# Our first clutch started to hatch



## želva (Nov 24, 2014)

We had two clutches this year, and most of first already hatched, 14 out of 17 so far. 

Here are 12 from yesterday.


----------



## russian/sulcata/tortoise (Nov 24, 2014)

congrats!!!


----------



## Tyanna (Nov 24, 2014)

Yay! Cute, wee little ones!


----------



## Jodie (Nov 24, 2014)

Congrats! How fun n cute.


----------



## Yellow Turtle01 (Nov 24, 2014)

Awesome! Congrats, they are adorable... let us know when the rest hatch !


----------



## ALDABRAMAN (Nov 24, 2014)

~ Congrats, they look perfect!


----------



## Tom (Nov 24, 2014)

Cool. Start soaking them every day.


----------



## želva (Nov 24, 2014)

Thank you all, we are so excited, @Tom we started at first day.


----------



## Tom (Nov 24, 2014)

želva said:


> Thank you all, we are so excited, @Tom we started at first day.



Awesome! You will have the healthiest sulcata babies in Slovenia!


----------



## Jacqui (Nov 24, 2014)

Just so clean and innocent looking aren't they.


----------



## turtlelady80 (Nov 30, 2014)

Congratulations!!! I know that must be very exciting for you


----------



## želva (Dec 2, 2014)

Two more hatched in last two days, so now there are 16 and only one egg left, which cracked at the beginning, but it seems that there is a little one inside.


----------



## Jacqui (Dec 2, 2014)

Awesome, if that last one makes it then 100%!!


----------



## želva (Dec 6, 2014)

Last one started crawling out, just made a small hole in egg.


----------



## stojanovski92113 (Dec 6, 2014)

Awwww how precious & beautiful


----------



## želva (Dec 7, 2014)

Picture time.

Number 17 crawled out today. 
Once they had feet outside we took them out of eggs and put them on paper towel so they wouldn't eat vermiculite.


Soaking time for everyone.


----------



## želva (Dec 7, 2014)

So now they all hatched 17 out of 17, including one cracked egg and one egg with hole.

Now we need to wait for second clutch.


----------



## Moozillion (Dec 7, 2014)

WOW!!! You guys are doing it right!!!


----------



## gingerbee (Dec 7, 2014)

Nice they look so perfect!!


----------



## želva (Dec 18, 2014)

Update again and a bit of photo spam!
They all doing great so far. I do however have one question, they started to grow and between scales a small ridge appeared, about half of mm in depth. Is this start of pyramiding ?
They have coco substrate which is kept moist, and taller cup of water for moisture. We got them uva and uvb lamp, they often sleep under it they can move to other part of terrarium, but they don't, and i'm worried this will dry them too much?
Small lamp is ceramic heat lamp and is on during night and bigger is uva/uvb lamp during day only.
On last photo you can see what i think with ridge


----------



## želva (Dec 18, 2014)

And now some cute photos


----------



## želva (Dec 19, 2014)

@Tom are we doing it right ?

We feed them mostly grass with a bit of chicory and with a bit of grated pumpkin every so often.


----------



## russian/sulcata/tortoise (Dec 19, 2014)

it doesn't really look like pyramiding to me! just remember to soak daily for 20+ minutes and keep humidity at 80%+


----------



## katfinlou (Dec 19, 2014)

Such amazing and beautiful pictures!!On the very first pic what was the Orange looking thing the baby tort was sitting on? Trying to learn all I can incase my little ones hatch (you'd think Id laid the eggs myself) Ive only got 2 incubating and im on tenterhooks, couldn't cope with 17 lol


----------



## želva (Dec 19, 2014)

russian/sulcata/tortoise said:


> it doesn't really look like pyramiding to me! just remember to soak daily for 20+ minutes and keep humidity at 80%+


Okay humidity is enough, we only soak them for about 15 minutes, would lengthen that, thank you for advice.



katfinlou said:


> Such amazing and beautiful pictures!!On the very first pic what was the Orange looking thing the baby tort was sitting on? Trying to learn all I can incase my little ones hatch (you'd think Id laid the eggs myself) Ive only got 2 incubating and im on tenterhooks, couldn't cope with 17 lol


That is yolk, when tortoises start hatching they usually only peek head outside and would remain in eggshell until yolk is more or less absorbed (if i'm wrong somebody correct me please), but we took them out from shell so they wouldn't eat vermiculite. We have 25 more incubating, but they seem a bit slower developing.


----------



## Moozillion (Dec 19, 2014)

I think they look great! I really don't see any signs of pyramiding, but I am NOT an expert at all. I'll be interested to see what others think! 

Gosh, they're CUTE!!!!


----------



## katfinlou (Dec 19, 2014)

That is truly an amazing picture! They are just so beautiful and perfect and everything!!


----------



## phebe121 (Dec 19, 2014)

Omg so cute really love the 2 one


----------



## katfinlou (Dec 19, 2014)

želva said:


> And now some cute photos
> View attachment 110522
> View attachment 110523
> View attachment 110524
> ...


Teenage mutant hero turtles!!


----------



## gingerbee (Dec 19, 2014)

želva said:


> And now some cute photos
> View attachment 110522
> View attachment 110523
> View attachment 110524
> ...


They are so cute!!!


----------



## želva (Jan 26, 2015)

they grew quiet a bit, eating chicory





Second clutch started to hatch, there are 10 out of 25 now, but some eggs doesn't seem to have little ones in them.


----------



## Dizisdalife (Jan 26, 2015)

Thanks for the photos. I love seeing all these babies together.


----------



## stojanovski92113 (Jan 26, 2015)

They are beautiful!!


----------



## katfinlou (Jan 26, 2015)

Absolutely gorgeous, can't believe how much they've grown already!


----------



## Anyfoot (Jan 26, 2015)

Gorgeous, all of them. Are you keeping any?


----------



## Eric Phillips (Jan 26, 2015)

What a great looking group!


----------



## želva (Jan 28, 2015)

@Anyfoot we will probably keep some, I would love to keep them for a year all to see how they grow


----------



## bouaboua (Jan 28, 2015)

Congrats! ! ! !even is little late! ! ! !

How are they doing now!!


----------



## želva (Jan 29, 2015)

@bouaboua they doing great, love to eat 
only one has a bit deformed shell, will try to take photos, but all other are perfect shaped, without any split scales
eggs from second clutch are a bit weird, they took really long time to start hatching, they aren't white as first clutch, they are really light beige colour, and the eggshell is a bit gritty, but up to now 10 hatched anyway


----------



## bouaboua (Jan 29, 2015)

želva said:


> @bouaboua they doing great, love to eat
> only one has a bit deformed shell, will try to take photos, but all other are perfect shaped, without any split scales
> eggs from second clutch are a bit weird, they took really long time to start hatching, they aren't white as first clutch, they are really light beige colour, and the eggshell is a bit gritty, but up to now 10 hatched anyway


Sounds wonderful! ! !

Congrats! ! ! ! ! !


----------



## želva (Jan 29, 2015)

I will take more photos this weekend


----------



## želva (May 4, 2015)




----------



## želva (May 4, 2015)




----------



## želva (May 4, 2015)

So now both first and second clutch hatched, first one with 100% success rate, 17 out of 17. And second one wit 72% success rate, 18 out of 25, i think three or four looked fully developed, but didn't come out and the rest were empty.
For now they all growing nice, with nice smooth shells. And only one have split scute, and it's so adorable.


----------



## Tidgy's Dad (May 4, 2015)

So very, very beautiful.
Thanks so much for the update.


----------



## Anyfoot (May 4, 2015)

želva said:


> View attachment 128635
> View attachment 128636
> View attachment 128637
> View attachment 128638


Love em. I'd keep the splitty personally. @Tom. Do sulcata have a low survival rate in the wild.


----------



## Tidgy's Dad (May 4, 2015)

Anyfoot said:


> Love em. I'd keep the splitty personally. @Tom. Do sulcata have a low survival rate in the wild.


You'd keep the splitty personality?
Me too.


----------



## želva (May 4, 2015)

Splitty will stay and few that seems a bit lighter in color and have more rounder and doom like shell


----------



## Jacqui (May 4, 2015)

Love that little extra scute on the rear.


----------



## Carol S (May 4, 2015)

Such adorable babies!!


----------



## Tom (May 4, 2015)

Anyfoot said:


> Love em. I'd keep the splitty personally. @Tom. Do sulcata have a low survival rate in the wild.



No one knows the answer to this question. Almost nothing is known about them in the wild. My friend Tomas has only ever even seen three hatchlings in the wild. All on the same day and in the area where they had previously previously introduced subadults.


----------



## Anyfoot (May 4, 2015)

Tom said:


> No one knows the answer to this question. Almost nothing is known about them in the wild. My friend Tomas has only ever even seen three hatchlings in the wild. All on the same day and in the area where they had previously previously introduced subadults.


Really. That surprised me. I thought the knowledge of the sulcata was good. I just wondered with them having high egg counts in there clutches if survival from juvenile was poor due to predator's in the wild. Do you find when a clutch hatch they all hatch within a few days.


----------



## Tom (May 5, 2015)

Anyfoot said:


> Really. That surprised me. I thought the knowledge of the sulcata was good. I just wondered with them having high egg counts in there clutches if survival from juvenile was poor due to predator's in the wild. Do you find when a clutch hatch they all hatch within a few days.



Odd isn't it? They are the most numerous species in the world now, but we know almost nothing about their secluded lives in the wild.

Pure speculation tells me that attrition rates in the wild are high.

I've had clutches take two weeks to hatch from first to last. Its kind of nice. You get a few new ones per day to deal with instead of dozens all at once.


----------

