# Do all female sulcatas lay eggs, even if not mated?



## sapphira80

hello all! I searched for the answer to this question, on here and Google, and couldn't find it anywhere. If it is, I overlooked it, and I apologize.

Do all sulcata tortoise females lay eggs, even if they don't mate? I know some species of reptiles lay infertile clutches despite not mating, and others don't.

I just purchased a hatchling so of course I have no idea if its male or female, but I'm trying to be diligent in doing the best research and preparation I can. I have no intentions of breeding regardless of its sex, I was just curious what to possibly expect. Thank you!


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## Tom

They usually don't lay eggs if no male is present and breeding them, but it is physically possible.

Please read these for a hatchling. Most of the info circulating around out there is old, outdated and was based on incorrect assumptions in the first place.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/


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## ZEROPILOT

Females can keep viable sperm stored for like six years and lay fertile eggs LONG after the male has departed.
Then there is the fact that even mated females lay dud eggs.
It all gets very confusing.


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## sapphira80

I was just mostly concerned with a female never exposed to a male, but thank you for the answer. I wondered because I have a female veiled chameleon and they are obligate layers, even if they never see another chameleon. Made me curious about sulcata females.

A HUGE THANK YOU to Tom for that info. I thought I did diligent research on the proper enclosure for hatchlings, but the info I read was evidently not correct, especially the humidity part. I wish I would have come here first for info. Suffice to say I have some work to do today on my enclosure. I've upped the temp and humidity in the enclosure this morning and already I've seen a HUGE difference in the activity level and appetite of my hatchling. Thank you!


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## Gillian M

A very warm welcome to the forum.


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