# Possible twins?



## shellfreak (Mar 4, 2018)

I candled this egg, looks to have two perfect half circles. This could be coincidental, I don’t know. I have candled a lot of eggs in my day and I’ve never seen this. I also have zero experience with twins. I included a picture of the another egg from same clutch to compare the sporadic vein formation compared to the one I’m referring to. Does anyone here in this forum have any thoughts or experience with candling twins?


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## Michael Malone (Mar 4, 2018)

That is cool. I want to see what comes out. Were you gonna keep this egg?


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## wellington (Mar 4, 2018)

That would be cool. We have another member that had twins. For the life of me I can't remember who. Maybe it was @HermanniChris Maybr if it was he can compare how yours looks to how his looked.
How your keeping this one and will keep updates.


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## shellfreak (Mar 4, 2018)

wellington said:


> That would be cool. We have another member that had twins. For the life of me I can't remember who. Maybe it was @HermanniChris Maybr if it was he can compare how yours looks to how his looked.
> How your keeping this one and will keep updates.



Thanks. Yes, it was def Chris Leone who had those twins. He has a video on line that has millions of views. I’ve reached out to him. I’ll keep you all posted on what he says.


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## shellfreak (Mar 6, 2018)




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## wellington (Mar 6, 2018)

Looks like butt cheeks lol


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## wellington (Mar 6, 2018)

Btw, what species is this?


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## shellfreak (Mar 6, 2018)

wellington said:


> Btw, what species is this?



Sulcata


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## shellfreak (Mar 9, 2018)




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## Destben (Mar 9, 2018)

I'm super excited to see how this egg turns out!


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## shellfreak (Mar 9, 2018)

Destben said:


> I'm super excited to see how this egg turns out!



You and me both. I’m so uneducated in the actual development of the embryo, so I don’t know if those half moon veins mean anything or if it’s just super random shape. I would love to talk with someone who has any experience or some sort of biology profession that would be able to explain this to me in a more scientific way. Can an egg form twins with one yolk or does the egg have to have two separate yolks? 

I candled one of its clutch mates for comparison. Looks kind of similar, with the “butt cheeks”, but has more sporadic veins.


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## Destben (Mar 9, 2018)

shellfreak said:


> You and me both. I’m so uneducated in the actual development of the embryo, so I don’t know if those half moon veins mean anything or if it’s just super random shape. I would love to talk with someone who has any experience or some sort of biology profession that would be able to explain this to me in a more scientific way. Can an egg form twins with one yolk or does the egg have to have two separate yolks?
> 
> I candled one of its clutch mates for comparison. Looks kind of similar, with the “butt cheeks”, but has more sporadic veins.
> View attachment 232609


Unfortunately I don't have any experience. I was actually going to try and order from tortstork.com down the road when I have more room. i'm completely fascinated.


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## zovick (Mar 9, 2018)

shellfreak said:


> You and me both. I’m so uneducated in the actual development of the embryo, so I don’t know if those half moon veins mean anything or if it’s just super random shape. I would love to talk with someone who has any experience or some sort of biology profession that would be able to explain this to me in a more scientific way. Can an egg form twins with one yolk or does the egg have to have two separate yolks?
> 
> I candled one of its clutch mates for comparison. Looks kind of similar, with the “butt cheeks”, but has more sporadic veins.
> View attachment 232609



Hey Randy,

Eggs can produce twins which each have their own yolks or twins which are both attached to the same yolk. Below is a photo of twin Pyxis which were both attached to the same yolk. This type of twin must be very carefully surgically separated shortly after hatching or it will result in "Siamese twins" joined at the plastron.

That being said, I would be about 95% confident that your egg is simply showing a random vein pattern rather than containing twins such as this, since they are quite uncommon in tortoises. However, only time will tell!





Below is a photo of twin Radiated Tortoises which had two separate yolk sacs (the two at the left of the photo were in the same egg). Unfortunately, when the egg began to hatch, the larger baby pushed its way to the top and forced the smaller one's head down into the albumin of the egg and it drowned before I went back to check and see how they were doing. Both were alive when I first saw them, then four hours later, the small one had succumbed.


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## shellfreak (Mar 9, 2018)

@zovick, I agree. I think it’s prob just a normal egg. Wild you had spider twins and radiated twins. That’s big ballin!!!


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## shellfreak (Mar 13, 2018)

Now that it has matured a little longer, it is resembling a normal egg. Looks like just one embryo will be in this egg.


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## wellington (Mar 13, 2018)

Too bad. Seeing there was interest in following this egg thru, would still like to se the little one when hatched. After all, he stirred the excitement


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## Destben (Mar 14, 2018)

Still excited to see him hatch if you are keeping him instead of shipping him out


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## WithLisa (Mar 14, 2018)

Destben said:


> Still excited to see him hatch if you are keeping him instead of shipping him out


Eggs must be shipped before incubation, so he has to keep it. 
I'll keep my fingers crossed for a healthy sulcata baby!


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## Michael Malone (Mar 21, 2018)

Any new pics?


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## shellfreak (Mar 22, 2018)

Michael Malone said:


> Any newI’
> 
> I’ll candle on Monday 3/26.


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## shellfreak (Mar 25, 2018)

Candled it today. Definitely not a twin, only see one embryo. Bummer. But still pumped its fertile! I’ll take it regardless.


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