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AmyBlueRose

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I am new to the breeding of corn snakes and this happened very unexpectedly. I have put the eggs into an egg-o-bator and they have been in for just over a week. I have checked on them for the first time today and they have mould on and they smell. The temp in the incubator is at 26 degrees and I cannot tell if the mould is white or yellow and they still look quite soft and squishy. The substrate I have used isn't one to add water to. Can anyone help?


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I am new to the breeding of corn snakes and this happened very unexpectedly. I have put the eggs into an egg-o-bator and they have been in for just over a week. I have checked on them for the first time today and they have mould on and they smell. The temp in the incubator is at 26 degrees and I cannot tell if the mould is white or yellow and they still look quite soft and squishy.

Fertile eggs should have a firm, but still ever so slightly pliable feel to them. They should be white to a yellowish off-white coloration. They typically firm up within hours of being deposited, but can also take up to 24-48 hours after laying.

If after a week they are still soft and squishy, odds are that they are infertile; even more so if the eggs have caved and molded. I'd still not throw them out though as I've had both snake and lizard eggs hatch that I thought were toast. Your temperature is a tad low, but should still be a viable incubation temp. If any eggs are fertile, it will just take them a little longer to develop fully at 26°C (78-79°F).

The substrate I have used isn't one to add water to. Can anyone help?

How are you keeping your humidity elevated? Too high can cause molding, but it will generally also cause the eggs to swell and become overly firm instead of remaining soft/squishy.

From the sounds of things, you may have infertile eggs. Photos are worth a thousand words here in this instance.
 
I will post some pictures shortly. And the temperature is done by a switch at the back of the incubator which keeps the temp at 26.


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Sorry for the delay, I was at an appointment and then work once I saw your replies.

From the looks of these eggs, I'd write them off as infertile. Substrate wise, looks like you're using perlite. If the eggs were possibly fertile, they may have desiccated due to lack of humidity.

I'm drawing this conclusion from your previous mentioning of the "substrate I have used isn't one to add water to." Though I don't use perlite, if I recall correctly, perlite should be "hydrated" at a 1:1 ratio by weight for incubation needs. Again, I've not used it, so I could be off here. That said, mold usually needs decent humidity levels to grow, but even then I've had eggs mold in low humidity situations of naïve incubating trials almost 20 years ago.

Sorry to rain on the parade like that. However, assuming your female has adequate age, length, and weight, there is a chance that she may double clutch if you keep her properly fed. Such 2nd clutches are usually smaller though and a number of breeders that attempt double clutching usually re-pair the snakes to ensure that clutch gets fertilized. If your female is not of adequate requirements she may still double clutch, so it's still wise to keep her well fed so she can reallocate resources lost from the 1st clutch.

Any other questions, feel free to toss them up here...
 
Are you saying she could lay again? And what shall I do with the eggs in the incubator?


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I am.

Though those eggs look done for, if there are any still attached to the main mass that are plump and firm there is a chance those are fertile and you can keep incubating them if you want. My hopes aren't too high though based on the photos. The eggs look dehydrated and I don't see a single egg not covered in mold.

Ignoring the eggs that are hatching...

This is what your egg mass should look like if the eggs are fertile and properly hydrated:
 

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Though I've not been successful at it, there have been others that have had moldy, nasty looking eggs hatch. I can't tell what's going on in the middle of that egg cluster. I'd just keep an eye on things. You'll know visibly and by scent when the eggs are pretty much done and not salvageable. Since the mold is present, I wouldn't attempt to separate any possible viable eggs out as you'll run the chance of severely damaging the egg(s) or at least thinning the point(s) of contact which would allow the mold or bacteria possible entry into the egg - assuming there are any viable eggs there (it doesn't look like it).
 
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