Egg cycle.

Anyfoot

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2014
Messages
6,306
Location (City and/or State)
UK Sheffield
Hi all.
I had a redfoot lay a a clutch of 5 on 03/12/2015.
She just laid another clutch of 7 on 15/01/2016.
So that's 44days later for the 2nd clutch.
I was reading the other day that it takes 6 wks for a redfoot to produce the eggs from follicle, to egg on ground.
This has confirmed this info to me.
IMG_20160115_202245.jpg mmmm. We're going to need a bigger boat.
 

Lyn W

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2014
Messages
23,526
Location (City and/or State)
UK
Hi all.
I had a redfoot lay a a clutch of 5 on 03/12/2015.
She just laid another clutch of 7 on 15/01/2016.
So that's 44days later for the 2nd clutch.
I was reading the other day that it takes 6 wks for a redfoot to produce the eggs from follicle, to egg on ground.
This has confirmed this info to me.
View attachment 162388 mmmm. We're going to need a bigger boat.
Good luck with all those Craig!!
 

JourneyN15

Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2015
Messages
75
Oh my goodness! So many! lol My female did the same. Forty-eight days between the first and second clutch, but 61 days between the next. However, one of the eggs was covered in extra calcification and the other was sparkly. She probably should have laid 2 weeks ago!
Congrats on the perfect eggs!
Any experience with sparkly eggs? My female has laid two sparkly ones now. One in a clutch yesterday and one 8 weeks ago. The one from 8 weeks ago hasn't chalked yet but looks like something is going on inside.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_2287.JPG
    IMG_2287.JPG
    1.1 MB · Views: 19

Anyfoot

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2014
Messages
6,306
Location (City and/or State)
UK Sheffield
Oh my goodness! So many! lol My female did the same. Forty-eight days between the first and second clutch, but 61 days between the next. However, one of the eggs was covered in extra calcification and the other was sparkly. She probably should have laid 2 weeks ago!
Congrats on the perfect eggs!
Any experience with sparkly eggs? My female has laid two sparkly ones now. One in a clutch yesterday and one 8 weeks ago. The one from 8 weeks ago hasn't chalked yet but looks like something is going on inside.
Your eggs are sparkling because you are feeding to much glitter. Lol. Na only joking, I'm not sure, the breeding side of things is all new to me. So the learning curve has only just begun. Congrats on yours, keep us updated.
 

allegraf

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Jul 23, 2008
Messages
1,431
Some of my girls are like clockwork-every 30 days they lay a clutch. Others are too darn sneaky and I have to find the nests. Congrats! Now comes the hardest part, waiting to see what the hatchling's look like.
 

Anyfoot

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2014
Messages
6,306
Location (City and/or State)
UK Sheffield
Some of my girls are like clockwork-every 30 days they lay a clutch. Others are too darn sneaky and I have to find the nests. Congrats! Now comes the hardest part, waiting to see what the hatchling's look like.
Waiting I am not very good at. lol

Am I understanding you correctly? You have THE same female that lays clutches every 30 days.
If so
How many on average is in a clutch, and how many clutches does she lay consecutively in 30 day periods per year?
 

allegraf

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Jul 23, 2008
Messages
1,431
She lays 3-4 clutches a year. Each clutch was within 30-34 days of each other. 3-4 eggs per clutch. The others vary more widely like 30-45 days per clutch.
 

Anyfoot

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2014
Messages
6,306
Location (City and/or State)
UK Sheffield
She lays 3-4 clutches a year. Each clutch was within 30-34 days of each other. 3-4 eggs per clutch. The others vary more widely like 30-45 days per clutch.
Do the 45 days per clutch tend to lay more eggs per clutch?
 

allegraf

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Jul 23, 2008
Messages
1,431
The larger girls that lay 5-6 tend to have more time in between clutches. All of mine average 3-4 clutches per year. Size of the girls seem to determine the number of eggs.
 

Anyfoot

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2014
Messages
6,306
Location (City and/or State)
UK Sheffield
Hi all.
I had a redfoot lay a a clutch of 5 on 03/12/2015.
She just laid another clutch of 7 on 15/01/2016.
So that's 44days later for the 2nd clutch.
I was reading the other day that it takes 6 wks for a redfoot to produce the eggs from follicle, to egg on ground.
This has confirmed this info to me.
View attachment 162388 mmmm. We're going to need a bigger boat.
She just laid another clutch of 7. 29/02/2016. That's 45 days this time.

Also my Brazilian dropped 5 on 18/02/2016. Sort of hoping these are infertile. If they are and I've split them from the northerns, does this guarantee no mutts when/if I get some fertile later down the road.
 

Jacqui

Wanna be raiser of Lemon Drop tortoises
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 28, 2007
Messages
39,936
Location (City and/or State)
A Land Far Away...
She just laid another clutch of 7. 29/02/2016. That's 45 days this time.

Also my Brazilian dropped 5 on 18/02/2016. Sort of hoping these are infertile. If they are and I've split them from the northerns, does this guarantee no mutts when/if I get some fertile later down the road.

Years down the road, yes.
 

juli11

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2013
Messages
1,467
Location (City and/or State)
Europe
So an immature female could be holding fertile sperm for years that is dormant until the female hits maturity and is capable of laying fertile eggs?

No I think this theory is wrong. A mature female could hold sperm for some years and than when the living conditions are perfect she's able to fertile her eggs with the sperm which she holds for the years.
I don't think that a juvenile female which isn't mature (that's what you you mean right? :D ) is able breed. That unnatural to breed before you become mature..
 

Anyfoot

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2014
Messages
6,306
Location (City and/or State)
UK Sheffield
No I think this theory is wrong. A mature female could hold sperm for some years and than when the living conditions are perfect she's able to fertile her eggs with the sperm which she holds for the years.
I don't think that a juvenile female which isn't mature (that's what you you mean right? :D ) is able breed. That unnatural to breed before you become mature..
Hi Julian.
No I didn't mean a juvenile. Is it possible for a female to lay infertile eggs even though she has copulated with a mature male just because the female is not capable of producing fertile eggs yet, or does the fact that the female is laying eggs mean they can be fertile no matter the age.
I read somewhere that when females first start to lay the chances of fertility are very slim. As they get older(maturer) the fertility rates increase.

If my female lays infertile eggs(assuming my incubation techniques are correct too), does this mean she is clean from sperm?
 

juli11

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2013
Messages
1,467
Location (City and/or State)
Europe
Hi Julian.
No I didn't mean a juvenile. Is it possible for a female to lay infertile eggs even though she has copulated with a mature male just because the female is not capable of producing fertile eggs yet, or does the fact that the female is laying eggs mean they can be fertile no matter the age.
I read somewhere that when females first start to lay the chances of fertility are very slim. As they get older(maturer) the fertility rates increase.

If my female lays infertile eggs(assuming my incubation techniques are correct too), does this mean she is clean from sperm?

Fore sure it is possible to for a female to lay eggs before she ever has copulated. I knew many people who keeps glyptemys insculpta but only females and they lay often infertile eggs. They can also lay infertile eggs after she has copulated with a mature male. Maybe because of the male isn't able to breed.
And no.. If she lay infertile eggs after copulating maybe a reason for that is that the copulation wasn't successfully or the male/female isn't able to breed.
I hope that is an answer for your question. If I can it explain in German it would be easier and more helpful :D
 

Anyfoot

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2014
Messages
6,306
Location (City and/or State)
UK Sheffield
She lays 3-4 clutches a year. Each clutch was within 30-34 days of each other. 3-4 eggs per clutch. The others vary more widely like 30-45 days per clutch.

32 days later from when my Brazilian layed a clutch of 5 and she's digging again. See how long it takes until she actually lays.
I'm trying to work out if there is a
'time period to egg quantity' relation.
Would things like diet and temps take part in follicle to layed egg speed?
What is the most eggs you have ever had in one clutch?
 

allegraf

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Jul 23, 2008
Messages
1,431
@cdmay has some XL girls in his yard. He has larger clutches since his girls are bigger. Size seems to determine the number of eggs, not time. The largest clutch I ever got was six from my grandmother's big girl. She is roughly 13" of Venezuelan descent.
 

cdmay

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Feb 1, 2008
Messages
1,945
Location (City and/or State)
Somewhere in Florida
I had a group of Colombian animals back in the 80's and 90's that would usually nest every 28 to 32 days apart...depending on the weather.
My cherry-heads are more flexible but again, it depends on the weather. If it is rainy for a number of days, or cold and the females come inside at night, their schedule can get disrupted.
As for clutch sizes one of my Colombian females once produced a clutch of seven eggs. But I've had numerous clutches from female cherry-heads that were six or seven eggs and then a handful of eight eggs. My largest female has produced two clutches of nine eggs, all of which were huge.
And fertile.
 

New Posts

Top