Figured we should get a thread going about tortoise breeding here at the Compound. This thread will be picture heavy and informational to showcase our breeding efforts as well as to help others in theirs. Please keep in mind that these observations, statistics, and results are from our facility which may have regional temperature differences, different means of care/setup and different individual tortoise personalities or localities. Questions and comments are more then welcome on this thread as we continue to update it with all the different species we work with. Arizona Tortoise Compound maintains adult groups of over 30+ different sub species/ species of tortoises. Few turtles species as well.
Some statistics at the Compound...
Quickest artificial incubation hatch -
Eastern Hermann's Tortoise (T. h. boettgeri) - 35 days/ 85-87 degrees
Longest artificial incubation hatch -
South African Leopard Tortoise ( Pardalis Pardalis) - 464 days/ diapause 65/66 degrees, incubation 85-87 degrees
Species with the high successful hatch average per clutch -
Russian Tortoises /90%
Species with the lowest successful hatch average per clutch -
Redfoot Tortoises/40%
Largest clutch size -
Sulcata Tortoise - 58 eggs
Smallest clutch size - This could be do to the individual species or young females laying for the first time. Also some second clutches from different species for the season can be lower in numbers then the first.
Russians, Forstens, Spiders, Pancakes and Stars- 1 eggs
Sulcata Tortoises are the most produced tortoise species here at the Compound.
This is due to how many individual females we have in the breeding group as well as the large clutch sizes. In Arizona, Sulcata tortoises are able to lay clutches any month of the year. On average our females lay 3 times a year with 25 eggs in a clutch. Their eggs are the size of a golf ball, if hatched naturally the main hatch happens in September, no matter if the eggs were laid in January or April. Artificial incubation typically takes an average of 100 days. A.T.C. does both methods of hatching, in effort to have hatchlings available year round. This also helps with other nesting females not destroying previously laid clutches since they all like to nest in the same area. The smallest plastron measurement of a female including the gular scute to lay a clutch was a 17 inch female. Our observations with the female Sulcata Tortoise egg productivity is young female between 18-20 inches are seemingly more prolific then larger more mature females between 22-25 inches. The catch is, the more mature females have larger clutch sizes, high fertility and better hatch success rate. Further more, the more mature the female the quicker the clutches are laid and no "test" holes are dug. Trends show at our location females that are over 35+ years old start to slow down in production by smaller numbers of clutches per year. The largest female Sulcata to be at the Compound was 28 inches and documented to be fifty to Sixty years old. When Sulcata Tortoises start digging nest sites , they will dig out a depression with their front legs, then turn around and start digging the egg chamber with the hind legs. They are very careful like all other tortoise species to pack in the eggs softly and then pack in the dirt. Once finished a nest site is very easy to be over looked.
The largest male Sulcata at our facility is 36 inches. (Plastron Measurement) Although the largest tortoise he is the most docile and also the least to care about breeding. Males Sulcata Tortoises ranging from 20-25 inches are the most relentless when it comes to mating. This is also true as to them trying to exert there dominance towards other males. In our herd environment there is a hierarchy that gets established. The larger the tortoise and the heavier they are makes them the winner in every battle. Once males size up each other by pushing and shoving, the larger male becomes the victor. When males are the same size and weight, this is when they tend to not stop fighting until one or the other is hurt. We try to make sure the males in our group are a few inches different in size. This has helped a lot with being able to have multiple males in our group.
Sulcata Hatchlings generally have the same look and appearance as other hatchlings in the same clutch. Naturally hatched hatchlings are 100% more stout then artificially hatched hatchlings. Meaning Sulcatas that emerge from the ground already have the yolk sacs absorbed, as where hatchlings from the incubator will have a large yolk sac still present and takes a few days if not a week to heal. Also noticed ground hatched specimens are over all stronger, more alert, and active. Natural hatching for our Sulcatas occurs with the monsoon rains in late summer early fall. Sulcatas hatch from their shells and sit in the egg chamber until the rains come, then they all emerge at once. Watering the nesting sites can also cause them to emerge. Some years if the rains are late, and the temperatures are too high, some clutches can cook to death underground while they are waiting to emerge. We create a shade for the nesting sites and try to keep the area some what hydrated by watering. Dry nest sites that were not shaded or kept some what moist produces a higher ratio of naturally mis-scuted animals.
A.T.C. does maintain a group of Ivory Sulcatas, 100% Hets and a few that are 66% possible Het. This January was the first clutch laid of a possible Het Ivory, maybe in a couple months we will be able to update the thread with Ivory Sulcata hatchling photos and info. We are artificially incubating these to try to ensure a successful hatch.
Leopard Tortoises are the second highest produced species here at the Compound.
By maintaining a large group of both Pardalis Babcocki and Pardalis Pardalis has let us compare the differences in clutch sizes, incubation duration/temperatures as well as the diapause method. Needed to be stated our Babcocki groups is more mature then the Pardalis group. The largest Babcocki Leopard tortoise at our facility is 19 inches straight plastron measurement and the largest pardalis in our group is 16 inches. The Pardalis Pardalis Leopard tortoises are half the age of the Babcocki's and originally produced by the founder of the G.P.P. in the states - (Randy Limburg) as hatchlings over a decade ago. Our Babcocki's on average lay three clutches with 10-12 eggs during the months of September - January. These clutches hatch out during Spring. Some random clutches are found throughout the year making the number of clutches per female go above the average, but the main lay happens during these months. Pardalis Pardalis follow suit in laying during the same months as the Babcocki's but the Pardalis clutch sizes seem to be smaller in the number of eggs on average (6-10 eggs per cluch) and tend to lay more clutches per year. Naturally hatched Pardalis Pardalis will hatch out the following year with a few months added making the average duration 15 months. Both localities start and finish their nest sites with the hind legs only. Pardalis Pardalis are known for the double dot marking on the carapace of the shell and the Pardalis Babcocki are known for only having single dots. With producing a large number of hatchlings each year here at the compound, some Pardalis hatch with single dots and some Babcocki hatch out with double dots. (So when purchasing Pardalis Pardalis Leopard Tortoises make sure you buy from a reputable breeder that knows the true local of the tortoises. Some buyers could be fooled by purchasing off of the dot pattern only. Speckling on the skin is also a trait that can help tell if they are Pardalis Pardalis.) On average our Babcocki eggs take 150 days to hatch. Both natural and artificial incubation is done, with artificial temperatures between 85-87 degrees. We focused more on the temperatures and incubation time for the Pardalis since the artificial incubation process is fairly unknown. After a Pardalis clutch is laid, the eggs are washed and placed in a container with moist vermiculite as the substrate. Eggs are left at room temperature in a dark place for 2 weeks, from there the container of eggs are placed in a refrigerator at 60-66 degrees for 10-12 weeks. The eggs are pulled out and tempered at room temperature again for 1-2 weeks , then placed in the incubator at 85-87 degrees until they hatch. Incubation times have ranged from 6- 11 months. Further efforts of artificial incubation with the Pardalis Pardalis will lead us to a more exact method. Egg sizes as well as hatchling sizes are very close in size in both localities. The smallest Pardalis Pardalis to lay a clutch here at the compound was 13 inches, with the first clutch being infertile.
Pardalis Babcocki's
Pardalis Pardalis
At A.T.C 100% Het for Sunset Hypo Leopard Tortoises are also maintained. At the present time we are currently producing 66% possible het hatchlings with a Het male and a normal female. Our female Het is still too young to breed. We are still on the fence about the Pink and Black Sunset Hypo Leopard Tortoises being a true genetic strain or not. But a few more years, we all will find out hopefully...
more to come...
Some statistics at the Compound...
Quickest artificial incubation hatch -
Eastern Hermann's Tortoise (T. h. boettgeri) - 35 days/ 85-87 degrees
Longest artificial incubation hatch -
South African Leopard Tortoise ( Pardalis Pardalis) - 464 days/ diapause 65/66 degrees, incubation 85-87 degrees
Species with the high successful hatch average per clutch -
Russian Tortoises /90%
Species with the lowest successful hatch average per clutch -
Redfoot Tortoises/40%
Largest clutch size -
Sulcata Tortoise - 58 eggs
Smallest clutch size - This could be do to the individual species or young females laying for the first time. Also some second clutches from different species for the season can be lower in numbers then the first.
Russians, Forstens, Spiders, Pancakes and Stars- 1 eggs
Sulcata Tortoises are the most produced tortoise species here at the Compound.
This is due to how many individual females we have in the breeding group as well as the large clutch sizes. In Arizona, Sulcata tortoises are able to lay clutches any month of the year. On average our females lay 3 times a year with 25 eggs in a clutch. Their eggs are the size of a golf ball, if hatched naturally the main hatch happens in September, no matter if the eggs were laid in January or April. Artificial incubation typically takes an average of 100 days. A.T.C. does both methods of hatching, in effort to have hatchlings available year round. This also helps with other nesting females not destroying previously laid clutches since they all like to nest in the same area. The smallest plastron measurement of a female including the gular scute to lay a clutch was a 17 inch female. Our observations with the female Sulcata Tortoise egg productivity is young female between 18-20 inches are seemingly more prolific then larger more mature females between 22-25 inches. The catch is, the more mature females have larger clutch sizes, high fertility and better hatch success rate. Further more, the more mature the female the quicker the clutches are laid and no "test" holes are dug. Trends show at our location females that are over 35+ years old start to slow down in production by smaller numbers of clutches per year. The largest female Sulcata to be at the Compound was 28 inches and documented to be fifty to Sixty years old. When Sulcata Tortoises start digging nest sites , they will dig out a depression with their front legs, then turn around and start digging the egg chamber with the hind legs. They are very careful like all other tortoise species to pack in the eggs softly and then pack in the dirt. Once finished a nest site is very easy to be over looked.
The largest male Sulcata at our facility is 36 inches. (Plastron Measurement) Although the largest tortoise he is the most docile and also the least to care about breeding. Males Sulcata Tortoises ranging from 20-25 inches are the most relentless when it comes to mating. This is also true as to them trying to exert there dominance towards other males. In our herd environment there is a hierarchy that gets established. The larger the tortoise and the heavier they are makes them the winner in every battle. Once males size up each other by pushing and shoving, the larger male becomes the victor. When males are the same size and weight, this is when they tend to not stop fighting until one or the other is hurt. We try to make sure the males in our group are a few inches different in size. This has helped a lot with being able to have multiple males in our group.
Sulcata Hatchlings generally have the same look and appearance as other hatchlings in the same clutch. Naturally hatched hatchlings are 100% more stout then artificially hatched hatchlings. Meaning Sulcatas that emerge from the ground already have the yolk sacs absorbed, as where hatchlings from the incubator will have a large yolk sac still present and takes a few days if not a week to heal. Also noticed ground hatched specimens are over all stronger, more alert, and active. Natural hatching for our Sulcatas occurs with the monsoon rains in late summer early fall. Sulcatas hatch from their shells and sit in the egg chamber until the rains come, then they all emerge at once. Watering the nesting sites can also cause them to emerge. Some years if the rains are late, and the temperatures are too high, some clutches can cook to death underground while they are waiting to emerge. We create a shade for the nesting sites and try to keep the area some what hydrated by watering. Dry nest sites that were not shaded or kept some what moist produces a higher ratio of naturally mis-scuted animals.
A.T.C. does maintain a group of Ivory Sulcatas, 100% Hets and a few that are 66% possible Het. This January was the first clutch laid of a possible Het Ivory, maybe in a couple months we will be able to update the thread with Ivory Sulcata hatchling photos and info. We are artificially incubating these to try to ensure a successful hatch.
Leopard Tortoises are the second highest produced species here at the Compound.
By maintaining a large group of both Pardalis Babcocki and Pardalis Pardalis has let us compare the differences in clutch sizes, incubation duration/temperatures as well as the diapause method. Needed to be stated our Babcocki groups is more mature then the Pardalis group. The largest Babcocki Leopard tortoise at our facility is 19 inches straight plastron measurement and the largest pardalis in our group is 16 inches. The Pardalis Pardalis Leopard tortoises are half the age of the Babcocki's and originally produced by the founder of the G.P.P. in the states - (Randy Limburg) as hatchlings over a decade ago. Our Babcocki's on average lay three clutches with 10-12 eggs during the months of September - January. These clutches hatch out during Spring. Some random clutches are found throughout the year making the number of clutches per female go above the average, but the main lay happens during these months. Pardalis Pardalis follow suit in laying during the same months as the Babcocki's but the Pardalis clutch sizes seem to be smaller in the number of eggs on average (6-10 eggs per cluch) and tend to lay more clutches per year. Naturally hatched Pardalis Pardalis will hatch out the following year with a few months added making the average duration 15 months. Both localities start and finish their nest sites with the hind legs only. Pardalis Pardalis are known for the double dot marking on the carapace of the shell and the Pardalis Babcocki are known for only having single dots. With producing a large number of hatchlings each year here at the compound, some Pardalis hatch with single dots and some Babcocki hatch out with double dots. (So when purchasing Pardalis Pardalis Leopard Tortoises make sure you buy from a reputable breeder that knows the true local of the tortoises. Some buyers could be fooled by purchasing off of the dot pattern only. Speckling on the skin is also a trait that can help tell if they are Pardalis Pardalis.) On average our Babcocki eggs take 150 days to hatch. Both natural and artificial incubation is done, with artificial temperatures between 85-87 degrees. We focused more on the temperatures and incubation time for the Pardalis since the artificial incubation process is fairly unknown. After a Pardalis clutch is laid, the eggs are washed and placed in a container with moist vermiculite as the substrate. Eggs are left at room temperature in a dark place for 2 weeks, from there the container of eggs are placed in a refrigerator at 60-66 degrees for 10-12 weeks. The eggs are pulled out and tempered at room temperature again for 1-2 weeks , then placed in the incubator at 85-87 degrees until they hatch. Incubation times have ranged from 6- 11 months. Further efforts of artificial incubation with the Pardalis Pardalis will lead us to a more exact method. Egg sizes as well as hatchling sizes are very close in size in both localities. The smallest Pardalis Pardalis to lay a clutch here at the compound was 13 inches, with the first clutch being infertile.
Pardalis Babcocki's
Pardalis Pardalis
At A.T.C 100% Het for Sunset Hypo Leopard Tortoises are also maintained. At the present time we are currently producing 66% possible het hatchlings with a Het male and a normal female. Our female Het is still too young to breed. We are still on the fence about the Pink and Black Sunset Hypo Leopard Tortoises being a true genetic strain or not. But a few more years, we all will find out hopefully...
more to come...