Tortoise egg

[Ian555]

How long before you can tell eggs are fertile
Its been 3 weeks still nice and white but can not see any veins when a light is put through them too early ??
Regards
Ian

 

[MPRC]

@Neal may be able to help....

 

[Ian555]

Ta

 

[diamondbp]

How long before you can tell eggs are fertile
Its been 3 weeks still nice and white but can not see any veins when a light is put through them too early ??
Regards
Ian

Usually at the 3-5 week mark you'll see a very small red "peanut" somewhere on the egg when candled. I typically don't see veins until 7-9 weeks in

 

[Ian555]

Thanks
Its a bit of a strange one this as i only got her in aug last year she was with males previously
Over the xmas break she laid 8 eggs over 10 days
I did not know she was pregnant.
before she laid around 2/3 weeks earlier she was trying too dig i believe as she was lashing her bk legs around.
She is in good shape eating well and being freindly so im positive she has them all out
Just pends wether eggs are fertile or not time will tell i suppose
Thanks for your reply
Regards
Ian

 

[Greg T]

From experience, don't expect all eggs to mature in the same way. I've had some show signs quickly while others took many more weeks to develop. Even when candling, I've had some that just don't show well but still hatch.

 

[Neal]

How long before you can tell eggs are fertile
Its been 3 weeks still nice and white but can not see any veins when a light is put through them too early ??
Regards
Ian

Sorry for the delayed response. The earliest signs of life I see start at about 2 weeks. The egg begins to "chalk up", meaning it visibly becomes whiter and if you shine a light on the top you can see the yolk attaching to the top of the egg, which will work its way downward over a couple of weeks until the egg is almost opaque. Veins will be visible after a few weeks. They start as little red dots, then take the form of veins like you would normally see. My average hatch time is about 140 days. Good luck with the eggs!