laying the Russian egg in the incubator

[hiatt2320]

HELP! I have an unexpected Russian Tortoise egg, How do I properly lay it in the incubator? I dont know if i can harm it by laying it wrong. The egg looked pretty far along when my wife found it.

 

[tortadise]

Welcome! First off do you have your incubator set up? Secondly make sure not to turn the egg. If you have the incubator set up and going what temperature do you have it at? Also your going to need a container and some incubation media. If you dont have any vermiculite you can use moss or even a paper towel until you can get some media substrate. The egg needs to stay in the exact position that you found it. Best thing to do is to mark the top with an X with a pencil and place it in the incubator in its tub with the media.

Just like this.

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome. I can't really help you with this. I have never had to worry about eggs. Someone should be on soon to help, hang in there, and good luck.

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Hello and Welcome. I can't really help you with this. I have never had to worry about eggs. Someone should be on soon to help, hang in there, and good luck.

See how quick that was, he beat me

 

[hiatt2320]

Welcome! First off do you have your incubator set up? Secondly make sure not to turn the egg. If you have the incubator set up and going what temperature do you have it at? Also your going to need a container and some incubation media. If you dont have any vermiculite you can use moss or even a paper towel until you can get some media substrate. The egg needs to stay in the exact position that you found it. Best thing to do is to mark the top with an X with a pencil and place it in the incubator in its tub with the media.

Just like this.

 

[hiatt2320]

Thats the issue, since it was unexpected the focus was picking up the egg carefully and we couldnt remember how it was laying there. Is there a way you can tell, we can see a big dark spot where the tortoise is at.

 

[Laura]

you could just leave it..
you don't want to turn it.. it needs to go into the incubator the same way it came out of the ground. If it was just layed its not as much of an issue.. but if its already forming... moving it, can kill the embryo..

 

[hiatt2320]

So if ive already put it in an incubator to keep its temperature what should i do? Should the dark part be on top or bottom?

 

[lkwagner]

It sounds like he already turned it and doesn't know what position it was found

 

[hiatt2320]

yes, that is correct. ive never had an egg before and didnt know what to do.

 

[Yvonne G]

Then just set it down and hope for the best. I don't know for sure, but I THINK the yolk would be on the bottom, so the dark area would be topside??????????

 

[hiatt2320]

a little background...found damaged egg fully developed tortoise some yellow yolk left smelled awful only 3 inches of ground cover inside for winter got excited and worried about other possible eggs! Screwed up bad now in major panic!HELP!

 

[tortadise]

Calm down. Breath. This is a new egg or the one you are initially asking about? Is the little tort alive?

 

[hiatt2320]

the egg in question in incubator we believe is still alive, first egg found, little guy was gone very upset since he looked perfect.

 

[tortadise]

Ahh. Well good thing is it is very far along in developement so should be ok that you dont know the top. All you can do is wait. Do you know when at all possible they were laid?

 

[hiatt2320]

have no idea...caught them mating outside in the inclosure late this summer