Female leopard, 20 pounds. She is acting like she is going to lay again, but has already laid 4 clutches this year.
How many clutches per year?
- Thread starter Jodie
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It depends. I've had a year with 1 clutch and a year with 5 clutches. I've had her lay 7 eggs one day, then lay 5 more eggs 2 weeks later. The only constant thing I have found is mine will dig one test hole before digging the real hole to lay in, and they will most likely lay right before a big change in weather. You have a nice sized female there, about 5 pound heavier than mine so it wouldn't surprise me if she lays a lot if you have an active male around. I have noticed when they lay more clutches in a year, the amount of unfertilized eggs goes up in my clutches.
Good luck, you may have Christmas eggs! I had a clutch laid on Thanksgiving day this year.
Good luck, you may have Christmas eggs! I had a clutch laid on Thanksgiving day this year.
Thank you both for the info.
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I'm new to this being my I've only had my adult female since August. She has laid 3 clutches since I got her and she is already showing signs of being gravid. Her previous owner told me to expect at least 5-6 clutches a year. She laid one clutch with him before I acquired her.
I have seen anywhere from 2-6, with 3-4 clutches a year being the most common.
Climate does seem to be a big factor. In colder, more Northern climates, there tend to be fewer clutches, but even this is not reliable as it really depends on how they are housed when indoors. In areas with more favorable tortoise weather for more of the year, like Phoenix, numbers of clutches tend to be higher. It also has to do with how warm they are kept at night and both the quality and quantity of what they are fed.
For comparison's sake, my outdoor housed sulcatas usually lay 3-4 clutches per year. I'd consider my climate middle of the road. My weather is better than Washington State, but not as good as Phoenix. One year we had a very warm winter, followed by a very mild summer. Every single one of my females laid 8 clutches that year. They normally stop laying in June when the summer heat and triple digit temps return. That year with summer temps typically only in the high 80s or low 90's, they kept laying until the end of August. We had more normal weather the next year and they went right back to laying only 3 or 4 clutches each.
Soooooo… There are many variables to consider here, and it can vary from year to year even with the same females.
Climate does seem to be a big factor. In colder, more Northern climates, there tend to be fewer clutches, but even this is not reliable as it really depends on how they are housed when indoors. In areas with more favorable tortoise weather for more of the year, like Phoenix, numbers of clutches tend to be higher. It also has to do with how warm they are kept at night and both the quality and quantity of what they are fed.
For comparison's sake, my outdoor housed sulcatas usually lay 3-4 clutches per year. I'd consider my climate middle of the road. My weather is better than Washington State, but not as good as Phoenix. One year we had a very warm winter, followed by a very mild summer. Every single one of my females laid 8 clutches that year. They normally stop laying in June when the summer heat and triple digit temps return. That year with summer temps typically only in the high 80s or low 90's, they kept laying until the end of August. We had more normal weather the next year and they went right back to laying only 3 or 4 clutches each.
Soooooo… There are many variables to consider here, and it can vary from year to year even with the same females.
Thanks. So I suppose it is a good sign she is laying so much. She causes me a lot of stress when she is gravid though. Next year will be better with more room for her and a better nesting area.
I have 7 hatchlings now, and pretty sure 5 More good eggs, plus the last clutch, I can't tell yet, and soon another.....
I didn't think she would lay after the surgery for a couple of years. The vet was wrong.
I kept her separated from my male last summer. She broke into his enclosure twice though. They were together 3 or4 hours tops. Do you all think she had retained sperm even after major surgery to clean and repair the uterus, or is Mort that good? Lol.
I have 7 hatchlings now, and pretty sure 5 More good eggs, plus the last clutch, I can't tell yet, and soon another.....
I didn't think she would lay after the surgery for a couple of years. The vet was wrong.
I kept her separated from my male last summer. She broke into his enclosure twice though. They were together 3 or4 hours tops. Do you all think she had retained sperm even after major surgery to clean and repair the uterus, or is Mort that good? Lol.
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You just never know sometimes with these animals lol. Nothing surprises me. How long did it take for your first clutch to hatch?
The lone early bird about 95 days. Then a couple more about a week later. The last one from 1st clutch hatched days before the first 2 from the second clutch. A week later n still waiting on the other 3.
