A house full of Hatchlings

[Catherine]

The first round of eggs have all hatched and there are hatchlings everywhere. They are so cute.
These are Raven and David's little ones.

I love the way they curl around each other.

They are all silvery grey, but some are darker and some quite pale.

Can you count them?

I will give you a hint, think of a number between 18 and 20.

These are the hatchling set ups. It gives them a secure place and everything they need to be comfortable, without being to big and therefore too scary for them

These are Caitrin and Earl's babies. All 21 eggs hatched!

Look at them, they are a crazy bunch, very restless.

Look at the markings on the underside of each hatchling. They are all checkered.

Here they are starting to eat.

These two are having a second feeding.

If you really look you can see they have fat little bellies after eating.

This is a set up. You can see the second baby looking out through the hole in the cocoanut shell.

So far so good this year. Most babies are eating quite well. I have a few I am worried about, but they should eat soon.

Sadly the little one that was born very, very, tiny was unable to eat and has died.
As you can see she is so much smaller than the other hatchlings.

I tried everything, but she just couldn't swallow.

The rest look good and I have to be happy about that.

[Cibach]

What a lot of hatchlings!!! And the variety of colours in Caitrin and Earls clutch is delightful. I just love the chequered tummies.
It's a pity about the littlest one, but the others look so healthy.

[Catherine]

They are quite a mix aren't they. Earl's babies are really vigorous and active and a good size for new hatchlings. So for an old man he did very well!
Sadly there will be a few losses. In the wild they would not all make it. I think there are probably reasons, but they are so small it is hard to tell. Some seem too timid to eat and some just won't take food. I have wondered if there is something internally wrong with the baby and we just can't tell to look at it. Like in the wild, the ones with a will to live thrive and grow. Once I accept that, it is easier to take things the way they are.

The hatchlings have a lot of yolk in their stomachs so they do not eat for a week or more. When it was time to feed Earl's babies I took the lid off the box and they all piled over the sides in all directions. Good thing I wasn't alone. It took two of us scooping up handfuls of babies to get them all back. If only we had a video because it was hilarious.

[Libby]

they are all so beautiful! it's sad when you lose a baby but it does happen. It's part of life.

[Catherine]

And the hatchlings just keep on coming. This time Pete and Sam's second clutch has hatched. There are four big healthy babies. There is a fifth baby still in the egg, but I think he will come out soon. His nose is out and he is breathing air. They are in no rush to leave the egg.

This morning, my new female snow Corn snake, Lily, laid 10 very nice looking eggs. It will be September before they hatch. They will all be white and very pretty, if they look like mom. I will post pictures.

[Libby]

I bet those will be beautiful. I can't wait to see pictures. How do you handle it all?

[Catherine]

I have to be very organized. I have set ways of doing things and I have learned to break things down into smaller jobs.

I never try to feed all the hatchlings at once. I feed one clutch. Then I feed the next clutch, it might be right away or it might be a day later. As long as I look after them in a set order no one gets missed. If I am doing water dishes, I do them all, but ignore something else that needs doing until later. I think of things that need doing as set units. It works. I make good use of time. If I only have 30 min, I do a small job, but I complete it.

I have an animal care work table set up all the time so I don't waste time getting things out that I use everyday. I put things back so I can find them next time. I also do not sleep that many hours so I have more time than most people. It is like having a 26 hour day.