A Stimson’s python (Antaresia stimsoni) has successfully hatched at the Gold Coast Pet Centre in Burleigh Heads, Queensland, Australia, despite an egg handling mishap late last year. In November 2013, one of the store’s pythons laid a clutch of six eggs, all placed into an incubator. One egg was deemed infertile, and during its removal, an attached egg ripped, causing a small hole.
Michelle Marks, the store’s reptile specialist, decided to save the damaged egg by creating a ‘humidicrib’ to monitor and control temperature and humidity, preventing the egg from drying out. She elevated and suspended the egg in the air to keep amniotic fluid from draining, a painstaking process that required keeping internal veins undisturbed. The efforts paid off when the baby python hatched on January 13 with no issues. Marks emphasized, ‘Every egg deserves a shot,’ highlighting that the effort meant everything to the snake. The Stimson’s python, a popular pet snake native to Australia, grows to over three feet long and feeds on small lizards, frogs, and mammals in the wild.
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