Spur Thigh Hatchling with crease in belly shell

[Tom]

I had to name it Creasy the others just have numbers at the moment. They are all lively and keep trying to escape the the glass dishes they are in in the incubator. Dishes are lined with damp kitchen roll and shredded lettuce. Some I think are eating, they will be easier to monitor once they are in the tortoise table. I’m trying to keep them in the incubator but I may have to put them into the table so they can run around.

Paper towel is only good for the first day or so. After that they will eat it. Line the bottom with flat leaves and edible things.

Lettuce at this stage is a bad idea. Now is the time that they are learning what is food and what isn't. It is critically important for the long term health of these animals that you introduce a wide variety of weeds, leaves, flowers, and natural foods, so they don't get picky and only want lettuce down the road.

More info here:

How To Incubate Eggs And Start Hatchlings

I put my eggs in a plastic shoe box with a lid on it and put the shoe box in the incubator. You can drill a couple of very small holes around the top of the container, but not on the lid. I use vermiculite as an incubation media. I mix it in a 1 : 1 ratio with water by weight for Sulcatas and...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Sarah2020]

Fabulous news ! Creasy has unceased now you have the ongoing care to ensure health and growth.

 

[Poppsy]

Paper towel is only good for the first day or so. After that they will eat it. Line the bottom with flat leaves and edible things.

Lettuce at this stage is a bad idea. Now is the time that they are learning what is food and what isn't. It is critically important for the long term health of these animals that you introduce a wide variety of weeds, leaves, flowers, and natural foods, so they don't get picky and only want lettuce down the road.

More info here:

How To Incubate Eggs And Start Hatchlings

I put my eggs in a plastic shoe box with a lid on it and put the shoe box in the incubator. You can drill a couple of very small holes around the top of the container, but not on the lid. I use vermiculite as an incubation media. I mix it in a 1 : 1 ratio with water by weight for Sulcatas and...

tortoiseforum.org

Paper towel is only good for the first day or so. After that they will eat it. Line the bottom with flat leaves and edible things.

Lettuce at this stage is a bad idea. Now is the time that they are learning what is food and what isn't. It is critically important for the long term health of these animals that you introduce a wide variety of weeds, leaves, flowers, and natural foods, so they don't get picky and only want lettuce down the road.

More info here:

How To Incubate Eggs And Start Hatchlings

I put my eggs in a plastic shoe box with a lid on it and put the shoe box in the incubator. You can drill a couple of very small holes around the top of the container, but not on the lid. I use vermiculite as an incubation media. I mix it in a 1 : 1 ratio with water by weight for Sulcatas and...

tortoiseforum.org

Paper towel is only good for the first day or so. After that they will eat it. Line the bottom with flat leaves and edible things.

Lettuce at this stage is a bad idea. Now is the time that they are learning what is food and what isn't. It is critically important for the long term health of these animals that you introduce a wide variety of weeds, leaves, flowers, and natural foods, so they don't get picky and only want lettuce down the road.

More info here:

How To Incubate Eggs And Start Hatchlings

I put my eggs in a plastic shoe box with a lid on it and put the shoe box in the incubator. You can drill a couple of very small holes around the top of the container, but not on the lid. I use vermiculite as an incubation media. I mix it in a 1 : 1 ratio with water by weight for Sulcatas and...

tortoiseforum.org

Paper towel is only good for the first day or so. After that they will eat it. Line the bottom with flat leaves and edible things.

Lettuce at this stage is a bad idea. Now is the time that they are learning what is food and what isn't. It is critically important for the long term health of these animals that you introduce a wide variety of weeds, leaves, flowers, and natural foods, so they don't get picky and only want lettuce down the road.

More info here:

How To Incubate Eggs And Start Hatchlings

I put my eggs in a plastic shoe box with a lid on it and put the shoe box in the incubator. You can drill a couple of very small holes around the top of the container, but not on the lid. I use vermiculite as an incubation media. I mix it in a 1 : 1 ratio with water by weight for Sulcatas and...

tortoiseforum.org

Fabulous news ! Creasy has unceased now you have the ongoing care to ensure health and growth.

I have been including dandelions, cucumber and tomatoes with the lettuce, they don’t appear to be eating much at the moment.

I will remove the paper.

Thank you for your guidance, certainly a learning curve here.

 

[Tom]

I have been including dandelions, cucumber and tomatoes with the lettuce, they don’t appear to be eating much at the moment.

I will remove the paper.

Thank you for your guidance, certainly a learning curve here.

With the exception of the dandelions, which are great, all of those other foods should be omitted in favor of weeds and leaves of the right types. The first two or three weeks of life will set the tone for the rest, so its of vital importance to get this right at the start.

 

[Gijoux]

Hi,

I have incubated 7 spur thigh eggs, 5 have hatched within 72hrs of each other, 4 look healthy but one took a little longer than the others to get out of its egg and it has a deep crease in the underside of its shell.

Is this a deformity or will it straighten out now it’s out of the egg?

The incubator was set to 29°C and fluctuated between 29-31° but was generally 30.2° with a humidity of around 88%.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Once the babies hatch they should be kept in the incubator in a separate (brooder) box for 10-14 days. The babies are usually folded up like that and in a few days should "unfold". Congratulations on your babies.