Cornsnake Eggs Hatching!!

[EasternSierra]

Well...woke up yesterday morning to find the first clutch of cornsnake eggs for the 2009 breeding season had pipped and was looking out...







This clutch consisted of 9 fertile eggs and one slug. As of 9:00 this morning, I have 2 babies fully out of their eggsd, and 2 more pips, with just the tips of their noses sticking out.

I also still have 3 other clutches that should be pipping any day now...

Thanks for looking!

[ressalg]

Really cool shots. Love the texture on the egg in the second one. It really shows how reptile eggs are different from avian eggs.

[swilliams61]

Cool, yet creepy at the same time...

[leonaashlee]

Now that is something I've never seen before...and will probably never see again. Really amazing shots.

[Saralonde]

I am nervous around snakes, yet every time someone posts a thread with "snake" in the title, I have to look.

Very interesting shots.

[bronadui]

Fabulous! My favourite snake and captured perfectly!

[EasternSierra]

Thanks, everyone, for the comments!

Anyone that has ever seen a snake egg in person can attest to the amazing differences between reptilian and avian eggs. I'm lucky enough that I have the opportunity to work with both. Avian eggs are hard-shelled, tended by the parents, typically are "rolled" to keep even incubation temps, and are single eggs. Reptilian eggs are leathery to the touch...soft and textured. They also tend to "clump" when laid, meaning the outer shells will stick together and create a large, awkward clump of eggs that is very difficult for a predator to swallow. And you don't want to "roll" a snake egg after it starts developing. It will kill the baby inside. Plus...they are not at all tended by the parents. The mother will typically dig a small burrow, deposit the eggs, and wander off, never to see her offspring again.

Of course...some snakes have live birth, like garter snakes, rattlesnakes, and all the boa species. These babies ARE tended by the parents for several hours to several weeks after being born. But that's another story...

Keep watching. I have 3 more clutches to hatch. I'm fairly certain there will be more photos of this interesting and cute activity. My daughter and I LOVE to sit and watch the babies slit their eggs and poke their noses out...

[Heaterguy]

Very interesting and informative photos. What do you do with the snakes after they hatch?

[SusanH1970]

Those are awesome! I think my favorite is the 3rd. Not often we get to see something like this, thanks so much for sharing them.

[EasternSierra]

Originally Posted by Heaterguy

Very interesting and informative photos. What do you do with the snakes after they hatch?

It's a business. I sell the snakes to local pet stores, at reptile breeder's conventions, and via the web across the country. It's an interesting and fairly lucrative business...but the best part is enjoying the experience with my daughter, and teaching her about these wonderful animals and what, exactly, they are.

Above all...it's a passion. I love snakes of all kinds, and having the opportunity to observe natural behaviors in captivity is quite interesting and informative.

Of course...I also enjoy "playing" with genetic combinations and abberancies...