Few Questions About Eggs

[Kymiie]

I dont breed tortoises, but I read loads about breeders and just want to ask a few questions about it!

Can any tortoise lay an infertile egg at anytime.. or does a male have to be around? I dont get it lol!

Also

Why is it not allowed to help a tortoise break through the egg/

xxx

 

[egyptiandan]

Well it does have to be a female and an adult But yes any female can lay infertile eggs without a male. Though most females won't waste the stored fat (egg yolks) without a male (or aggressive female) at least trying to get the job done.
Who says your not allowed to help a hatchling out? There are times when it needs to be done, but than again it's your egg and you can either help or not help. It's all up to you.

Danny

 

[GBtortoises]

Females can lay infertile eggs at anytime, male or no male present.

In my experience it's not a good idea to assist tortoises out of the egg because you can sometimes rupture their yolk sac if it's not fully absorbed. I have also seen hatchlings that get "stuck" to the inside of the egg because it can get a bit too dry in the open air. Attempting to remove them can result in injury. I have in the past though lightly misted them or used an eye dropper to drip water to the areas that appear to be stuck to them in order to moisten it and allow them to break free. Some people also feel that it can be traumatizing to a newborn tortoise manually from the egg. I have my doubts about that but don't do it anyway since I prefer them to hatch on their own as much as possible.

 

[Shelly]

I have my doubts about that but don't do it anyway since I prefer them to hatch on their own as much as possible.

How much time do you let elapse before you intercede?

 

[Kymiie]

I knew you could help the egg hatch if its really nessesary, but didnt knwo if there was a reason to why you couldnt just hatch the egg when it cracks XD
xx

 

[GBtortoises]

After reading my own reply above I realized that I didn't correctly write it as I meant to. What I meant to say is that I don't purposely interfere with a hatchling unless it appears to be having a problem exiting the egg. If at all possible I let the tortoise completely exit the egg on it's own. Occasionally some hatchlings are born premature or just the opposite, overdue. Those are the ones that often need some assistance. Premature hatchlings will often have a larger yolk sac than normal and great care needs to be taken to assist them. They are sometimes also smaller and more fraile. Overdue hatchings and hatchlings who have a thicker than normal shell have often used up more of their energy reserve in order to get out of the shell. Cases like this may also need some assistance. I usually moisten the area around the tortoises body with water, wait a few seconds and then carefully begin peeling the outer shell away with my fingernail, re-moistening as necessary. Often times I've found that if I can get the majority of the shell carefully away from the body the tortoise comes free very easily.

In normal hatching situations where everything looks good I don't touch the babies at all until about 24 hours after hatching at which time I remove them from the incubator to be put in a brooder enclosure.

I usually make the decision to assist if after about 2-3 days the baby is not completely out of the shell.