Most breeders nowadays prefer to remove from the mother, although those who have left the eggs with her have reported good hatch rates. If you choose to remove the eggs from her, you must have the incubator up and running when the eggs appear, although leaving them with her for a few hours shouldn’t cause any mishaps. A fertile egg is clean and white, any yellow eggs will probably be duds, but if ‘stuck’ to the others in the clutch should be left there. Place the eggs in a tupperware style box that has no airholes. This container is then placed in the incubator, with the eggs sitting on vermiculite or similar material. There should be hardly, if any, water condensation appearing in the tupperware box. A wet box will kill your eggs. It’s easier to save an egg that has dried out a bit, than it is to save one which is too wet.

Close to hatching the box may begin to ‘sweat’ with increased humidity as the babies start to ‘use’ the yolk. They now start to generate a bit of heat on their own causing the container to heat up. The shell will become soft and brittle as the baby begins to break down the shell. Indeed I noticed this with the incubator a few days ago, the temperature rose by 2 degrees. When the day comes, baby Royals have an ‘egg tooth’ which they use to score and cut the inside of the egg and thus make their way out. Although they may lie in the shell for a few days abosorbing the last of the egg yolk.

After they make their way out of the egg, place them in their own container lined with kitchen towel and give them a shallow water dish and two or three hiding places. Then give them peace. Over the next 7-10 days they will go into their first shed. Make sure they have moisture to aid them with this shed. Damp kitchen roll will do. After the babies have shed it’s time to offer them their first meal. A fuzzy mouse will do, but if it refuses the first meal wait 5-7 days then offer again. Although it’s good to get them eating at this stage, the egg yolk will keep them from being hungry for a wee while. There is a condition called ‘hard belly’, this is when the hatchling is removed from its egg before it has time to fully absorb the yolk, so be sure your hatchlings have finished doing this before removing them.

A few common heath problems

Scale Rot

Usually this is caused by burns and dirty tub/viv conditions. A slight case of scale rot wiwll need antibiotic cream applied twice a day for a few weeks. If the tissue is severely damaged and begins to rot, the wound must be cleaned and a vet needs to administer hard hitting antibiotics.
Make sure the viv/tub has correct temperatures and check them a few times daily. Keep the enclosure clean, warm and dry and this should not happen.

Internal Parasites

Internal parasites are usually not a problem for captive bred Royals. But if you have a reptile who is not putting on weight and not thriving, then this should be looked into.
A sample of faeces should be taken along to your vet who will do the necessary tests to determine if the reptile has parasites, and which ones it has. The appropriate wormer etc can then be administered.

Stargazing

This can be a symptom of IDB, Inclusion Body Disease. A term which most reptile keepers dread. Boas can be carriers of this and not show symptoms, although if caught by a Royal Python the snake usually does not last long. I never keep my Boas beside or near my Royals, and wouldn’t keep them near any other type of Python either.
There is no treatment for IDB, although the same symptoms can point to other causes, overheating for one. Only a vet can advise you of the cause if it ever happens to your snakes.

Respiratory Infections

Frequent yawning, or gaping mouths can be an indication of RI’s. These are commonly caused by low humidity and/or improper ambient temperatures. The snakes enclosure should be humid, not wet, a wet environment comes with it’s own problems.
Treatment for RIs is a visit to the vet and appropriate antibiotics which hopefully will fix the problem. Also, correct the reasons the RI started in the first place, fix temperatures and humidity if these were the problem.

Retained Eyecaps

Eyes with retained eyecaps will appear wrinkled and creased. This sometimes occurs when the snake has been kept dryer than it should be. Soaking the snake in a tub with a lockable hole-filled lid for a few hours will help soften the eyecaps ready for removal. Use tepid water filled so that it only reaches half-way up the side of the snake.
After a soak use a wet cotton bud to gently lift the edge of the eyecap and peel it off.