Big sulcata egg

[Eweezyfosheezy]

One of my sulcata females recently laid about a week ago and one of the eggs she laid is huge and at least double the size of the other ones. Is this normal? Most of the eggs she laid were broken including the monster egg. This is the first clutch she has had with me because I've only had her for a couple of months and I was told she had never been with a male before so I'm just guessing she didn't know how to lay her eggs. I'll attach a picture of her and the big egg next to a regular egg.

 

[l0velesly]

Maybe it will be a twin?!

 

[alben909]

Or a double headed baby!!!!!

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That would be awesome!!!

 

[nicoleandrocky]

Maybe it will be a twin?!

that's what i was thinking, but it's broken

 

[alben909]

You could be i the world record books

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Oh it is broken

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That sucks

 

[Eweezyfosheezy]

Maybe it will be a twin?!

that's what i was thinking, but it's broken

Yeah unfortunately it broke I was bummed out maybe it would have been a huge baby or a couple of babies in there.

 

[l0velesly]

Maybe it will be a twin?!

that's what i was thinking, but it's broken

Yeah unfortunately it broke I was bummed out maybe it would have been a huge baby or a couple of babies in there.

Aww.. eggs are so delicate

 

[murdocjunior]

Wow i was thinking it wouldve been twins too

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Maybe it will be a twin?!

My thoughts also.

 

[Eweezyfosheezy]

Maybe it will be a twin?!

that's what i was thinking, but it's broken

Yeah unfortunately it broke I was bummed out maybe it would have been a huge baby or a couple of babies in there.

Aww.. eggs are so delicate

Yeah but maybe she'll lay more of them who knows.

 

[bfmorris]

Unusual egg conformation and size, in just about every configuration imaginable, is not that uncommon. What is uncommon, is to have the eggs in the unusual conformation category, successfully hatch. The same goes for the giant, normal appearing eggs. I call them super eggs; in the hundreds that I have seen, I can remember only one that hatched. This particular egg was of normal conformation but over twice the size of normal at just under three inches diameter. I've seen many like this, however, only one time, this one large perfectly spherical egg produced one very large hatchling tortoise. Eggs that fall into the unusual conformation (non spherical) category, which includes eggs that look like yours, I have never seen hatch.

 

[Jacqui]

but now we will never know.

 

[Tom]

What concerns me is that so many were broken. I got a female that had not been very well cared for and her eggs were a bit thin shelled. Around half either cracked or broke open in her first clutches. After nearly a year and a half of calcium and cactus in her diet, the eggs have gotten better and better over time. Now she'll have a couple that dimple sometimes, but most of them are "normal". The importance of calcium for egg producing adult sulcata females cannot be over emphasized.

 

[Jacqui]

What concerns me is that so many were broken. I got a female that had not been very well cared for and her eggs were a bit thin shelled. Around half either cracked or broke open in her first clutches. After nearly a year and a half of calcium and cactus in her diet, the eggs have gotten better and better over time. Now she'll have a couple that dimple sometimes, but most of them are "normal". The importance of calcium for egg producing adult sulcata females cannot be over emphasized.

Good point!

 

[Eweezyfosheezy]

Unusual egg conformation and size, in just about every configuration imaginable, is not that uncommon. What is uncommon, is to have the eggs in the unusual conformation category, successfully hatch. The same goes for the giant, normal appearing eggs. I call them super eggs; in the hundreds that I have seen, I can remember only one that hatched. This particular egg was of normal conformation but over twice the size of normal at just under three inches diameter. I've seen many like this, however, only one time, this one large perfectly spherical egg produced one very large hatchling tortoise. Eggs that fall into the unusual conformation (non spherical) category, which includes eggs that look like yours, I have never seen hatch.

good info thanks

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What concerns me is that so many were broken. I got a female that had not been very well cared for and her eggs were a bit thin shelled. Around half either cracked or broke open in her first clutches. After nearly a year and a half of calcium and cactus in her diet, the eggs have gotten better and better over time. Now she'll have a couple that dimple sometimes, but most of them are "normal". The importance of calcium for egg producing adult sulcata females cannot be over emphasized.

Very good point I think it was a combination of both dropping them too far and not enough calcium. All of my other females are deep in their holes and I was told (I wasnt there) when she layed that she was dropping them farther than what the others do. I'll be able to find out more on what she's doing with her next clutch if I am able to see it.

 

[Laura]

yep, what Tom said....

 

[bfmorris]

Most often the cause captive raised tortoises break their eggs is the carapace overly curves thus restricting the opening the egg must pass through.

 

[Tom]

Most often the cause captive raised tortoises break their eggs is the carapace overly curves thus restricting the opening the egg must pass through.

I'm going to look at that on mine tomorrow.

Wouldn't that make for a consistent number or percentage of broken eggs though? If the physical opening were just the wrong size why would the egg breakage rate vary over time and with calcium intake? On the female I spoke of, her eggs were noticeably thinner shelled and more fragile. Over time they have firmed up and now seldom break.

I'm not saying you are wrong, I am trying to learn from your experience. You have a much greater depth of knowledge on sulcata breeding than I do.

 

[bfmorris]

Wouldn't that make for a consistent number or percentage of broken eggs though?

No, interestingly not always, but yes, sometimes. I have egg breakers that have broken entire clutches and broken hardly any, in other clutches. Perhaps small changes in egg size or some other factor allow for inconsistencies. I also have consistent egg breakers.

If you watch an egg breaker carefully, the egg, still mostly inside the cloaca, causes the tail to be pushed hard against the inside of the carapace until at some point it cracks or breaks. Sometimes each egg will have a break in it, that looks like someone stuck the tip of a butter knife into it. Others make different shaped breaks in the eggs depending on the pathway the egg loses its fight. I've had luck sometimes using lubricant to help the female pass her eggs and I've had a little luck grabbing the egg with sponge clamps and easing it out.

If the physical opening were just the wrong size why would the egg breakage rate vary over time and with calcium intake? On the female I spoke of, her eggs were noticeably thinner shelled and more fragile. Over time they have firmed up and now seldom break.

Your animal may indeed have had a calcium problem, or some other nutritional or metabolic issue, or some other kind of shock occurred. I've seen clutches of soft shelled eggs, also. I have no animals that consistently produce these, however.

For the bulk of the cases though that I've seen, the problem is good, firm eggs being physically broken. The cause could be an overly thickened tail that can't move up, or an overly thickened rear shield that doesn't provide enough room for the tail to move up and away, or an overly curved rear shield or a combination of these.

 

[Tom]

Thanks Mr. Morris. I'll be checking out some female tortoise butts tomorrow.