Bell's Twins Full Story

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Weldd

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So here goes...

I had 2 Bell's eggs pip last night. Eggs from the same clutch. One egg was a little smaller than average, the other a little larger.

Got home from work today and looked in the incubator and it was obvious that both tortoises were out. I grabbed the first baby who was an average sized hatchling. The other was quite a bit smaller so I took it for granted that it was the one from the small egg.

As I grabbed it it pulled the egg it was next to with it and I realized that it must be a twin. The other baby was still in the egg.

They are still attached. There is a "waist" where the two yolks are attached. I have put a stitch there to tighten it down. You can see that in a few of the pics. My plan is to put another stitch around that spot each day, tightening it down so that hopefully they will separate.

They both look good so I'm hopeful. I will update with pics as things progress.
 

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Jacqui

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Great pictures! How are they in size comparison to the single one?
 

james1974

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That is super cool.

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Weldd

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Jacqui, they are roughly 75% the size of an average hatchling. Here is a picture of the twins next to their sibling for comparison.
 

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theelectraco

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How rare is that? This is very interesting to me. I hope they both make it!
 

mike taylor

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That is cool hope the best for your little guy's.

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alysciaingram

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Do you know if twins in reptile eggs work the same as mammal twins? I'm assuming the yolks are attached due to lack of space in the egg but does the fraternal/identical system apply to them as well? Never the less, awesome to see. Can't wait for more updates.
 

thatrebecca

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This is fascinating. Thanks for sharing with us. Please keep us updated. Hope the little guys thrive!
 

Jacqui

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Weldd said:
Jacqui, they are roughly 75% the size of an average hatchling. Here is a picture of the twins next to their sibling for comparison.

So tiny.
 

bigred

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Very cool, you will have to keep us updated on how they are doing. You just never know what going to come out of an egg[/i]
 

Pokeymeg

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Wicked cool! Last year someone on this forum had redfoot Triplets! Tortoise multiples are so intriguing :) Keep us updated on their progress please!
 

Jacqui

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Pokeymeg said:
Wicked cool! Last year someone on this forum had redfoot Triplets! Tortoise multiples are so intriguing :) Keep us updated on their progress please!

The was Carl (cdmay)
 

jax7271

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They are amazing....I have twin crested geckos that hatched out last October; they are doing well, just a bit small... :)
 

Moozillion

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Wow!!! Really interesting! Thanks so much for posting the story! Here's hoping they all make it!
 

Jacqui

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Darn still no update. :( I keep thinking about them and coming in here to check for any news.
 

Weldd

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Here goes. I checked them last night and the connection between them had stretched. I was hopeful that I would be able to separate them today.

I checked them again about an hour ago and it was even thinner. Also, both tortoises has almost completely absorbed their yolks.

So, I divided the connection between them successfully. No blood, no problems. The smaller of the two weighs 5.8 grams, the larger 8.4. The other sibling in the clutch weighs 10.1 gms. I had one born here last week that was a shade under 12 gms.

Here's some pics of the twins. They are wrinkled with big noses. They look like wrinkly old men.
 

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james1974

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Great job hope they do well.they are so tiny

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Tortoise

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Wow that is amazing-great job on the separation of the babies.
They are remarkable!!
 
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