# Redfoot questions/concerns



## Jessicapinkie1 (Sep 12, 2013)

Hi every one! 

As I had posted before I got 3 adult RF's 1 F 2M. Id say about 3 months ago. (ill have to see for sure) 
The guy I got them from said he had them about 5 years and lived in his whole back yard freely about 2 acres. (Lots of trees and bushes hides etc.) he said he had never saw any nests & that they just started mating this year. 

So I have no idea on how long it takes a female to lay eggs? I mean how long before she's ready to lay eggs? Also I live in pleasanton tx and it hasn't been as hot lately but it gets like 101 103 sometimes. (Think those temps are gone for the year) okay so when/if she lays can I leave the eggs n the ground to hatch naturally by just putting a little fence or something around the nest so when they hatch they won't escape? What are the lowest and highest temps for incubating a Redfoot? Our soil here is so soft it's almost like sand it's really good soil. 

Moving on

My smaller male is a escape artist we live on 22 acres and he has ran away for 3 & 2 weeks at a time then came back trying to get back in the pen lol

So now I put him n a smaller 8' x 5' pen with my newer female. (Her info below)
I went out earlier and Henry (my smaller male) was mating with her. 

I now have had another female RF i rescued (i say shes not been taken care of properly) she is 14 years old & a little over 10" is she old enough & the right size to be mating? 

Okay I think that's all. Sorry it's kinda all over the place but the questions and concerns are here lol I'm sick and my kids are not being good. 

Thank you all so much!!!
Jess


Also my female RF I'm sure is full of eggs she is SO HEAVY! Buying a scale n a week to weigh them all.


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## Jessicapinkie1 (Sep 12, 2013)

& here's a video from this evening. I put my bigger female in with my smaller male and he is such a horn dog it took less than a min and he was on top of her. 
http://youtu.be/cRrLm_1CWO0


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## N2TORTS (Sep 12, 2013)

They sound perfect size and this maybe the year for you. After copulation the female lays within a 30-45 day time frame and this is a cycle she develops rather kept with a male or not. Because of sperm retention they also can surprise you with babies when you swear it has not been with a male in a couple of years. When she is ready to nest , usually she will become restless and linger around your enclosure/yard looking for the â€œperfect spotâ€ Sometimes this can be right in the middle of everyone or most of the time up against a wall , bush or rock. They are VERY sneaky and if you donâ€™t visually see where she nests , it can be difficult to find the nest. The time frame for nesting can be from 2-6 hours â€¦ She will take a long soak and drink before releasing her eggs even urinating on the ground she is digging in to make it easier. All of these are red flags to watch for . Good luck and Happy Tort~N 

JD~


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## Jessicapinkie1 (Sep 12, 2013)

Thank you so much for the response!!
What about incubating? Is it safe to leave them n the nest or do I need to buy a incubator?


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## N2TORTS (Sep 12, 2013)

you will need an incubator....86* is a good temp for 50/50 mix and overall hatch rate . Set it up prior to your nest day , to get temps stable . Keep 70-85 humidity during your incubation times and be patient....:shy:


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## Jessicapinkie1 (Sep 13, 2013)

Thank you!! How long do they normally wait to lay? I'm not sure how long she's been holding but I'm sure she is she is solid.


Sorry you did answer that  thanks


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