Preparing The Lay Box

Thank You! Just what I need to do, and it's very easy to follow.
Cheers
Rob

This is really good stuff, very helpful.

Hey Nanci I picked up a bag of Better Gro Premium Grade Moss but it doesnt say organic. They had a different brand that was organic. Should I use the Better Gro or get the Organic stuff(other brand). The package looks identical to yours minus the "Organic"

Mine does not say organic on it anywhere. I would use the one you have- the one like mine.

Great thread. I really wish this moss was available in Canada during the winter months.


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would it be safe to use forest moss as a substrate for corn snake eggs

hello i was just wondering about a load of eggs my corn snake has just layed, she has had 31 eggs but there all so stuck togever like 3 eggs high so alot of them wont even be toucvhing the substrate is this a problem ?? also should i be putting air holes in the lid of the tub for the eggs as i always have and it has worked fine but just read somewhere that its not needed??

I use a deeper egg box, like those clear plastic salad containers. I do not take the eggs apart- they are stuck together for a reason. If you have a huge mountain of eggs, I'd make sure you can get about an inch of the incubating medium under them, then fill in around the pile. I like to end up with the top layer of eggs slightly exposed. All the lower layers can be buried. Then I put a thick layer of moss over the eggs. I will often use the moss from the lay box. You want it to be dampened so it is soft, and then wrung out as much as possible. If you think it's too dry, it's probably just right. The moss shields the eggs from light, and protects them from drips of condensation on the lid. You want the humidity in the interior to be such that a fine mist of droplets forms on the walls of the egg box. I open the lid once a week, lift the moss, inspect the eggs, and gently fan them for a minute, then replace the moss. When I put the egg box back in the incubator, I rotate it half a turn. Also, if you have shelves, I rotate all the egg boxes position in the incubator, from upper to lower. I don't put holes in the egg box. You want nearly 100% humidity. Holes also let in flies. Flies LOVE eggs, and become problematic especially after the eggs pip. When you near the expected hatching date, start checking for pips daily, by removing the container and lifting the moss. Often, you can smell when the eggs are about to pip. (Green peppery??) Also, you can feel the eggs when they are first laid (with VERY clean hands!!!) by just gently stroking the egg surface. Again, when hatching is close, you will notice that the shells thin out and become very soft. This thinning happens about a week before hatching. When I see the first slit, I'll take most of the moss out, leaving a little bit in the corners for babies to hide in. I remove hatchlings after they've been out for a bit- to keep them from trashing the place and burying babies that are emerging. Once the first egg pips, I check for babies at least three times a day to remove them.