# Hardest breeder



## DolanKoops (Oct 15, 2011)

I was just wondering what's the hardest tortoise to try and breed ive heard it's hard to get Russians to mate what's everyone else's opinion ...


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## Yvonne G (Oct 15, 2011)

Are you asking about breeding or actual hatching out of babies? Because my Russian tortoises breed like crazy, but I never see nest-building. My Manouria tortoises breed and build nests, but hatching the eggs is another question. One hatched two years ago, none last year and one again this year...out of clutches of around 20 or so eggs. The Yellowfoot tortoises are avid breeders and seem to be pretty good at laying the eggs. I've got quite a few of them cooking right now, and more than half of them are looking pretty good.


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## GotTurtles (Oct 15, 2011)

DolanKoops said:


> I was just wondering what's the hardest tortoise to try and breed ive heard it's hard to get Russians to mate what's everyone else's opinion ...



I think Russians are pretty easy. Just put them together and they get it done. Eggs seem easy to hatch also. If eggs are missed they incubate in the ground here. I found 6 babies this year in my pen.


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## GBtortoises (Oct 15, 2011)

I think breeding difficulty of a species comes down to the environment that it's maintained in. I have had Russians tortoises here where I live in the Northeast for 20 years on and off and steady for the past 8 or 9 years. I keep them fairly "natural" and their breeding is very unpredictable here because it simply isn't a favorable climate for them. Yet Marginateds, Ibera and Hermann's thrive and breed like crazy here. Sulcata are literal egg factories when kept in the Southwestern U.S. Yet here in the Northeast they are dismal breeders at best. I know of several breeders that have great sucess with species that are assumed to be "difficult" in captivity because they are able to provide artificial conditions that mimic the tortoises wild environment. I don't believe that any species is extremely difficult as long as someone is willing to concentrate on providing their environmental needs. It's all about how far you want to go with it.


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## african cake queen (Oct 15, 2011)

i think pancakes take the longest time to hatch, if they hatch.


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## ALDABRAMAN (Oct 15, 2011)

GBtortoises said:


> I think breeding difficulty of a species comes down to the environment that it's maintained in. I have had Russians tortoises here where I live in the Northeast for 20 years on and off and steady for the past 8 or 9 years. I keep them fairly "natural" and their breeding is very unpredictable here because it simply isn't a favorable climate for them. Yet Marginateds, Ibera and Hermann's thrive and breed like crazy here. Sulcata are literal egg factories when kept in the Southwestern U.S. Yet here in the Northeast they are dismal breeders at best. I know of several breeders that have great sucess with species that are assumed to be "difficult" in captivity because they are able to provide artificial conditions that mimic the tortoises wild environment. I don't believe that any species is extremely difficult as long as someone is willing to concentrate on providing their environmental needs. It's all about how far you want to go with it.


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## Tom (Oct 15, 2011)

I know that the hingeback keepers have a heck of a time getting any offspring out of them.


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## DolanKoops (Oct 16, 2011)

Very good information guys really helps and is interesting


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## dmmj (Oct 16, 2011)

The north american species "Captianis awesomes" very difficult.


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## GBtortoises (Oct 16, 2011)

One reason that "Captain Awesomes" may be difficult is because there are so few of them! I've personally never seen one in the wild.


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## Kristina (Oct 16, 2011)

Tom said:


> I know that the hingeback keepers have a heck of a time getting any offspring out of them.



In my case if I would quit NOT finding the clutches until months later, I would probably have a pretty good shot at getting some to hatch.


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## Jacqui (Oct 19, 2011)

dmmj said:


> The north american species "Captianis awesomes" very difficult.



Yeah, but one of them is enough.


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## Weldd (Oct 19, 2011)

Pyxis tortoises can take 9 or 10 months. It feels like forever...


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## Jacqui (Oct 19, 2011)

I would have to still vote for Lonesome George being the hardest.


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## grogansilver (Oct 21, 2011)

I think once my tortoises get settled and climate its on!!!!! I'm still in that experimental stage of using the tape recorder and using artificial mating noises to help in getting it started......  I'm gonna make history!!!!!! it will be called the power of love my Book! "here's the cover!
View attachment 12640


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## ALDABRAMAN (Oct 29, 2011)

Jacqui said:


> I would have to still vote for Lonesome George being the hardest.



+(O)=(O) !


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## Jacqui (Oct 30, 2011)

ALDABRAMAN said:


> Jacqui said:
> 
> 
> > I would have to still vote for Lonesome George being the hardest.
> ...



Exactly why it got my vote for the hardest to breed. Just isn't the animals there to breed with.


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## LadyOfTheWord (Nov 2, 2011)

grogansilver said:


> I think once my tortoises get settled and climate its on!!!!! I'm still in that experimental stage of using the tape recorder and using artificial mating noises to help in getting it started......  I'm gonna make history!!!!!! it will be called the power of love my Book! "here's the cover!



I love it! 
If you are serious, I'd say go for it. Eventually you might get to release a whole line of tortoise "marital aides. "


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## Yvonne G (Nov 2, 2011)

Jacqui said:


> dmmj said:
> 
> 
> > The north american species "Captianis awesomes" very difficult.
> ...



LOL!!!


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## Terry Allan Hall (Nov 16, 2011)

grogansilver said:


> I think once my tortoises get settled and climate its on!!!!! I'm still in that experimental stage of using the tape recorder and using artificial mating noises to help in getting it started......  I'm gonna make history!!!!!! it will be called the power of love my Book! "here's the cover!



Tort-tunes on the pornograph? 

Kinky! 



dmmj said:


> The north american species "Captianis awesomes" very difficult.










This is NOT the answer...


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## Neltharion (Nov 16, 2011)

Terry Allan Hall said:


> This is NOT the answer...



Terry, you owe me a new keyboard. Seeing that ad made me bust up laughing and spit out a mouthful of coffee.


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## Yvonne G (Nov 16, 2011)

Now Terry is going to be getting tons of spam in his email box because he did the search to find that for Captain Awesome. LOL!!

neener, neener!


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## dmarcus (Nov 16, 2011)

That is way to funny Terry...


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## Terry Allan Hall (Nov 16, 2011)

emysemys said:


> Now Terry is going to be getting tons of spam in his email box because he did the search to find that for Captain Awesome. LOL!!
> 
> neener, neener!



Actually, you're not far from right...my brother checked a few of these sites, and a few Russian "mail-order brides" sites, on my computer, so I get a few of these (and some in Cryptic (sp ?) every a week... 

Obviously, my wife was slightly less than delighted, and reminded me that my faith teaches that, should I plan to take on a 2nd wife, she has veto power, and if I'm crazy enough for a 3rd wife, both wives would have veto power!

I just smile and remind her that we basically try to marry sisters, so as to only get saddled w/ one set of inlaws (btw, I love my Mom-In-Law), and that I don't care for the idea of her drama-queen baby sister even being in the same state!


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