This page includes information on the breeding projects we are currently making, as well as info on how we incubate snake eggs.

Click HERE or scroll down to see what 2010 clutches we have incubating now.

Click any photo to see a larger version in a new window.    Please do not steal my photos for the purpose of advertising your own animals.

Venomous Species I have bred so far.

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          When I first started reading books and researching articles online, about how to breed snakes and incubate their eggs, it all seemed a bit overwhelming.  Not so much the breeding part, but the incubation setup/process.

          I saw many photos of professional and homemade incubators.  Most homemade incubators held only a few eggs, and the professional incubators held many eggs, but were very expensive.  Then I saw some larger homemade incubators, and I figured I could make a large incubator out of an old upright freezer, using a couple small fans, and heat tape.

          But, thankfully, before I got into buying an old freezer and other materials, and building the Incubator, I asked a person that I had purchased many snakes from, how they go about incubating eggs.  I could not believe what I was told.  You do NOT need any kind of incubator to successfully incubate snake eggs.  Apparently, people make it much more difficult than it really is.

          All you need is 1. a container secure enough to keep the smallest bugs out, and the hatchling snakes in.  2. Some medium, like Vermiculite.  3. Some water.  4. A shelf to set the container on, where it will remain at the proper temps, plus or minus a couple degrees.

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          The first three times I incubated snake eggs, I used fine Vermiculite purchased at Lowe's Garden Center, mixed 50/50 by weight with water, and I put it in Sterilite Shoe box's.  I incubated Eastern Brown Snake eggs first, and the next year, I incubated Eastern Brown eggs, and Sri Lankan Spectacled Cobra eggs.

          I half buried the eggs in the Vermiculite, and set the containers on a shelf where it was about 85-86 degrees, as that was the temps in my Hot Room all the time on that shelf.  The shoe boxes worked ok.  I put some tiny holes in the lid for air, but the lids did not fit tight and some tiny bugs can get in, so you need to check on them often to keep the bugs out.  They also allowed the vermiculite to dry out some, so you must make sure it does not get too dry.  The eggs hatched fine, but I decided to change to a different type of container.

          The next time I incubated eggs, I used clear plastic Deli Cups, with no holes in the sides, or if they had holes, I covered them with Scotch or plastic electric tape.  I took a small sewing needle, heated it ,and put 6 or 8 tiny pinholes around the outer edge of the lids of the containers.  I used the 6.75" x 3" high Delis for small eggs or small clutches, and I use 9.75" x 3" high delis for larger eggs or clutches.  I only breed Corns, Kings, and Cobras, so I have no need for larger containers until I start breeding of my King Cobras.

          I incubate the eggs in my "Nursery".  The Nursery is a bedroom in my house, where I keep hatchlings for the first two years of their lives.  Once they reach 2 years, or are of a sufficient size, they are moved to the big Hot Room.

          I still prepare the vermiculite the same way, only now, I use the large grain Vermiculite.  I still set the containers on a shelf in my Nursery Hot Room, but now at 80-83 degrees, as I seem to get 50/50 or female heavy clutches at lower temps.  See the above link button "TSD in Snakes" to see my results.  Below are some photos of how I set up the deli cups.

          Normally, I do not need to add water to the deli cups, as condensation builds on the inside of the cups.  If anything, I need to removed the lids periodically, and shake off the excess condensation that has accumulated on the bottom of the lids, so it does not drip onto the eggs below.

          This way of incubating snake eggs seems to work just fine, as I have very few if any eggs that do not hatch.

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2010  Breeding Season