Need egg advice

[LynS]

My large and very old (in her 70s) Spur thigh has laid eggs while I have been on holiday . The lady feeding her while I was away found the clutch , some were broken which she removed . They were not buried but in the hay in her house. This year is the only time she has been in the presence of another tortoise. My friend has what she thought to be a 25yr old female (perhaps not) we arranged tortoise play date to see if they got on.
I have removed them , cleaned them and buried them in a container with a lamp . Unfortunately because I was away I. Think they were too cold, but will see . Any advice or help please .

 

[Yvonne G]

Try to maintain a steady temperature of about 85°F and don't rotate the eggs. Usually takes about three months.

 

[Sarah2020]

Congrats. Keep us posted. To ensure egg is not moved get a soft pencil and mark an X on top of each and keep them cosy and hope you have success.

 

[Tom]

My large and very old (in her 70s) Spur thigh has laid eggs while I have been on holiday . The lady feeding her while I was away found the clutch , some were broken which she removed . They were not buried but in the hay in her house. This year is the only time she has been in the presence of another tortoise. My friend has what she thought to be a 25yr old female (perhaps not) we arranged tortoise play date to see if they got on.
I have removed them , cleaned them and buried them in a container with a lamp . Unfortunately because I was away I. Think they were too cold, but will see . Any advice or help please .

Its fine to leave them cold for weeks or months before incubation.

Buried in a container with a lamp is not likely to work. I would remove that lamp ASAP as it is likely to overheat the eggs, which would kill the embryos. Temporarily cold is fine, but just a little too hot is death to the eggs. You can get an incubator fairly cheaply at a place that sells horse and live stock food and equipment.

Check this out:

How To Incubate Eggs And Start Hatchlings

I put my eggs in a plastic shoe box with a lid on it and put the shoe box in the incubator. You can drill a couple of very small holes around the top of the container, but not on the lid. I use vermiculite as an incubation media. I mix it in a 1 : 1 ratio with water by weight for Sulcatas and...

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