Arrrhhh...stuck eggs!!!!!

[JoandDrew]

I suppose she doesnt know the eggs arent hers, and she prob doesnt know how to estimate time, so to her, she might not have realised the eggs had been missing for a short time. Regardless, you must be pretty happy, that shes such a good mum..Good luck with it all.

 

[steve6610]

thats great tree, i think i would have got the jigsaw out and cut them out by now, hope the rest do ok for you

 

[Dan19]

so are you going to just have the python doing it or are you going to have a heat cord or something in there helping?

 

[bigi]

good stuff indi, would like to hear how it goes

 

[Inkslinger]

Is the surrogate mother the same species of python?

 

[SnakeWrangler]

Thanks guy's for the advise.....
After trying floss, chisels and various implements
I ended up destroying one egg, worst luck.
The problem being the cage bottom is quite pitted
and rough; and the eggs had really adhered to
the cage floor....
Using an up-turned foam box (painted black) probe sticking out of the bottom (measure temps)
the mother and eggs were surrounded with Sphagnum Moss and left to continue the incubation process.
I believe the mother had enough of being disturbed; and by lunch had left her eggs and curled up under the newspaper on the other side of the enclosure.....
After returning her to her eggs several times; she had lost interest in them and was showing no interest in maternal care.
I now had a real problem.....next step as suggested; was to turn the cage into a incubator.
Before doing so I thought I'd try introducing another female that had laid the other day.
This female had not wanted to give up her eggs; and was quite distressed for sometime after i'd taken her eggs. Well interesting enough, the experiment seems to be working......the surrogate mother introduced yesterday afternoon; found the eggs; and is still wrapped tightly around the eggs this morning.
Rather odd to say the least....
All i can do now; is watch and wait...Thanks again all;
oh the fun of breeding season

That awesome, she must be a very dedicated mother to still be keen days after losing her own eggs. Good luck, I hope she keeps it up for you.

 

[solar 17]

mini incubator

l have a mini incubator made i have used twice just for cases like this....itis approx. 35cm long x 25cm wide and20cm high with a digital thermostat and a coil heater,....so its just like a small box with one side missing , i just take the female away and plonk my heater / incubator box over the eggs where they are and bobs your uncle....[one mini incubator on the spot]...these are a bit of mucking around in the making, but they come in handy at times....cheers solar 17

 

[indicus]

Hi Dan19....Just allowing the mother to do the job....
I've placed the box directly under the heat source (where she laid); with a tile on top to absorb heat.
I try to make it easier on the incubating mother; by running the lights of a night.....
By adjusting the tile just right; i can achieve night-time enclosure temps between 27.5 - 30.5
The problem living in the North; is the ambient day temps this time of year; which in this house
can be around 39 (mid afternoon).....i simply turn the lights off; mist spray (soak) the enclosure with water to provide a high humidity.....this has proved to work quite well in the past for my Bredli and Children's.

Hi Inkslinger......yes; same species; jungle.

Hi Solar 17, thanks for the info....I'd be interested to know a little more about your mini-incubator set-up....
I'm sure it would come in handy in situations like this.

So far so good

 

[Surfcop24]

Wow.... Sounds like it has been a lil stressful...

Thanks Indicus for tellin your story.... And I hope all goes well for you and the eggs....

Rick...

 

[Just_Joshin]

Indicus I hope you are taking pictures and recording all this behaviour. It would make a perfect write-up for reptiles australia magazine or for a herp journal!!

 

[Retic]

Well done Tree, all the best with the eggs. I guess females have been incubating them for a few years now so they have some idea of what to do.

 

[BROWNS]

Typical females hey Tree ,just don't know any better:lol:

Boa i believe this is her first clutch so he's pulled off something i've not heard of yet and is definitely worthy of an article in REPTILES AUSTRALIA with all records taken etc.

Great stuff dude,beats cutting up the enclosure and maternal incubation has served you well in the past lets hope she keeps wrapping those eggs up right through till hatching,sounds like all will go just fine and what about the other girl who actually laid the eggs,how's she going?

 

[Jungle_Freak]

Good Luck Tremain
any pics mate ?

cheers
roger

 

[Retic]

BROWNS, when I said "I guess females have been incubating them for a few years " I meant a few 1000 years

 

[Snakeaholic]

...I ended up destroying one egg, worst luck...

what did you do with it? did you just leave it there? wouldn't the new mother be a bit annoyed if it knew that one of the eggs was desroyed

 

[scorps]

i reckon i would of ended up cutting it with a coping saw real softly

 

[indicus]

New mother and eggs are doing fine...
Other then a couple of hot days; all's good.
I've kept consistent records....
I ended putting the original mother back into the same enclosure with
the surrogate mother and eggs; several days later..... (just to see what would happen).
A few days on...the females began to be seen taking turns incubating the eggs......
While one's on them; the other will be basking on top of the box or cruising for food etc....odd behavior.
I'll get some pictures sorted soon Rodger

 

[indicus]

Just an update; for those interested....
After about a month; I noted that both female B/W's
seemed to spend more and more time off the eggs....
I suspected that it was a matter of time before I'd have to try something else.
Thinking back; I should have left the surrogate B/W mother to do the job;
without stressing her by putting the original mother; who laid the eggs; back in with her....
Well; you live and learn; and who knows; she to may have just left the eggs in time to.
At this time; I had a female Mac lay her first clutch ever......I noted that she spent several days;
wrapping up paper etc; after her eggs were taken from her.
As an after thought; just to see what would happen; I decided to give the Mac a shot at it.
I removed both B/W girls; to condition them for the coming season; and put the female Mac in with the B/W
eggs.....needless to say it was a risk; but other then that; I had few options open to me.
Amazingly; she took to the eggs; and several days later; she was still rather defensive; guarding her new B/W jungle eggs.
I monitored her behaviour regularly over the next few weeks; and she was doing better then the two previous B/W adults I'd tried.
The only thing concerned me; was she couldn't cover or wrap; the whole clutch of eggs up.
She would cover up half the clump of eggs; then later be seen to move to cover the other half of the clump....
Well; this morning I managed to get a few pictures; of the first B/W juveniles; sticking their heads from the eggs.
The mother is rather defensive; and my hand looks like a pin-cushion after a few pictures :lol:
Not wanting to upset her; I'll try for a few more photo's later in the day.
I'm checking her regularly; as I'm now concerned whether she will recognise them as her young (Mac's)
or will she decide their not of her own kind; and worth eating?
Either way it seems to have been successful; with at least six of the ten eggs having pipped thus far

 

[dee4]

Unreal Tree, what a hit of fortune to decide to provide a surrogate and it actually work. Well done & hope all goes well.

 

[Glider]

That is amazing! Well done