Chalking (red-foot eggs)

[matt41gb]

Hey guys, I have a question about egg chalking. I know the general rule is they will chalk within 5-8 days. It's been 8 days today and the eggs still look pretty translucent. Are there exceptions to the rule?

This is my first time with red-foot eggs, so if anyone has any good info from their own experiences I'd love to hear.

Thanks.

-Matt

 

[egyptiandan]

I have had quite a few eggs that didn't do the normal chalking up and just slowly went white as the embryo grew. Have the yolks settled to the bottoms on the eggs?

Danny

 

[matt41gb]

Thanks Dan! I don't see any thing inside at all. Just clear egg from top to bottom.

 

[cdmay]

Hey guys, I have a question about egg chalking. I know the general rule is they will chalk within 5-8 days. It's been 8 days today and the eggs still look pretty translucent. Are there exceptions to the rule?

This is my first time with red-foot eggs, so if anyone has any good info from their own experiences I'd love to hear.

Thanks.

-Matt

Whoa...red foot eggs chalking after 5 to 8 days? Try 3 to 5 weeks. I have had red foot eggs look perfectly infertile for even up to two months before they suddenly start to chalk up and get veins.

 

[Redfoot NERD]

Yeah here we are again - Carl and a very few others realize that South American .carbonaria are different than most other tortoises in the world!

"Chalking" in redfoot tortoises starts with a 'dot' of white which grows until they are virtually "opaque". My experience has shown little ability to really candle them with much reliabilty. And yes it can easily take at least a month before they show any change.

Matt do the eggs look 'pale-pink' or 'pale-yellow' when you candle them?

NERD

 

[matt41gb]

No, they are basically clear when candled. They are very heavy though like they should be. No white dots, nor dark spot. I took a couple of pictures to show you. I'm experimenting with an incubator idea I had. I just mowed the lawn and when raking noticed how warm and humid the grass clippings are. I stuffed the incubator with grass clippings and put it in our mud room where there isn't an air conditioner. The temp stays around 88F, and humidity near 100%. Seems to be working well so far, it's been a couple days and it stays nice and warm in there.

Experimental incubator.

Candled egg laid on 7/17/10.

-Matt

 

[cdmay]

Matt...incubate those eggs as if they were fertile. Believe it or not, red foot eggs often look just like that.
In any event, now that your female is laying she will no doubt nest again anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks later. If these eggs are not good don't worry about it as the next clutches should increase in fertility.

 

[matt41gb]

Thanks cdmay, that's the answer that I was looking for. I'm hoping all of my females will start nesting soon as well. I've been thinking of taking them all to work and shooting an x-ray of all of them to see if they're gravid.

-Matt