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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. :)
 
tyflier said:
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...
Click to expand...

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.
 
I'm still waiting to see when my clutches will be hatching. Having incubated the first clutch for 2 weeks at normal incubation temps has thrown my estimations off for the rest of my clutches. About the next 4 or 5 did have some time at 85F, but not much, a week at the most. Once the next clutch pips, I'll be better able to judge when to start scenting the couple of clutches I had planned to do that for. Until then, I can't help you.
 
I've got eggs from a 1.1 Upper Keys het "C" that are due to pip around August 26. BOTH parents needed anole scented pinkys for the 1st three dozen meals before accepting fuzzies so I will definitely be trying this.
 
dwyn127 said:
I've got eggs from a 1.1 Upper Keys het "C" that are due to pip around August 26. BOTH parents needed anole scented pinkys for the 1st three dozen meals before accepting fuzzies so I will definitely be trying this.
Click to expand...


On day 60 I'll be in the air headed for Daytona so I'll be starting this on Monday to give me a good 2 weeks. I've seen suggestions for a pinky slushy, yuck, and for the water used to defrost the pinkys, pinky broth, if you will. I plan to use a damp, not wet Q-tip to do the imprinting. My concern with the slushy is will 2 weeks of this in an 82* controlled environment create the smell of rotting mouse guts? :puke01: And would the pinky broth more accurately duplicate what the snake will smell when the pinky is right in front of him or is it not strong enough? :shrugs:
 
tyflier said:
they take a sponge dipped in water that the guts are soaking in, and draw a bead across the tops of the eggs, allowing the scent to permeate into the eggs.
Click to expand...

Well, I'm into day 5 of using this procedure. I put a pinky in a small souffle cup, added about a tablespoon full of water and used a fork to allow some pinky innards to mix in the water. I just dip a Q-tip into the water and lightly brush one single stroke onto the shell. Each day, I open the container and smell and so far there's no sign or smell of anything going bad. Then I immediately put the souffle cup back in the freezer.

....to be continued.
 
I didn't try scenting any of our eggs this year, but I've been following the thread diligently. Looking forward to seeing what kind of results you get Danny, and anyone else whose followed through to the end.

Glad to know that the scenting so far hasn't created a putrid stench in the egg box too - how ventilated is the container you are incubating in?
 
Both clutches of my graybands were very late this year - not due to hatch until mid-late September. I will still be giving this a shot though and hoping for good results.
 
I just saw this thread (thanks to the WIR) and this is very interesting. I had a clutch with about 40% being tricky feeders. I think I'll probably try this with the pairing's clutch next year and see what happens.
 
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