Snakes lay a widely varying number of eggs depending on their species and size. Small snakes may lay as few as 2 to 3 eggs, while larger snakes can lay many more. For example, some small snakes lay up to 30 eggs, whereas large snakes like the reticulated python can lay 100 eggs or even more in a single clutch
. On average, many pet snakes lay between 3 and 20 eggs per clutch. Specific examples include:
- Ball pythons: 3 to 14 eggs, with an average around 5 eggs
- Corn snakes: 12 to 24 eggs
- Milk snakes: 3 to 15 eggs
- Black rat snakes: 12 to 20 eggs
- California kingsnakes: 3 to 12 eggs
It's important to note that not all snakes lay eggs. About 70% of snake species are oviparous (egg-laying), while the other 30% give live birth (viviparous) or have eggs that hatch inside the mother (ovoviviparous)
. In summary, the number of eggs a snake lays varies greatly by species and size, ranging from as few as 2 to over 100 eggs per clutch.
