Natural Incubation

[Tortuga_terrestre]

Hola Muchachos!

So today after many months of waiting for my Hermanns hatch out of the ground; I decided to dig them out. I didn't expect much; especially after hitting a rotten egg! (My fingers still smell). To my surprise a lil guy came running out of the hole; I thought it was a potato bug. Soon after realizing it was a baby tortoise I went inside the house to show everyone what I have found. I came out and found another one! I was ecstatic.... My question is: I thought when tortoises hatch and they absorb their sac they come out of the ground? But these guys are at least 2 weeks old...they even show some growth!

How many eggs do you guys see?

I see 4...the 2 that I found. 1 rotten egg.. maybe another one???

 

[tortadise]

Cool. congrats

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

 

[DesertGrandma]

That is very cool. How do they breath when they are underground? Do they have a tunnel?

 

[Yvonne G]

If its a hibernating species, they sometimes stay in the nest until spring. Also, while they're in there some babies will eat the egg shells.

 

[Tortuga_terrestre]

Here is the duo...

 

[TortoiseBoy1999]

I can't wait to start breeding my Russian!!!!!

 

[mattgrizzlybear]

Cute!

 

[conservation]

Cute!

Those look like adults from Jana in Lancaster. Congrats on the babies!

 

[Tortuga_terrestre]

Cute!

Those look like adults from Jana in Lancaster. Congrats on the babies!

Bingo! She sold me a pair of adults.

 

[conservation]

That is cool! Was her entire group Dalmation Coast?

 

[Tortuga_terrestre]

That is cool! Was her entire group Dalmation Coast?

Mixed bunch...but I bought her founding adults;these are 100% Dalmation. I got the cream of the crop.

 

[conservation]

Yea those are beauties.

 

[Eweezyfosheezy]

Very nice! Send em down here.

 

[Tortuga_terrestre]

Very nice! Send em down here.

I am selling the babies... not this very moment. I'm waiting for them to be a little bigger thus more stable. I don't know how much... I just really want them to go to good homes. These babies are going to be high yellow with distinct black markings. I gave them Mazuri today..they gobbled it up.

 

[conservation]

I have at least one or two Ibera Greek clutches in the ground somewhere in their enclosure. She kept digging trial nests and burying them. I would dig them up and nothing would be there. I think she was laughing at me.

 

[DesertGrandma]

They are so tiny and so dang cute!!