# Russians digging holes?!



## pdrobber (Sep 6, 2012)

Just moved some of my Russians to one of the new deeper kiddie pools...






went out to check on them today as it's getting cooler (moved redfoot back inside today) and saw my largest female digging a hole about as deep as the length of her body. I'm not sure if she was just burrowing or practicing digging. When I first got her, the people said that she had laid before, but never dug, just on top and they were crushed by the time they got to them. 





After seeing that, I was checking on the others and saw my smallest female of the larger group digging, really digging. Exciting! hopefully I will be able to use my Hovabator soon!








I've always wondered if a female had eggs inside but conditions weren't right to lay (not deep enough, too small of an enclosure, too many others around bothering her) will she just drop them on substrate or will she hold them inside, potentially harming herself?

I'm reading around past threads but also any quick tips on hovabator setup with a substrate, humidity, temp, adding water, using plastic container, holes in it/covered, etc would be helpful.


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## Yvonne G (Sep 6, 2012)

I've never actually seen a steppe tortoise burrow...I've seen the buried tortoise, but not the actual digging. However, it has always been my understanding that they use their front feet for digging to bury themselves. So if your larger tortoise is digging with her back feet, its more than likely a nest. Good luck! Nothing cuter than little baby Steppelings!!


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## GBtortoises (Sep 6, 2012)

If she is digging with her hind legs it's nesting. If she is digging with her front legs it's burrowing. It's kind of late in the season here in New York State for most tortoises to be nesting but the lower Hudson Valley and Long Island are generally much warmer overall than more northern New York State so anything is possible.


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## Tom (Sep 6, 2012)

Very cool.

I don't know russians, but often females of other species will drop some dud eggs on the surface when they are first reaching maturity and ready to start laying. Sometimes there are no shells or weak shells, sometimes they look like normal eggs, but are broken. Its often the next year or laying cycle when you will get your first fertile eggs. Some of them are slow starters. Sounds like that is what has happened here.


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