Our tortoise had an egg and we need help

[coledoug1]

When I woke up today there was one egg laying next to our Russian tortoise. What should I do?

 

[tortdad]

How long have you had her?

Do you know if she's been with a male in the past 5 years?

Do you want to hatch it?

If it's fertile and you want to hatch it you will need to go buy an incubator. I've never hatched an egg so i don't know which one to buy but I hear tractor supply has a good one for like $30. What I see other breeders do is mark the top of the egg with an X and the date. You want to disturb the egg as little as possible so whatever part of the egg is facing up now is the side you want up the entire time.

Good luck, I'm sure more people with actually experience will chime in soon to help more.

 

[shelley11]

Sometimes female torts can just have eggs a bit like chickens (accept you can't eat them) which have not been fertilised. To be on the safe side u should take the egg to a reptile vet for them to see. If it does a baby tort inside it tort will probably have more eggs on the way and in this case you will need to get an incubator for the eggs. Thanks for reading

 

[WithLisa]

To be on the safe side u should take the egg to a reptile vet for them to see.

Even a vet can't tell if the egg is fertile, it has to be incubated for some time to see if there's anything growing inside.

 

[Tom]

Sometimes female torts can just have eggs a bit like chickens (accept you can't eat them) which have not been fertilised.

You can eat them. People have been eating tortoise eggs for eons.

 

[Tom]

When I woke up today there was one egg laying next to our Russian tortoise. What should I do?

Very gently make an "X" on the top center of the egg with a dull graphite pencil. Then remove the egg and don't turn it. Put it in a deli cup with dry vermiculite and a few small holes in the sides and put it somewhere dark and cool, like a pantry or something. Then go get, or order, an incubator. I like the Hovabators and Little Giants. Both are around $50 at any feed store. Get your incubator set up somewhere quiet where the temperature stays fairly constant. Closet shelves sometimes work. Set your temperature, make the needed adjustments and let the temperature stabilize for a few days. Keep some open topped tubs of water in the incubator for humidity while setting the temp and during incubation. Put your deli cup with your egg in it when the temp is set where you want it and stable and then wait about 60 days.

 

[Heather H]

How cool

 

[shelley11]

You can eat them. People have been eating tortoise eggs for eons.

Ohh well you can eat them then but I wouldn't !!

 

[Tom]

Ohh well you can eat them then but I wouldn't !!

Me neither!

... well, not unless there was nothing else to eat and I was starving. In that case, I'd make a tasty omelette. Or maybe a scramble for simplicity. Or perhaps we'd have to call them "poached" eggs... hahahahhaaa

 

[WithLisa]

In that case, I'd make a tasty omelette. Or maybe a scramble for simplicity.

I've tried that once with Hermanns eggs. It doesn't really work, the eggs stayed slimy and tasted awful.

 

[shelley11]

Me neither!

... well, not unless there was nothing else to eat and I was starving. In that case, I'd make a tasty omelette. Or maybe a scramble for simplicity. Or perhaps we'd have to call them "poached" eggs... hahahahhaaa

Yer Lolz

 

[tglazie]

That makes sense that the egg wouldn't taste very good. Chickens have been selectively bred for centuries to produce big tasty eggs. Any other beast is bound to produce eggs of lesser quality. However, ostrich eggs are delicious. Perhaps human tastes have evolved to favor avian eggs. I wonder.

T.G.

 

[Tom]

That makes sense that the egg wouldn't taste very good. Chickens have been selectively bred for centuries to produce big tasty eggs. Any other beast is bound to produce eggs of lesser quality. However, ostrich eggs are delicious. Perhaps human tastes have evolved to favor avian eggs. I wonder.
T.G.

I've tried Emu eggs. It was noticeably different than chicken eggs. Didn't cook up the same either.

 

[WithLisa]

I think the taste wasn't really bad, but the consistency was gross, as if it was still half raw. Maybe they could be used for a sauce or the like, but fried tortoise eggs are disgusting.
Fried budgerigar eggs are much better.

 

[coledoug1]

Thank you for the quick response yesterday. I have everything set up as I have been instructed. My temperature stayed consistent at 85°. I am hoping the egg was fertilized.

 

[tortdad]

Thank you for the quick response yesterday. I have everything set up as I have been instructed. My temperature stayed consistent at 85°. I am hoping the egg was fertilized.

Good luck!!!! I know temps play a role in the sex of the tortoise but I don't know what temps to what. Are you going for a certain sex at that temp?

 

[coledoug1]

No. I was told that at this temp I will be most successful regardless of it becoming a male or female.

 

[WithLisa]

At 85° it will most probably become a male, but if you are fine with that - good luck.