Imprinting Scent on Captive-Bred Eggs?

Everything that I read when I first strated this topic suggested that the scenting should be done the last 2 weeks of developement or so.

Katie...with 2 different clutches, are you going to try different scenting methods? Perhaps a moushe "slushy" and maybe just a water that was used to defrost a couple hundred mice?

Just suggestions...I still haven't figured out how I'm gonna do it when my greybands are ready to lay...

I'd say based on last years clutch, Katie is going to tie a mouse pink individually to each egg with fishing line. :-)

Originally Posted by tyflier

Everything that I read when I first strated this topic suggested that the scenting should be done the last 2 weeks of developement or so.

Katie...with 2 different clutches, are you going to try different scenting methods? Perhaps a moushe "slushy" and maybe just a water that was used to defrost a couple hundred mice?

Just suggestions...I still haven't figured out how I'm gonna do it when my greybands are ready to lay...

Honestly - this year I don't even want to do different clutches with different methods. I just want to hatch snakes that will eat without all the issues. For me - this isn't so much of a scientific experiment as it is just finding some way to have them hatch and be willing to take mice. I will probably just use mouse slushie on both clutches. I already know what happens without the scenting - so for me - this will be to see if it works. If it does - then maybe next year I will try various methods (slushie, mouse water etc...).

Right now I have 14 alterna and 9 annulata eggs incubating, with more on the way. I guess Ill give the old mouse slushie trick a try, cant hurt thats for sure. Ill keep yall updated.

Well?? Anyone have results from this experiment?!? I'm having the worst frickin' year for non feeders! Guess this is payback for my first three years being so damn lucky Last night I had 76 non feeders!!! <mind you this included refusals which are bound to happen every now and then anyway>.

I know part of it is that my freezer defrosted a while back and although the mice were all still quite cold they were not frozen before I discovered the problem and "refroze" them I just couldn't throw them all away though, losing $2500 in mice hurts bad

Next time I think I'll be digging out the ivory soap, though I did wash a number of the pinks last night.... AAARRRRGGG!!!

Rebecca

Oh my god, STILL no update?!?! Come on guys! I have to see if this works as I may need to use it next year!!! Year from Hell over here with non- feeders... Doesn't help I almost refuse to try live, or ASF

Rebecca

I have not had a chance yet to try it. My entire first clutch of grayband eggs went bad and I didn't think I was going to have a 2nd this year. The 2nd female just laid eggs last week so it is still going to be a while before I am able to try it.

I only bred 5 females this year, so I did zero imprinting. I can experiment next year with quite a few half clutches (Ball Pythons & Cornsnakes) and add my data here when I have it.

6 of 9 annulata are FT the first time offered, 2 of 9 ate the second time and 3 of 9 at the third time, the rest were wholesaled. To be honest I didnt really try with the alterna as I had already decided to wholesale them strait out of the egg, and moved them the day after they shed. Could it have worked for the annulata? sure, could it have been random that some ate this year and none at the last two years? sure. Deffinatally need larger collections to really test this theory. Sorry I could not have been more help.

Mike, did actually you do the scent imprinting in the egg?