Sulcata Accident Breeding

ktkurtz1232

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So we’ve had two sulcatas for a few years now. One is 7 and the other is 5. Well we thought they were both males. Until the dogs brought us a little friend. It’s been unseasonably hot in Texas until this past week and now it’s unseasonably cold.

Both larger tortoise have tunnels, one under the garden beds and one under the greenhouse. If I had to guess I’d say the older one is the female.

Not sure how to go about finding the rest of the babies, if there is any. Wasn’t something I thought to worry about. Any advice????


IMG_1542042284.879092.jpgIMG_1542042295.488139.jpgIMG_1542042305.492624.jpg
 

Tom

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What is most worrisome is that your tortoises are still using burrows this late in the year. They need to be above ground in a heated area or night box, and they need to be separated. They should never be kept as a pair.

If there is one baby, there is likely more. Hands and knees down at tortoise level is how I search. Look under every bush and clump of grass. They tend to avoid holes in the ground or any kind of cave, so it will be unlikely to find one there.
 

Yvonne G

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Aw, what a cute little baby. And he has aberrant scutes - my favorite kind!! Can you ask the dog to find another? My dog will find eggs for me when I give her a shell and tell her to find another.

A lot of times females will dig nests close to the mouth of their cave. Look for a clean-looking hole in the ground, a hole with no dirt piled up around the outside. You may need to get down on your hands and knees to give it a thorough look.
 

ktkurtz1232

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What is most worrisome is that your tortoises are still using burrows this late in the year. They need to be above ground in a heated area or night box, and they need to be separated. They should never be kept as a pair.

If there is one baby, there is likely more. Hands and knees down at tortoise level is how I search. Look under every bush and clump of grass. They tend to avoid holes in the ground or any kind of cave, so it will be unlikely to find one there.

We found him a few weeks ago. I didn’t think to post on here. The big ones are in the garage right now when it’s wet and windy. We’ve been looking but haven’t seen another
 

Markw84

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Those two sulcatas look too small to me to be sexually mature. They look about 13" and 11"??? How big are they? A female will normally not start laying until at least 15".

Can we see a picture of their plastrons and tails?
 

ktkurtz1232

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Those two sulcatas look too small to me to be sexually mature. They look about 13" and 11"??? How big are they? A female will normally not start laying until at least 15".

Can we see a picture of their plastrons and tails?

The larger one with the split scute is at least two feet. The other is only slightly smaller. The larger one has a smaller more narrow plastron so I’m assuming that’s the egg layer. I can’t get pictures, not home.
 

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