Leopard Tortoise, x-rays show eggs, what now?

Hi there,

Last week I noticed my leopard tortoise digging and straining. I was concerned about egg binding and took her to the vet for X-rays. They show that there are six eggs, are located in located in the middle of the body cavity, nothing appears jammed in the pelvis. Two of the eggs have thicker shells than the others.
For some background. Binky 13 years old, 10.9 lbs. I also have a male they are housed separately but there was a “jail break” last summer so it is possible that the eggs ar fertile. Her enclosure is roughly 5x7 feet, warm hide at 85F cool hide at 72F, ambient room temp 66F. UVB basking spot 85F. She had an area of 4” deep soil substrate but now that I see eggs I have increased it to 10”. We do daily warm soaks. She is active, walking tall, eating and drinking, but has been getting a bit snotty.
I will be talking to vet again early next week, for more x-rays if needed, but will call sooner if she goes downhill.
So after all that... Is there anything else I can do?
What should I be looking for?
How long does it usually take between the start of nesting behaviour and laying?
In your experience is it better to be conservative or aggressive with induction?
I may be getting ahead of myself, but is there any point to trying to incubate these eggs if they come out intact?

Thanks everyone, I am happy to answer any questions.

How exciting!

Keep making her enclosure more nestable. Try extra warming lights in the corners or along the wall, where she may nest. Try different moisture levels in different spots of substrate. What substrate are you using? You need something like compacted dirt that will hold is shape if you dig a hole in it. If you can't dig a hole and the walls stay vertical, if it is caving in she won't be able to construct a nest. If she is still walking and eating normal, than I would wait to induce her.

I don't know anything about reading eggs in an X-ray, but common sense is telling me that the eggs aren't ready to come out yet due to their position inside the tortoise??????

So just wait and see. Do you have a good place for her to dig?

Due to the placement of the eggs and the fact that she still seems bright, the vet and I decided that it was not an emergency. It is winter here so she is indoors, I do have a nesting box set up, hopefully it meets her standards. She had a clutch of eggs a few years ago and drops a random egg about once a year so It doesn’t seem that there are structural problems. I guess its a game of wait and see. I don’t really want to breed tortoises, that is why I have them separated. I’m to sure that I can find good homes for them.