# We have snake eggs **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 11, 2013, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-snake-eggs/658109 "2013-05-11T23:12:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-snake-eggs/658109/1 "2013-05-11T23:12:32Z")
My son’s snake has just laid 19 eggs. She did this last spring as well. These ones seemed to be all in one clutch though - last year it took her a week to get them all out. We don’t expect baby snakes, since we don’t have a male stud snake about. And no, we’re not planning on making long, thin omelets either. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2013, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-snake-eggs/658109/2 "2013-05-12T02:23:08Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > And no, we’re not planning on making long, thin omelets either. I don’t even know what snake eggs look like. Are they long and thin? ---
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2013, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-snake-eggs/658109/3 "2013-05-12T04:55:36Z")
You know the rule… pictures please ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2013, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-snake-eggs/658109/4 "2013-05-12T06:31:46Z")
Would it kill you to get a male snake and then start your own line of a snake kingdom? ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-snake-eggs/658109/5 "2013-05-13T03:51:21Z")
> [@madrabbitwoman](#): > > You know the rule… pictures please I was not wise enough to take pictures - but [here is a link](http://www.cccorns.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=29728&thumb=0&d=1285279070): Fertile eggs on the left, infertile on the right. They’re about 2 cm long. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-snake-eggs/658109/6 "2013-05-13T03:52:53Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Would it kill you to get a male snake and then start your own line of a snake kingdom? Yes, it probably would. My wife would kill me, that is. It was hard enough to convince her to get one snake. Direct quote when we returned from “just looking” with a snake in the back seat: “I can’t believe we just bought a snake. What was I thinking?” ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-snake-eggs/658109/7 "2013-05-13T03:59:27Z")
What kind of snake is it? ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-snake-eggs/658109/8 "2013-05-13T04:11:39Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > What kind of snake is it? A friendly corn snake. Corn snakes come in many color morphs - ours is a normal color, sometimes called okeetee. She looks[a lot like this](http://www.mophidia.com/images/warmaskttl.jpg) She’s about 4 feet long, and loves to hang out around my neck, or crawl into pockets of hoodies. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-snake-eggs/658109/9 "2013-05-13T04:16:45Z")
if it’s going to be a long winding thread, snakes would be appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-snake-eggs/658109/10 "2013-05-13T09:45:13Z")
Just how friendly is a friendly corn snake? I mean, do they like to have a belly rub? Can you play frisbee with them, or teach them any clever tricks? Do they lick your face? Will they fetch or play tug-of-war? Are they good with children? ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-snake-eggs/658109/11 "2013-05-13T15:23:53Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > We don’t expect baby snakes, since we don’t have a male stud snake about. Snakes don’t need to be fertilized every time they lay. Once mated, the female can store sperm for multiple reproductive cycles. I once had a western garter snake (a live bearing species) that presented me with half a dozen snakelets after a year alone in her cage. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-snake-eggs/658109/12 "2013-05-13T15:42:04Z")
Enough is enough! I have had it with these mother-attempting snakes… ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-snake-eggs/658109/13 "2013-05-13T15:48:38Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Just how friendly is a friendly corn snake? > > I mean, do they like to have a belly rub? Sort of. She like to have her head gently stroked. > [@Senegoid](#): > > Can you play frisbee with them, or teach them any clever tricks? Errr. Not so much. I said _friendly_, not clever. > [@Senegoid](#): > > Do they lick your face? Actually yes. In sort of a flickery way. > [@Senegoid](#): > > Will they fetch or play tug-of-war? You should never play tug-of-war with your snake, as this may damage their spine. > [@Senegoid](#): > > Are they good with children? Very. Corn snakes like to coil and wrap around arms and crawl into pockets. Most kids seem to really enjoy them. ---
**Author:** ![Belowjob2.0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Belowjob2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belowjob2.0)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-snake-eggs/658109/14 "2013-05-13T16:42:12Z")
“Is that a corn snake in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?” she hissed. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![supergoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@supergoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/supergoose)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-snake-eggs/658109/15 "2013-05-13T19:57:34Z")
Aww, now I want a pet snake. Is it common for snakes to become friendly, if you interact with them? Or do you just have to get lucky? ---
**Author:** ![supergoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@supergoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/supergoose)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-snake-eggs/658109/16 "2013-05-13T20:04:47Z")
Damnit, missed the edit. That last question actually isn’t a clumsy joke riffing off the post before mine. Just clumsy wording. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-snake-eggs/658109/17 "2013-05-13T22:07:17Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > I once had a western garter snake (a live bearing species) that presented me with half a dozen snakelets after a year alone in her cage. Are they really called snakelets? Because that’s freaking adorable. ---
**Author:** ![akennett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee59a6/32.png) [@akennett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akennett)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-snake-eggs/658109/18 "2013-05-13T23:12:53Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Can you play frisbee with them Nah, frisbee is out. If you’re small enough, however, jump rope is always an option. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-snake-eggs/658109/19 "2013-05-14T15:55:38Z")
Update: I took the eggs away and she’s sleeping it off in her warm hide. She looks a bit frazzled, and may be getting ready to shed. She has not eaten for a month either. (which is typical for her in the spring for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![Mielikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Mielikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mielikki)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-snake-eggs/658109/20 "2013-05-14T19:27:03Z")
Snakes can be kind of friendly, in that they aren’t trying to bite you or hide from you, but you have to handle them regularly so they’re used to being picked up. I have two milksnakes, and if I keep up contact, they will hang out wrapped around a wrist or arm while I putter around the house. If I forget to do this for a couple of weeks, they’ll freak out when I try to pick them up. I suspect that’s true of most snakes. What is ‘freaking out’ for a snake? It depends a lot on the snake. I’m told different breeds innately have different levels of aggression. Supposedly milksnakes make good pets because they have mellow dispositions. When I was getting my first snake Nibbler used to me, his defense mechanism when I picked him up was to poop himself. This is actually pretty effective, because it makes him really slippery and hard to hold onto. The only time he’s ever bitten me was because he’d crapped himself, and started to squirm away, and I tightened my hand and squeezed him too hard- then chomp. I never held it against him; I was probably hurting him. I’m sure your local snakeologist (or snakeonomist) can point you at the mellower breeds if you’re interested in having one that you plan to interact with. Lots of people just have snakes for show, and they never interact with them except to feed and breed 'em. Snakes aren’t smart, but in some ways this makes them easier to have as pets; they don’t demand affection and they don’t get bored (a bored parrot is bad news). My friend’s Jack Russell-dachshund mix is probably as smart as I am and is a big needy pain in the ass sometimes. As far as training- not really possible, aside from just bare-bones conditioning. For instance, I never drop food in the cage where he lives, or else he’ll associate a hand coming in the cage with food and bite at it, so I put the food in a shoebox, then drop the snake in the shoebox. It’s his own little restaurant. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-snake-eggs/658109.md?page=2)