hi well i was collecting the leopards from their enclosure tonight about 5 pm so i could restrict them to the lower concrete area next to their shed until lockup time,when i spotted Mzuri nesting.she has been driving me mad for weeks.i come home from work to put her in the nesting box for a few hoursthen let her out the next morning to bask and graze aall day.she hasnt laid a clutch in the enclosure since we moved here.the ground is all infill and tends to be full of rocks which put her of .in fact only Elgee the middle girl will lat outdoors until tonight that is.Mzuri tends to be a two clutch a year tortoise both clutches 20 eggs generally we have had a third clutch before.she already laid 20 earlier in the season so i hoped for another clutch to see her through the winter.while nesting she hit a rock which normally stops her and its back in the nesting box for her.this time she must have felt they had to come out.i couldnt believe it although i found at least 7 whole yolks with a lot of broken egg shells she still had managed to lay unbroken a further 36 perfect eggs.as you can see right in the centre of the nest is a massive lump of sharp granite so for 36 eggs to survive is incredible.i havent heard of another leopard laying so many Elgee normally lays 20 and has had a clutch of 25 inthe past but Mzuri is the champion by far.unless you know of a larger clutch. http://www.tortoise-island.com/i-think-she-is-just-showing-off-t358.html
terry
terry