More eggs! and Pictures

[Catherine]

Yes sort of. The eggs are soft shelled and the baby snake cuts a slit in the egg and sticks just the nose out and starts breathing air. At that time the rest of the yolk(they have a lot) is absorbed into the stomach. This is their food for the next two weeks. At some point most of the eggs are open and all you can see is white eggs with heads sticking out. That is a wonderful sight. It is the first glimpse of the babies and the first chance to see what they are like. A day or two after cutting the egg the baby emerges. I have caught some with my camera, but the pictures are not always in focus. It all happens too fast.

Someday I will get the perfect set of pictures.
They often leave the egg during the night and it takes days for a whole clutch to hatch. After hatching they stay hidden in the moss for days. I try not to disturb them too much at first. They are very tiny and timid.