Starting off with the story of how they came to be, and how I wound up with my Kisatchies. You're welcome to skip straight to pictures if you like, because this is going to be long!
SO, back in April, my roommate took in a couple Kisatchie corn snakes (also known as Slowinski's Rat snakes, they're a different species than your typical Corn snake). They had been housed together for the past year or so (when the previous owner had gotten them), and she figured they'd probably already bred once or twice... What's the harm. So, she left them together for a few weeks til I was able to free up a tub and have her separate the female. By that time, we'd witnessed copulation 3 or 4 times. Around this time, she told me I could have the male (because I kept commenting how much I LOVE him and his salmon belly!). Works for me--he's been eating my mice, anyway!
Fast forward to June. The female, dubbed "Clove" by the roommate, laid a clutch of 16 eggs on June 13. At some point during incubation, one egg went bad... Down to 15, all are developing, have healthy veins, and all around look pretty good.
Sometime between then and now, my roommate decided she wants to get out of snakes completely, for personal reasons. A decision I support fully--no offense to her, but... Well, if the last few months are anything to go by, she's just not meant to be a snake owner. Anyway, she waffled on the decision for another month or so before finally surrendering her two corn snakes to a rescue.
That left Clove. She still wasn't sure whether she ACTUALLY wanted to keep Clove or not. Same with her two lizards (who she takes somewhat better care of). A couple days later, she declared I could have Clove (I'd already started considering her mine, anyway) and that I can put up an ad for her Mountain Horned Dragon (we both know she doesn't have the patience to sift through emails and pick a GOOD home).
That all happened earlier this week. I still don't know where that leaves the eggs, but, anyway... TODAY, the babies started PIPPING! Right on time, too--today is Day 60!
We'll start with pictures of Mom and Dad. May I introduce, Vrael and Clove!
First up is Vrael. My big pretty boy with his salmon belleh! He's named after a character in the Inheritance Cycle (the Eragon series), because I'm a dork and loved those books lots.
He's also featured in my current avatar, playing Curious Scarf.
And, of course, the little Mama. This is Clove. Who will probably get a new name. Eventually. I swear, every time I go to take pictures of her, she's in shed. So this is about the best I've got that actually shows her colors.
She's still a little skinny from laying eggs (roommate kept forgetting to feed her more often than usual to help her plump back up), so fingers crossed she doesn't try to double clutch!
AAAAND the pippies! I woke up to 5 noses... Now there's 8!! No one is out just yet, though! Here's a view of the whole egg box...
All the pippies so far are all in this one big clump of eggs...
Now the REALLY hard part. Leaving them the heck alone so they feel comfortable enough to come out!!! I promise... There will be pics as they start emerging!
SO, back in April, my roommate took in a couple Kisatchie corn snakes (also known as Slowinski's Rat snakes, they're a different species than your typical Corn snake). They had been housed together for the past year or so (when the previous owner had gotten them), and she figured they'd probably already bred once or twice... What's the harm. So, she left them together for a few weeks til I was able to free up a tub and have her separate the female. By that time, we'd witnessed copulation 3 or 4 times. Around this time, she told me I could have the male (because I kept commenting how much I LOVE him and his salmon belly!). Works for me--he's been eating my mice, anyway!
Fast forward to June. The female, dubbed "Clove" by the roommate, laid a clutch of 16 eggs on June 13. At some point during incubation, one egg went bad... Down to 15, all are developing, have healthy veins, and all around look pretty good.
Sometime between then and now, my roommate decided she wants to get out of snakes completely, for personal reasons. A decision I support fully--no offense to her, but... Well, if the last few months are anything to go by, she's just not meant to be a snake owner. Anyway, she waffled on the decision for another month or so before finally surrendering her two corn snakes to a rescue.
That left Clove. She still wasn't sure whether she ACTUALLY wanted to keep Clove or not. Same with her two lizards (who she takes somewhat better care of). A couple days later, she declared I could have Clove (I'd already started considering her mine, anyway) and that I can put up an ad for her Mountain Horned Dragon (we both know she doesn't have the patience to sift through emails and pick a GOOD home).
That all happened earlier this week. I still don't know where that leaves the eggs, but, anyway... TODAY, the babies started PIPPING! Right on time, too--today is Day 60!
We'll start with pictures of Mom and Dad. May I introduce, Vrael and Clove!
First up is Vrael. My big pretty boy with his salmon belleh! He's named after a character in the Inheritance Cycle (the Eragon series), because I'm a dork and loved those books lots.
He's also featured in my current avatar, playing Curious Scarf.
And, of course, the little Mama. This is Clove. Who will probably get a new name. Eventually. I swear, every time I go to take pictures of her, she's in shed. So this is about the best I've got that actually shows her colors.
She's still a little skinny from laying eggs (roommate kept forgetting to feed her more often than usual to help her plump back up), so fingers crossed she doesn't try to double clutch!
AAAAND the pippies! I woke up to 5 noses... Now there's 8!! No one is out just yet, though! Here's a view of the whole egg box...
All the pippies so far are all in this one big clump of eggs...
Now the REALLY hard part. Leaving them the heck alone so they feel comfortable enough to come out!!! I promise... There will be pics as they start emerging!