Hello Tortoise People...

[JaymeR]

I am new and just found this page. I have an approximately early 20s female desert tortoise. I also have a 7 and 9 year old little tortoises as well. My question is... my little ones are not so little anymore and have been let loose in my yard for about a year now with the big one. We do not know the sexes of the little ones yet, but today we found our large female with some eggs... maybe 4-5 eggs, hard to tell in this pic.

Are my little ones too little to breed if one is a male? Would our female lay this many unfertilized eggs? I would love for them to be fertilized but I am guessing no?

Also, our ground is so hard that she didn't dig a proper nest... should i re-dig and lay them?

I will attach a pic of the legs and a pic of all 3 so you can see the size difference.

Thanks so much and I am excited to have found this forum.
Jayme

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello Jayme have a great tort day !

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome. What I have been told, the females first batch usually is not fertile. My leopard just started laying eggs, her first ones. She also did not dig a nest. This also I was told is normal for the first time. Mine layed around 5 that I know of, all within five days, but not in the same place or time. However, my eggs were very squishy and some were already sunken in. If your in doudt, you could just incubate them and see what happens.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hi, Jayme, I know nothing about your question, but just wanted to wish you a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum.
Read, learn, contribute, ask questions and have fun.

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome to the Forum, Jayme!

It could be that the clutch is not fertile and that's why it was put on top of the ground. Tortoises pee on the dirt as they're digging in order to dig a deeper nest, and hard ground doesn't usually deter them from digging a nice hole.

I would go ahead and incubate them anyway. What's the harm?

Yes, a smaller male can and will breed a larger female.

 

[JaymeR]

Welcome to the Forum, Jayme!

It could be that the clutch is not fertile and that's why it was put on top of the ground. Tortoises pee on the dirt as they're digging in order to dig a deeper nest, and hard ground doesn't usually deter them from digging a nice hole.

I would go ahead and incubate them anyway. What's the harm?

Yes, a smaller male can and will breed a larger female.

Its weird because for about 3-4 days she was acting strange and looked like she was digging holes. I even got a video of her. Everytime she would leave the hold I would check for eggs, nothing. She tried to dig like 4 holes. Then she disappeared and I hadn't seen her for a few days so I started looking for her last night and thats when I found her behind our AC unit and with eggs. So I am not sure. What is the best way to incubate them? Should I just burry them or actually make an incubator? LOL

 

[JaymeR]

Hello and Welcome. What I have been told, the females first batch usually is not fertile. My leopard just started laying eggs, her first ones. She also did not dig a nest. This also I was told is normal for the first time. Mine layed around 5 that I know of, all within five days, but not in the same place or time. However, my eggs were very squishy and some were already sunken in. If your in doudt, you could just incubate them and see what happens.

Two years ago my husband found an egg just sitting in the yard, we didn't think anything of it and threw it away. Then last year he found 2 eggs. Again, the babies were not out in the yard yet but we had started to let them out for long periods of time during the day for exercise. I had read that sometimes females can lay non-fertile eggs so I just assumed again they were not fertile because she wasn't around the babies enough. Now that the babies are out all the time with her and all 3 are loose in the yard makes we wonder now. Plus, this was the first time I saw her trying to dig holes, she tried like 4 different times but never laid anything. But finding her last night with eggs makes me wonder? Im not sure how to incubate them?

 

[JaymeR]

UPDATE... she is not with the eggs anymore and there are 6 total. Im not sure what to do, bury them? I have no clue on incubation?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Some are better mothers than others, also.
Some female tortoises don't seem to have the knack for dealing with egg laying.
Don't bury them. At a minimum, place them some place safe from being trampled in depressions in the ground and with a pencil, mark an X on top of each egg with the date.
Always keep them facing with the X up after that. You don't want to spin and move the eggs around.

 

[JaymeR]

Some are better mothers than others, also.
Some female tortoises don't seem to have the knack for dealing with egg laying.
Don't bury them. At a minimum, place them some place safe from being trampled in depressions in the ground and with a pencil, mark an X on top of each egg with the date.
Always keep them facing with the X up after that. You don't want to spin and move the eggs around.

I have a large hunting dog as well so I am worried she will hurt them. Do I place them in something and keep them outside, or bring them in?

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Keep the dog away from the tortoises unless very closely supervised for every second.
There are horror stories about dogs and tortoises used as chew toys.
See http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/another-dog-story.45850/
As to eggs, i imagine doggie would play with them or think of them as snacks if she finds them.
So they will need to be covered securely if left outside.

 

[JaymeR]

Keep the dog away from the tortoises unless very closely supervised for every second.
There are horror stories about dogs and tortoises used as chew toys.
See http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/another-dog-story.45850/
As to eggs, i imagine doggie would play with them or think of them as snacks if she finds them.
So they will need to be covered securely if left outside.

yes we have a horror story and lost a little one when they were tiny. Our big one has always been around the dog and fine. We kept our littles in a cage until this last year, our dog does not bother them.

 

[Lyn W]

yes we have a horror story and lost a little one when they were tiny. Our big one has always been around the dog and fine. We kept our littles in a cage until this last year, our dog does not bother them.

Welcome Jayme but have a look at the thread Tidgy's Dad suggested, dogs are very fickle creatures so better safe than sorry.
Good luck with the eggs

 

[kirsty Johnston]

Welcome

 

[JaymeR]

Well the female went back to where she laid the eggs. The eggs are not safe and I am afraid she is going to crush them or rotate them? I read they shouldn't be turned? Eek I don't know what to do? Should I just place them all in a box for now?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

The CAN be turned until a few weeks after being deposited. Some place warm and maybe a little humid? Inside a shed or a patio?

 

[Tort Love]

Just wanted to say welcome ,your torts are beautiful I'm confused on how to put pics on here I have been trying all day

 

[JaymeR]

Oh ok

The CAN be turned until a few weeks after being deposited. Some place warm and maybe a little humid? Inside a shed or a patio?

thanks! I put them in a shoe box and put them in my patio for now. We have a shed but thinking it may get too hot? We get in the 100s in the summer.

 

[JaymeR]

Just wanted to say welcome ,your torts are beautiful I'm confused on how to put pics on here I have been trying all day

There is a thing that says upload file next to post!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Something underneath so they won't roll around?