Found a Nest

[Mom2Four]

This is what worked for me..

I left mine outside, covered just like they were when the Mama laid them, as I figured she knew what she was doing. Put some of the compost in a rubber maid container, drill itsy teeny holes in the top of it, ( I used the shoe box sized container) and then cover them with a damp paper towel, and a dark t-shirt piece of cloth or a little compost or something like that.. Make sure the box stays damp but not too damp, basically mimic where they were.. Also do not place the box in direct sunlight, mine was on the front porch on a table, it got a wee bit of sun in the afternoons, but never really direct sunlight..(then the inside of the box would get too hot if it did) They box will sweat and condensate and that is ok.. You won't have to re-dampen everything as often that way..
Also, when you move the eggs, make sure you mark the tops with a sharpie or something and leave them that side up in the box, turning them over will kill the embryo inside.
Mine leaked a week or so before they hatched.. I talked to a herpetologist and found out why. The pores open if they get to moist and that is the reason for the leakage, so don't do like me and cut a slip and try to help the little bugger out. I thought they were hatching.. actually the eggs were just weeping.. If left outside at the temperature they would be in nature they do not hatch as early as incubated eggs, mine took almost 75 days.. You don't know when yours were laid, but my guess is they will probably hatch within the month, since most snake eggs hatch in August and September in the wild. You can release them as soon as they are hatched if you want. Once they started hatching mine hatched over a 5 day period, and once they slit the egg it took some of them up to 48 hours to come all the way out into the world.

Good luck, have fun, it was really an amazing event to watch..

[Didymus20X6]

Where at in Missouri? I went to school in Clayton.

[dlgambill]

Okay, I've moved the eggs with compost into a big plastic trash can, and I'm awaiting the big hatch! There were about 15 eggs, buried a good six inches down in the compost pile. Thanks so much for the advise. Days are getting a little cooler down here in Springfield, so I'm hoping within a couple weeks they'll be out.