# Candling egg from day one to pip



## shellfreak

I am doing some personal data collection on tortoise embryo formation. Attached are some pictures. Interesting to see how much change occurs every 24 hours. I will continue to update the success until this little tortoise hatches.


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## Yvonne G

Love it. Thanks. Is that just a little pen light?


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## Markw84

This is really great. The best pictures I have ever seen of candling. I can never get that good a view when I try it! Please keep this going.

I do have detailed pictures of embryos of western painted turtles at all the 23 stages of development. Referring to them next to your timeline is really interesting as the embryos would look the same until the very end of development.

How long from laying to pip for your greeks, normally? From that I can adjust the timeline of embryo stages. A "typical" C picta bellii is 53 days.

It looks like you use open top containers for the eggs? Do you control humidity in the whole incubator then?

Thank you for doing this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## shellfreak

Markw84 said:


> This is really great. The best pictures I have ever seen of candling. I can never get that good a view when I try it! Please keep this going.
> 
> I do have detailed pictures of embryos of western painted turtles at all the 23 stages of development. Referring to them next to your timeline is really interesting as the embryos would look the same until the very end of development.
> 
> How long from laying to pip for your greeks, normally? From that I can adjust the timeline of embryo stages. A "typical" C picta bellii is 53 days.
> 
> It looks like you use open top containers for the eggs? Do you control humidity in the whole incubator then?
> 
> Thank you for doing this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



I use open containers, humidity in the incubator is controlled by a separate deli cup filled with water. 

My Greeks on average hatch between day 70-90 b


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## shellfreak

Yvonne G said:


> Love it. Thanks. Is that just a little pen light?



A cheap flash light that I bought at 5 below. And yes it’s a tiny one.


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## Kapidolo Farms

I really like what you are doing. I'm glad you have persevered against all the naysayers. Tortoise On.


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## wellington

Love it. I have never been able to see anything going on inside my eggs. Keep it going and thank you.
Btw, gotta know, are those stickers on the eggs or a a camera trick of some kind? Superimposed onto pic only?


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## shellfreak

wellington said:


> Love it. I have never been able to see anything going on inside my eggs. Keep it going and thank you.
> Btw, gotta know, are those stickers on the eggs or a a camera trick of some kind? Superimposed onto pic only?



Temporary tattoos. I went through about 7 other ideas until my 9 year old son said he wanted a tortstork tattoo. So I ordered some for him. And one day it dawned on me...why not try it in an egg. And it has worked ever since.


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## shellfreak

wellington said:


> Love it. I have never been able to see anything going on inside my eggs. Keep it going and thank you.
> Btw, gotta know, are those stickers on the eggs or a a camera trick of some kind? Superimposed onto pic only?


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## wellington

shellfreak said:


> View attachment 229773
> View attachment 229774


Loooovvvvveeeee them!


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## Markw84

@shellfreak. May I ask - what do you use to wash the eggs? If tap water, what is the chemistry? Ph? tot alkalinity? Is there fluoride added??


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## MichaelaW

This is awesome. Way to go!


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## shellfreak

Markw84 said:


> @shellfreak. May I ask - what do you use to wash the eggs? If tap water, what is the chemistry? Ph? tot alkalinity? Is there fluoride added??



I literally just run them under tap water. Luke warm and rub off all the slimy film. 

Is there evidence that fluoride, pH, etc causes harm to the egg? Would love to know more. Even if it’s a theory. 

Thanks.


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## shellfreak

I candled this morning, February 10th. This is day 31. Caught some movement, which is always nice to see.

. Can’t post video here. But will post it on my instagram if you want to see it. @tort.stork


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## CarolM

This is totally awesome. Thank you so much.


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## shellfreak

CarolM said:


> This is totally awesome. Thank you so much.



You’re welcome. I haven’t candled in a few days bc I just put a few new eggs into the incubator and they are chalking. I like to limit the opening of my incubator during the chalking period. But here is a picture of the chalking new eggs, I’ll also be documenting this one, once i see veins. This one is pretty special to me. My first sulcata egg...


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## CarolM

I am looking forward to following your thread.


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## shellfreak

Day 36.


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## xXtortoiseloverXx

very nice pics, how do u clean those eggs? so clean .


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## shellfreak

xXtortoiseloverXx said:


> very nice pics, how do u clean those eggs? so clean .



I run them under Luke warm water.


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## xXtortoiseloverXx

shellfreak said:


> I run them under Luke warm water.



I see , I always have hard time to clean them, cause I am afraid that wash them will kill them , I guess not . Lol


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## shellfreak

Day 53. I transferred this egg to another container due to running out of space. But you can see the air sac is getting larger, which means the little tortoise inside is sucking up most of the yolk as it grows larger. Should hatch within a few weeks.


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## Aaron K.

Real!y awesome photos. I love your Logo too, it looks cool on your eggs!!!


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## shellfreak

Aaron K. said:


> Real!y awesome photos. I love your Logo too, it looks cool on your eggs!!!



Thanks Aaron.


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## Carol S

Fantastic photos. Thanks for sharing.


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## DARKFIRE007

You should give classes in candling photos...this is the worst pic I have seen from you yet and it is still better than 98% of others I see.


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## shellfreak

DARKFIRE007 said:


> You should give classes in candling photos...this is the worst pic I have seen from you yet and it is still better than 98% of others I see.



Haha. Yeah, it was a bad picture. I was thinking the same exact thing. I might just take you up on that idea...I’ll keep you posted. I have a bunch of sulcata eggs that I’m going to candle in the next two weeks. I will charge my GoPro and video tape the process.


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## shellfreak

Day 55; you can see that the air sac has gotten bigger in just two days. The yolk is being absorbed, air chamber is getting larger. I limit candling from this point on. Reason being is sometimes the light from the flash light will heat up the oxygen molecules inside the air chamber which causes the molecules to explode and die. This can either cause the tortoise to die due to lack of oxygen, or cause it to prematurely hatch thinking it is running out of oxygen and then it will die due to hatching too early. So I’ll candle again on day 65.


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## CarolM

Thank you so much for sharing. It is a really big help for those of us who have never done this before. At least we can see what it is supposed to look like.


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## shellfreak

Couldn’t resist to document it. Air sac getting larger. Blood vessels are starting to disappear. This means the embryo is getting larger and the yolk is getting smaller due to the smaller blood vessels.


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## CarolM

shellfreak said:


> Couldn’t resist to document it. Air sac getting larger. Blood vessels are starting to disappear. This means the embryo is getting larger and the yolk is getting smaller due to the smaller blood vessels.
> View attachment 233068
> View attachment 233069


Absolutely appreciate your posts. So please don't ever resist the temptation. Post away.


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## shellfreak

And its birthday is today!!!! Of course I’m out of town on vacation with my family. But I have an Arlo camera on the incubator. The caretaker will check on it this afternoon when she tends to the tortoises.


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## shellfreak




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## shellfreak

Just checked the camera. It’s completely out.


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## CarolM

shellfreak said:


> Just checked the camera. It’s completely out.
> View attachment 233743


That is so awesome.


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## Aaron K.

shellfreak said:


> Just checked the camera. It’s completely out.
> View attachment 233743


Very exciting!! Thanks for sharing this!!


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## shellfreak




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## Cheryl Hills

So cute and cool!


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## CarolM

shellfreak said:


> View attachment 233872


May I ask what is the Jelly like substance is?


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## shellfreak

CarolM said:


> May I ask what is the Jelly like substance is?



Just remaining part of the inside of the egg. Left of albumin most likely.


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## CarolM

shellfreak said:


> Just remaining part of the inside of the egg. Left of albumin most likely.


Very intetesting. Thank you.


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