The Eggs are Hatching! Pictures!

[Catherine]

The last egg hatched! Finally. He slipped out after 1am.

I still have them in the egg box and they are resting. I will transfer them to a different container tonight. They will stay there for a couple of weeks. Their stomachs are full of yolk. That is why the hatching takes so long. They need to absorb all the yolk in the egg. That will feed them for two weeks and they will grow. They will have a first shed and after that they will be hungry.

When I see them searching for food I will offer them pinkie mice. (That is their natural food and I get bags of frozen pinkies) It can still take time to get them eating. Some never eat and I suspect that there was something wrong all along.

The two eggs that we had to cut open had very large babies and I think they had trouble moving to cut their way out of the egg. It is one of those babies that you see in the pictures. The tiny babies just slip out of the egg in seconds.

I will get pictures again when I move them. They are buried in the moss sleeping right now.

[Tobi]

Ooooh! I am going all squishy inside now, thinking of those cute little baby snakes!
I hope they all do well, and flourish.

[Catherine]

I have transferred them to a nice safe container and they had a good sleep today. They all slept together in a tangle, so I have decided that the official name for a litter of baby snakes should be a Tangle of Hatchlings.
I did get pictures and I will upload them tomorrow. They are awake and looking good. The one we saw hatch is looking very strong and healthy. They all are acting confident and curious. That is a good thing, but I will still keep them very quiet. They do not realize how big the real world is.

[Tobi]

I like that....
"A Tangle of Hatchlings"

[Catherine]

It is a fitting as a gaggle of geese and it describes them exactly. They like to sleep together all tangled up like a ball of yarn. They are used to being in an egg all curled up so maybe this feels a little bit like still being in the egg.
This is quite a change for them. Their whole world has been the inside of an egg. Since they are buried in peat moss in a dark place(mom would do it that way in the wild too) they have had a quiet time so far. A human baby hears many sounds and sees light and shadow. Baby snakes are sheltered by the nest sight and the smallness of the egg. So my babies are in a tangle, but that tangle is still under some moss.

[Tobi]

A bit like little babies in a crib...but slowly and gradually absorbing the sounds, smells, sights -of the world. When their curiosity gets the better of them, and they have slept enough and got some energy together....then you will be over-run with a tangle of hatchlings untangling themselves! LOL

[Catherine]

Well here they are. I did individual pictures and some group photos.


This is the tiniest one. One egg was smaller to begin with. Don't worry, he will catch up.








I think this might be the one you saw hatch.


Here I am trying to set them up and it is like herding cats.

Now they are acting more like a group.

They are getting to know each other and of course start to form a tangle.


Now they have settled in as a group and are sleeping together. They are hiding under the paper towel and only come out at night. A newborn snake can't be too careful.

[Libby]

oh my how exciting! I've miss a lot.

[Catherine]

Hi Libby. It has been quite a week for hatching and there is more to come.

This clutch is starting to have their first sheds. That means they are growing. They all look good so far. When they show signs of being hungry, I will offer food and set them up in separate containers. They are less distracted when they eat if there is no competition. It is easier for me to be sure who has eaten and who still need coaxing.

There should be two more clutches hatching any day now. It is a fun moment, waiting to see what colour baby will come out of an egg. There are surprizes in every clutch.

[Cibach]

It's all go at snake central!! What delightful little hatchlings. They are so tiny. What size will they grow to?

And more on the way!! I can't wait.
Congratulations to Mum and Dad and you too, Catherine.