# Russian laid an egg and I'm not prepared



## MamaSings66 (Sep 16, 2013)

Our Russian Tort just laid an egg tonight and I am not prepared. I have no incubator, just a tank with heat lamps and currently am in no position to purchase an incubator. I have two heat lamps: a heat-glo infared 150W spot lamp and a sun-glo 150W lamp. Normally we use one for day and the red at night as the house is kept at about 76 degrees. The lamps are in dome fixtures that sit on top of the enclosure, which is covered with a metal gate top. Can the heat lamps keep the egg warm enough until I can get an incubator? Should I use one, both? I'd previously separated her from the male (after they mated) so she and the egg are currently housed in 1/3 of a large glass aquarium (18x36x20ish) with covered sides. I have not touched the egg. I know I'm not supposed to turn the egg but to mark the top if/when we move it to an incubator or more appropriate place. What can I do to increase the chances of this egg hatching, until I can get the incubator, which I can't do until the end of the month. Although I have done some reading about this, and despite the fact that I actually saw them mating, I think I was in denial it would actually happen and now am panicking. Any advice for an interim solution would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!


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## nate.mann (Sep 17, 2013)

i apologize in advance for my uselessness. just relax, dont wanna freak out and make a mistake. first off, congrats, as Russians are (from what ive read) kinda difficult to breed in captivity. now, do you have any materials around the house that can be made into a makeshift incubator? you dont actually need to go buy one, as long as whatever you throw together functions and does what you need it to do. 


0.1.0 Russian
0.0.1 Leopard
1.0.0 Blue Pit/American Bulldog
Chive On!


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## Redstrike (Sep 17, 2013)

Another option is to do nothing, just let the egg go.


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## MamaSings66 (Sep 17, 2013)

Thank you for responding. We were never intending to breed these torts. When the were given to us, we were told they were "Desert" Tortoises and that both were female. Thanks to all of you in this forum, we learned otherwise. Also, our male was very determined but I never thought he'd ever "achieve success" with her as she was not interested. Wrong! So here we are. Yes, our first thought was to let nature take its course. But, our kids will have a very difficult time with that, despite our preparatory talks of "don't get your hopes up... even in the best conditions, sometimes they don't hatch." But, I digress... so last night I placed a thermometer in the enclosure and monitored the temp. We are able to maintain 88 degrees (which I thought was too warm, but read that up to 88-90 degrees has been successful for some breeders. So, I guess now I should place the egg in a container with paper towel to nest it (not turning it) and then place dampened paper towel over it for humidity??? Is it possible she will lay more eggs in the next days, or no?? Any other suggestions? Yes, I probably have other materials I could use to make a make-shift incubator, but not sure what I would need besides a container and heat lamp. Time to google, unless someone can direct me. Thanks!


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## DixieParadise (Sep 17, 2013)

Go on you tube and there are ways to make an incubator using an styrofoam ice chest or boxes. Perhaps if you are not in the position to purchase one, you can build one. 

My YF did the same to me and I was not prepared as I was leaving for vacation. I have them incubating now, but I am not sure what the results are going to be.

Good Luck and congratulations...


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## MamaSings66 (Sep 17, 2013)

I will look on youtube and see what I can find. Yes, could definitely build one. I'm resourceful like that! Just needed a little guidance. Thank you so much for the support! I knew y'all would be just as helpful as last time I was here!


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## MamaSings66 (Sep 21, 2013)

DixieParadise, good luck to you as well! Thanks, again, for your assistance!


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## Tom (Sep 21, 2013)

PM GBtortoises. He has successfully incubated LOTS of Russian eggs. No reason you can't move it to a deli cup and leave it at room temp for a week or two. Do NOT place a damp paper towel on the egg.

Also, you don't need night heat for Russians.


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