New hatchlings

[John O]

We've had a male and a female Russian tortoise (Probably both imported) for several years. They live in a fenced area about 25 feet on a side. The male spends a lot of time chasing the female around. This spring he was actually making the connection. My wife found an egg lying on the ground, so we put it in our incubator. Unfortunately, there was no success. September, she found a tiny hatchling, two days later we had three. They have been kept in a 13 1/2" X 22" lidded plastic tub with a heat lamp and a uv lamp. When they were found the weighed about 17 grams each. After 15 weeks they are 2-3/4" long and average 91 grams each and are eating small vegetable greens and water softened small Mazuri L S Tortoise Diet pellets like little pigs. Is this the normal growth rate?

Thanks, John O

 

[wellington]

Don't know about normal growth weight but you stated the exact reason tortoises, specially Russians, should not live as a pair. Get them separated ASAP as the male is totally stressing the poor female daily. If you want to keep them together then get another one or two females. Tortoises are never to live as a pair!

 

[Tom]

We've had a male and a female Russian tortoise (Probably both imported) for several years. They live in a fenced area about 25 feet on a side. The male spends a lot of time chasing the female around. This spring he was actually making the connection. My wife found an egg lying on the ground, so we put it in our incubator. Unfortunately, there was no success. September, she found a tiny hatchling, two days later we had three. They have been kept in a 13 1/2" X 22" lidded plastic tub with a heat lamp and a uv lamp. When they were found the weighed about 17 grams each. After 15 weeks they are 2-3/4" long and average 91 grams each and are eating small vegetable greens and water softened small Mazuri L S Tortoise Diet pellets like little pigs. Is this the normal growth rate?

Thanks, John O

Hello and welcome John. That is a good and fairly normal growth rate.

I agree that your adults need to be separated ASAP. You can put them together for conjugal visits in the spring and fall, but they should never live like that. Sometimes the larger females will also get territorial and aggressive and could injure your male. Either way, it is very stressful for them to live as a pair and will eventually end up with one or both failing to thrive for one reason or another.

Here is more info for you:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

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...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[biochemnerd808]

You've gotten good advice. Separate them! There is a sticky article I wrote (Why not to keep 2 tortoises together) that will explain why this is so important.

The egg that was dumped on the surface probably hadn't been fertilized. But clearly some are, hence the little ones.

If you want them to breed, 30 mins conjugal visit are enough to get fertile eggs all year. I don't bother with Fall, doesn't increase my hatch rate.