Lyles
Member
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2014
- Messages
- 39
This one was from my first batch that came from a Three-Toed X Gulf Coast Hybrid I rescued from a construction zone.
The mother was so light it seemed to defy physics, I had no idea how she lived.
When I took her in I placed her on anti-parasitic pellets. What I saw during the next two weeks was horrifying. She had a hookworm infestation of the likes I never seen. She passed them in the water dish but the amount that came out seemed to be more than her own body mass. After all the worms were out of her system she quickly gained weight and gravid. Just 4 weeks after I brought her in she layed three eggs:
I buried them in the small tupperware container and took some cling wrap and poked some holes on top. I had a closet that stayed at a constant 85 degrees F, so I pretty much just placed them in there and waited. Only 32 days later, they hatched. I was surprised that it only took that long, the eggs split open and out they came.
It was my first shot at husbandry so I might have had them with not enough moisture, but despite being a little premature they ended up doing great.
I gave two of them to a couple of people that also works with turtles nearby, after the female laid her 2nd batch (which she decided to lay them on my chest while I was holding her one day lol), I decided to give her up to the wildlife refuge since she has been a proven breeder. The 2nd batch either turned out to be duds or I had the temps too low/ too much moisture. Wasn't sure, but none of those hatched.
She is over 4" now in just 2 years. She is still growing fast. You notice a little scarring on the shell, that was due to shell rot, which was my fault as I tried to cover her shell with argon oil when she was young to help keep her from drying out. It healed quickly when I discovered it though and you can't tell much now. She is very spunky too, she'll hiss at me for food, taken out, everything but will not open her mouth at me or go in her shell (she will savagely attack the nail clippers. She hates them with a passion lol).
The mother was so light it seemed to defy physics, I had no idea how she lived.
When I took her in I placed her on anti-parasitic pellets. What I saw during the next two weeks was horrifying. She had a hookworm infestation of the likes I never seen. She passed them in the water dish but the amount that came out seemed to be more than her own body mass. After all the worms were out of her system she quickly gained weight and gravid. Just 4 weeks after I brought her in she layed three eggs:
I buried them in the small tupperware container and took some cling wrap and poked some holes on top. I had a closet that stayed at a constant 85 degrees F, so I pretty much just placed them in there and waited. Only 32 days later, they hatched. I was surprised that it only took that long, the eggs split open and out they came.
It was my first shot at husbandry so I might have had them with not enough moisture, but despite being a little premature they ended up doing great.
I gave two of them to a couple of people that also works with turtles nearby, after the female laid her 2nd batch (which she decided to lay them on my chest while I was holding her one day lol), I decided to give her up to the wildlife refuge since she has been a proven breeder. The 2nd batch either turned out to be duds or I had the temps too low/ too much moisture. Wasn't sure, but none of those hatched.
She is over 4" now in just 2 years. She is still growing fast. You notice a little scarring on the shell, that was due to shell rot, which was my fault as I tried to cover her shell with argon oil when she was young to help keep her from drying out. It healed quickly when I discovered it though and you can't tell much now. She is very spunky too, she'll hiss at me for food, taken out, everything but will not open her mouth at me or go in her shell (she will savagely attack the nail clippers. She hates them with a passion lol).
