How Many Eggs Do Snakes Lay and How Many Survive?

The number of eggs a snake lays varies enormously depending on the species, the size of the snake, and whether we are talking about wild or captive animals. Some snakes lay just 1 or 2 eggs, while others can produce clutches of over 100. Here is a comprehensive look at snake egg production and survival rates.

Not All Snakes Lay Eggs

Before diving into clutch sizes, it is worth noting that not all snakes lay eggs. About 70 percent of snake species are oviparous (egg layers), while the remaining 30 percent give live birth. Boas, rattlesnakes, garter snakes, and water snakes are among the live bearing species. Pythons, corn snakes, king snakes, and milk snakes are egg layers.

Live bearing snakes have “litters” instead of clutches, and their offspring numbers tend to be somewhat smaller than egg laying species of similar size. For a deeper look at this topic, check out our article on whether snakes lay eggs.

Clutch Sizes by Species

Ball pythons lay 4 to 10 eggs per clutch, making them one of the smaller clutch producers among popular pet snakes. Their eggs are large relative to the mother’s body size.

Corn snakes lay 10 to 30 eggs per clutch. They are prolific producers and one of the most commonly bred pet snake species.

King snakes typically lay 5 to 20 eggs depending on the species and size of the female.

Milk snakes produce clutches of 5 to 15 eggs, varying by subspecies.

Burmese pythons are among the most prolific egg layers, producing clutches of 20 to 80+ eggs. Their large body size allows them to produce massive clutches.

Reticulated pythons are similar to Burmese pythons, with clutches of 25 to 80 eggs.

Cobras lay 20 to 40 eggs, with king cobras being unique among snakes in that they actually build a nest from leaves and vegetation.

How Many Eggs Survive in the Wild

Survival rates for snake eggs in the wild are generally quite low. Depending on the species and environment, only 10 to 50 percent of eggs may successfully hatch and produce surviving offspring. Many factors work against wild snake eggs including predation by raccoons, skunks, birds, and other animals that eat eggs, temperature fluctuations that kill developing embryos, flooding or drought, fungal infections, and infertility.

Even after hatching, baby snakes face enormous predation pressure. Small, inexperienced hatchlings are eaten by birds, larger snakes, mammals, and even large frogs and fish. It is estimated that only a small fraction of hatchling snakes survive to adulthood. This is why snakes produce relatively large numbers of offspring. It is a numbers game.

Survival Rates in Captivity

In captivity, snake egg survival rates are dramatically higher than in the wild. Experienced breeders using proper incubation techniques typically see 80 to 95 percent hatch rates from fertile eggs. This is because the eggs are protected from predators, maintained at consistent temperatures and humidity, and monitored throughout development.

The key factors for high hatch rates in captivity are steady incubation temperatures (usually 78 to 90 degrees depending on species), proper humidity (usually 80 to 100 percent), clean incubation medium (like vermiculite or perlite), and not rotating or disturbing the eggs. For more on egg incubation, see our article about how long python eggs take to hatch.

Why Some Eggs Do Not Hatch

Even under ideal conditions, not every egg will hatch. Infertile eggs (slugs) are common in most clutches and will never develop regardless of incubation conditions. Some eggs may be fertile but fail to develop due to genetic defects, temperature spikes or drops during incubation, being accidentally flipped or rotated, or bacterial or fungal contamination.

Experienced breeders can usually tell the difference between fertile and infertile eggs within the first few weeks of incubation. Fertile eggs remain white, plump, and firm. Infertile eggs tend to yellow, shrink, and may develop mold more quickly.