are still learning.
The BHPs that hatch here in the states... are a VERY strong line of animals and do nothing but thrive.... Given the proper care.
Plus, there are other issues... such as Farmed rats... that are pumped full of growth hormones, steriods, etc...This effect BHPs badly....as they don't process the extra fat content as well as.....lets say a carpet python.
Since I've started feeding a varied diet....I don't have the issues associated with hatching them anymore.
They also feed right off the bat with no issues.

A "weak" hatchling was only made "weak'..... by fault of the keeper.

A truly "weak" hatchling, will not make it to term at all. The egg will go bad, mold and die.

I've never hatched a "weak" animal....they thrive and do very well, breed great and don't see any evidence of disorders, spinal kinking, etc.....even 4 generations in. Those things mentioned... would be because of weak genetic diversity.
Watered down genetics...doesn't tell a hatchling not to hatch. They been doing it for MILLIONS of years...they got it down. But, it would tell an animal to be kinked, etc. I've seen kinked animals hatch just fine.....egg tooth and all.

If they don't come out on their own.....it's keeper error....plain and simple.

Cheers,
D.

 

[Ramsayi]

Plus, there are other issues... such as Farmed rats... that are pumped full of growth hormones, steriods, etc...This effect BHPs badly....as they don't process the extra fat content as well as.....lets say a carpet python.
Since I've started feeding a varied diet....I don't have the issues associated with hatching them anymore.
They also feed right off the bat with no issues.

Cheers,
D.

Derek,
Interesting comments about growth hormones fed to feeder rats.How widespread is that?

Also could you elaborate about the comment "they also feed right off the bat"? At what age on average do you get baby bhp's to feed voluntarily?

 

[DerekRoddy]

Derek,
Interesting comments about growth hormones fed to feeder rats.How widespread is that?

All major rodent producers here do this. They have such a demand for the rodents....because of the high number of keepers here....in order to get the rodents to the customer...in all sizes (esp large) they have to pump them full of food.
In the wild....even if BHPs were eating a good many rodents...they still wouldn't get the amount of fat content from them.

Also could you elaborate about the comment "they also feed right off the bat"? At what age on average do you get baby bhp's to feed voluntarily?

Yes, since I've changed diet to mostly chicken, reptiles, eggs, etc....
they'll feed with-in the first 3 weeks of hatching, on their own....at least, the clutches thus far have.

Cheers,
D.

 

[Ramsayi]

All major rodent producers here do this. They have such a demand for the rodents....because of the high number of keepers here....in order to get the rodents to the customer...in all sizes (esp large) they have to pump them full of food.
In the wild....even if BHPs were eating a good many rodents...they still wouldn't get the amount of fat content from them.




Yes, since I've changed diet to mostly chicken, reptiles, eggs, etc....
they'll feed with-in the first 3 weeks of hatching, on their own....at least, the clutches thus far have.

Cheers,
D.

Thanks for the info.Regarding hormones being fed to rats.A great incentive to breed your own.

You are very lucky to have them feeding voluntarily so soon.Myself and a lot of other breeders wait 6 to 8 weeks before even trying them as they carry a lot of yolk reserves and they don't seem to associate rodents with food.

 

[DerekRoddy]

Thanks for the info.Regarding hormones being fed to rats.A great incentive to breed your own.

You are very lucky to have them feeding voluntarily so soon.Myself and a lot of other breeders wait 6 to 8 weeks before even trying them as they carry a lot of yolk reserves and they don't seem to associate rodents with food.

Word....
You know...that's another thing.
The babies that hatched from those clutches....didn't have that distended, gross looking yolk filled bellies.
They hatched looking like normal little pythons.
I'd be willing to bet... that in the wild.....they hatch looking like normal little pythons too.

And just because they'll feed for me...doesn't mean they'll continue to feed. Haha.
If I feed them bearded dragons....they'll always feed but, the rodents will sometimes though them and, they won't want them...even after they've fed voluntarily on their own for a few feedings.
Weird snakes...they are. We still have a lot to learn about those guys....I feel.

I've also noticed that keepers that breed their own rodents....don't have as many problems. But, I still feel that we're feeding them too much of a food item.... they don't regularly eat.
It would be like us only eating salt. LoL. It would effect us over time....for sure.

Cheers,
D.

 

[Jason]

congrats on the hatchies.

I have some mixed clutches where you can clearly see the difference between albino and wild type colour development.

do you mean mixed as in hybrids?

 

[CarpetPythons.com.au]

Clutches with half of them het and the other half albino.

 

[Jason]

Clutches with half of them het and the other half albino.

so they are all pure darwins? sorry i just confused by the term mixed.

 

[Pythons Rule]

yeah jason all pure haha most times you'll get a mix of hets (look like normals but carry the gene) and albino's

 

[CarpetPythons.com.au]

I just thought I would give an update on the hatchlings. They are currently waiting to have their first shed.

Just some photos of other clutches hatching, i cut these eggs on day 51.

This one climbed out by itself with lots of its youlk still attached to it? Will be interesting to see how it abosrbs that mess.

 

[Jarden]

wow that looks yucky lol

 

[Pythons Rule]

lol jarden

wow very stunning nice work with top pic hatchy on right is its taile kinked or is it just wiered in the pic?

 

[CarpetPythons.com.au]

It's just lying funny on the paper.

 

[Harmony67]

They are just gorgeous.

 

[Pythons Rule]

ahh ok np they are gorgous lil thing well done

 

[bongie555]

congrats mate,well done.....awesome thread