The official 2012 ball python breeding season thread

[ballpython584]

Well yesterday (6/17/2012) was day 54 for this clutch so I decided to cut one of the eggs to check on the snake. This has been a puzzling clutch as four of the eggs have yet to dimple although the other six started to dimple 11 days ago.

Anyway...the snake in the egg I slit was fine. This morning three more eggs had pipped so I cut the other two that were dimpled. Later in the day, one of the four non-dimpled eggs pipped. Below are a few pics of the eggs opened so far.

It should be noted that once the egg pips, I cut a "window" opening so I can view the egg. I do this so I can make sure the snake is fine. There are issues that can happen during development such as the umbilical card being wrapped around the snake. By cutting this window it gives me a chance to correct any issues and hopefully save the snake.










Will post more pics as the little darlins emerge from there eggs.

[Marty]

Little darlins, lol

[Super Turtleman]

That's awesome!

[Nick]

Thats bad ass

[ballpython584]

One more update: 
All but one hatchling out of their egg. I will post a small series of pics showing the exit.











These were the last two to exit. The one was out this morning. I believe the last should be out in the next day or two.


The fire's are on the left (5 snakes) the normals are on the right (4 snakes) one way to tell the two apart is if you look closely at the head of the fire's you will see a distinctive head spot. The second to the last pic is the best shot for this.



Male / female ratio..

2.3 fire's
2.2 Normals

Tip...the numbers represent the gender...males first, females second. It reads 2 male/3 female fire's and 2 male/2 female normals

Hope everyone enjoyed the thread. I really didn't get to update the thread as often as I would have liked due to time constraints, but it pretty much tells the story of the clutch from pairing to hatching.

Larry

[Regalblue]

Nice thread,  thanks Larry

[Super Turtleman]

Those fires have awesome patterns. My brother would probably love one. I think he has a regular ball python. He loves reptiles (worked at the Central Park Zoo for years).

My wife and I recently saw a Green Tree Python and have been thinking of what it would entail to keep one. They are awesome looking. I don't like the whole mouse/rat breeding thing though.