Russian Laying & Laying & Laying

[WoofWolf]

[/b]I have an older Russian girl named Boris. Yes, Boris. Very healthy and heavy. She's perhaps 15 years old (or just a tad more), her carapace is nearly 7" long, and up until I adopted her about 2 years ago she had always lived alone. Well, at Casa Me she lives with 2 other girls and a handsome little gentleman caller named Blackie. Blackie doesn't pester her, but I've seen them getting amorous occasionally. Most of the time, their relationship is simply plastronic.

On 12-11-12, after pacing for several days and getting a bit peckish toward her tortoise table-mates, she dug a hole and laid 2 large eggs. They're incubating, and will hit the 8-week mark on February 5th. I saw her dig the nest, I saw her lay the eggs, I saw her cover them up. Definitely her eggs. Case closed? Nope.

On 1-8-13, almost exactly a month after laying the 2, and again after pacing and peckishness, she laid 3 more eggs -- a bit smaller than the first 2, but still very large. Again, I saw her dig the nest, lay, and cover them. Absolutely no doubt the eggs are from her. Busy little girl. These 3 eggs are in the incubator, too -- and will hit 8 weeks on March 5th.

Well... Yesterday morning -- just 21 days after the last 3 eggs were laid -- she started pacing again. And, she's been digging test nests again. There's every sign that she's about to start Round 3.

Please: What gives? How often can a Russian tortoise lay eggs? Is she making up for all of those 15 years without babies? She's had good UVB and heating, and a terrific diet which includes plenty of calcium and vitamins (even more since she laid the first 2 eggs). In addition to calcium powder and calcium-rich foods she's been wolfing down cuttlefish like there's no tomorrow. All of her 5 eggs so far have appeared fine -- smooth, well-shaped, apparently strong-shelled. But I don't want to strain her resources. Is it harmful for her to keep laying? Do I need to send poor little Blackie into temporary exile?

I'll appreciate any thoughts & comments.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

RE: Russian Laying & Laying & Laying

I do not yet own any Russians but have been reading up on them...a lot.

I have read from many resources that a female can lay from 1-3 clutches with 1-5 eggs each clutch.

What you describe sounds in that range.

Good job on the calcium supplementing and constant access to cuttlebone. She needs it.

 

[GBtortoises]

It's fairly common for Russians and other northern Testudo species to lay two clutches in a season, sometimes three, occasionally even four. She may or may not have sucessfully compulated with your male (hopefully they did). She could also being nesting because her environmental conditions are ideal to do so. Regardless, I would treat all of them as though they were fertile and hopefully they are!
Multiple clutches are usually produced about 19-21 days apart. This is seems to be very true when they are fertile, so that may be another good sign.

There really isn't much you're going to be able to do to prevent her from laying eggs and really shouldn't. It is more unhealthy for her to have eggs and not have good conditions to nest than it is to produce and nest when she needs to. This situation can often lead to a female becoming egg bound. You can keep males from her and this may decrease her body producing eggs. But more than anything it's environmentally (seasonally) driven.

My largest female Marginated tortoise will usually lay 5-6 clutches of 5-7 eggs each summer. So be prepared!