# How to tell if pregnant??



## viperdrake

Hello guys a couple of weeks ago i posted that i was happy that terra ( female RF ) was "pregnant" because of the male constantly being on top of her i mean.. he really has it for her, thing is that it has been a while and i haven't seen any of the behaviors ive read here, the looking for a perfect spot to make her nest, test nests, anything what so ever... may it be that the male is sterile or she is? i mean the male has been on top of her like every day and sometimes on top of cobol ( yea now for sure i know shes a gal... ) although im not worried about cobol cause shes like 6 inches long i dont think shes ready to mate yet. i read that some RF dont lay their eggs until they find a decent spot, so i went on and to give her a bit of variety i made a 4'x 4' square 6 inches high and filled it with cypress mulch and 100% organic potting soil, still a no go.. im worried that if she is pregnant that she will become egg bound... or am i being just too paranoid?


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## Eweezyfosheezy

If she's only 6 inches she wont be "pregnant". She's still got a couple years to go.  It also may be time to update that signature.


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## Laura

how big is terra? 
If the male is pestering her that much, I think Id give her a break. Move him out, then try again. 
Be sure there are planty of places she can choose from to lay. 
If she is egg bound, she will start showing signs, so she probably isnt ready yet..


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## GeoTerraTestudo

When egg-bearing animals are carrying eggs, they are termed "gravid" (lit. "heavy"). In contrast, live-bearing animals carrying a baby are called "pregnant" (lit. "before birth").

In the early stages, there might not be any noticeable signs that a female tortoise is gravid. However, she should soon start craving minerals, especially calcium for the egg shells. In the later stages, the tortoise obsessively looks for a suitable site to lay her eggs, sniffing the ground for the right temperature, moisture, exposure, etc.


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## viperdrake

thx for the replies, COBOL is 6 inches long so im not worried about her becoming gravid, but terra is over 12 inches. ill try giving her a cuttle bone or two to see if she goes for it ( she doesnt like cuttlebone normally ) as for The Happy male  well ill see where i can move him... currently their pen is 15' x 10' x 16" with the small 4' x4'x6" "island" inside the pen, ill see if i can make a provisional pen for the lucky guy.


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## jwhite

You can sometimes palpate the eggs. I have been able to only do it on one of my females.


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## Floof

Is the substrate deep enough for her to bury her eggs? I seem to recall reading that they should have substrate as deep, or close to, as they are long--so, for a 12" female, you would want 10-12" of dirt minimum. Might make sure there's deep enough areas for her to lay.


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## viperdrake

Floof said:


> Is the substrate deep enough for her to bury her eggs? I seem to recall reading that they should have substrate as deep, or close to, as they are long--so, for a 12" female, you would want 10-12" of dirt minimum. Might make sure there's deep enough areas for her to lay.



jumm there isnt any area that is that deep with soft soil.. the pen they are is outside so how deep can she dig is up to her ( although the terrain is mostly clay ) and the little island has only 6 inches of organic potting soil and cypress mulch... 

dunno what to do... :S ill see if i can get some pics tmorrow in the morning so you guys can see their pen.


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## tortadise

For redfoots to nest properly, they are use to very fertile/loose soil with hardly any digging like a sulcata or leopard. Unfortunately your redfoot being 6" is not mature and or big enough to start an ova cycle (develope eggs). Redfoots can start more around 9-11" in size, 9" being the earliest as well as still a small size. Your female needs to have a big enough ventral opening at the anal scutes to lay them without breaking them. When the time comes for her utilize corners as a good nesting spot. Plant and or place some plants that will shade or give a "safe" place for her to lay in. They will dig a nest hole (depending on female size) up to 12" deep sometimes deeper. Spagnum moss, and peat moss is a great substrate to use mixed with some top soil. The moss helps keep the soil broken up and easier for the female to work the soil with her legs, and nails.


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## Jacqui

How to tell if pregnant?? .... I always thought you peed on the strip and then waited to see if you got a plus or minus sign...


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## ChiKat

Jacqui said:


> How to tell if pregnant?? .... I always thought you peed on the strip and then waited to see if you got a plus or minus sign...



Ha!! I was gonna say, I'm glad this isn't in Off Topic Chat...yeesh


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