a missed nest

Yvonne G

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If you have a pair of tortoises and there's a chance you may have nests, then this is what to watch for in case you didn't actually see the nest being dug:

leopard nest 10-24-14 a.jpg

In case it's hard for you to see what I'm talking about, in the middle of the picture is a dime-sized hole with clean edges. This is in an area behind the leopard tortoises' shed door, an area that never gets watered, and the dirt is red clay and when dry, hard as cement. So I got out my cement digger (well, actually, a large metal spoon) and gently tried to pound the dirt apart and dig it out. Here's what I found:

leopard nest 10-24-14 b.jpg

There were two miracle live babies on the very top of the clutch of eggs and about a dozen rotten eggs. It's really a miracle these babies were able to hatch because it was dry, and had been dry the whole incubation period. So these are Milagro 1 (the one with no spots) and Milagro 2. They will be for sale the next time Will comes to Clovis. Needless to say, these have been started the dry method (ha ha), but will soon be enconsed (spell check couldn't tell me the correct spelling for this word) in a swamp-like enclosure.
 

wellington

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Darn that sucks, but lucky you got the two.
Question, under the layer of grass/sod and then the dirt that a roll of sod/grass has with it, I have clay. If I am ever lucky enough to have eggs, most of the nest will be in clay. Depending on time of year, I wanted to let at least one batch stay in the ground. I'm not as hot and dry as your location, I don't think, but, is there something I could do, so what happened to yours, doesn't happen to mine.
I am assuming the ground was too hard for the babies to dig out?
 

diamondbp

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It's a bitter sweet thing to lose so many eggs but gain two awesome surprise babies. Unfortunately I can't even fathom leaving nest in the ground in Louisiana between the high water table and the fire ants. Congrats and thanks for sharing
 

Dizisdalife

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Ensconced. I like that word. And I am sure you will provide these two miracles with the best care possible.
 

Yvonne G

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Barb: The nest of eggs would have been ok if the dirt had been watered occasionally. When the red clay is wet it's quite soft. I didn't know the nest was there, or I would have dug up the eggs.
 

Yvonne G

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I put the two new babies temporarily in the same tiny enclosure I have one little two week old gulf coast box turtle in, until I can set them up in their own habitat. Holy cripes!!! They are so tiny!!!

leopard babies 10-25-14.jpg

You have to excuse the mess. This is what my baby enclosures always look like after only one day of them tromping through the water and dragging dirt all over the food.

Can you imagine? Baby box turtles are tiny...and these two leopard babies are the same size as the box turtle!!!!!
 

bouaboua

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WOW! !

How lucky they are and how lucky you are. What a find. Congrats! ! !

Cute little one I shall say.....
 

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