Breeding

[Oogway the tort]

I would like to breed my two homes hingebacks. This is my first time ever breeding tortoises and I have a few questions. Do you need to hibernate your tortoises to get them to breed? If you keep the eggs in the enclosure do the lights need to be on all the time? Can I keep the hatchlings in the same enclosure as the parents? How can you tell if the female tortoise is pregnant? Thanks!

 

[Itort]

I have found with my Homes that if you the environment is correct, they will readily breed. As a tropical tort they don't hibernate but they will slow down if kept in drier environment (monsoon type environment ) and when humidity is upped start breeding. I keep mine in subdued light (no direct light in enclosure) so lighting eggs is not done. I am keeping eggs in enclosure with adults so they are incubated at same conditions as adults. After hatching I would suggest a separate enclosure for them to lessen competition for resources with adults.

 

[Mick.Ire]

Without sounding rude, it doesnt sound like you know a lot about these torts (we all had to start somewhere) so maybe just concentrate on getting the set up and diet perfected and necessary knowledge obtained (maybe you have already) first before worrying about breeding. There will be loads of time for breeding in the future.
So how are you keeping them at the moment? Viv or table? How are your temps? What do you do for humidity? What is their diet routine, (eg. Protein to green ratio). Are they active and eating well for you, how does their poop look?
Sorry for all the questions, it'll help us help you set it up right and in the long term encourage breeding.

As the OP said, Hingebacks don't hibernate but can be encouraged to go into a aestivation mode given dry conditions.
Also to the OP, have you hatched babies in the viv? That is really cool. Wouldn't you be afraid of the adults mixing babies up for a little snack??

 

[Benjamin]

I have kept kinixys homeana for nearly fifteen total years. It took about ten years to finally hatch a few. Be patient and get to know your tortoises.

 

[Itort]

Without sounding rude, it doesnt sound like you know a lot about these torts (we all had to start somewhere) so maybe just concentrate on getting the set up and diet perfected and necessary knowledge obtained (maybe you have already) first before worrying about breeding. There will be loads of time for breeding in the future.
So how are you keeping them at the moment? Viv or table? How are your temps? What do you do for humidity? What is their diet routine, (eg. Protein to green ratio). Are they active and eating well for you, how does their poop look?
Sorry for all the questions, it'll help us help you set it up right and in the long term encourage breeding.

As the OP said, Hingebacks don't hibernate but can be encouraged to go into a aestivation mode given dry conditions.
Also to the OP, have you hatched babies in the viv? That is really cool. Wouldn't you be afraid of the adults mixing babies up for a little snack??

The eggs are being incubated with the adults but are seperated by barrier from disturbing by adults. As I said the hatchlings will be raised seperately from adults to prevent harmful interaction with adults. This procedure was suggested to me by a couple successful breeders. As Mike said get the conditions right for adults (they can be delicate without correct conditions) and if this is done you should get breeding.Have fun , once established they are great torts.

 

[Jacqui]

I was one of the ones who told Larry about my success with the Homes hingebacks just leaving the eggs in with the adults. I know another who has done the same with other hingeback species. The hatchlings are removed once they have hatched, but as of this date, I have not heard of any of the adults harming the young.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

I was one of the ones who told Larry about my success with the Homes hingebacks just leaving the eggs in with the adults. I know another who has done the same with other hingeback species. The hatchlings are removed once they have hatched, but as of this date, I have not heard of any of the adults harming the young.

This is pretty interesting.
I'm assuming they are left in the adult's indoor enclosure, correct?

Would this be "hingeback" specific or could this/has this method worked with other species?

 

[Itort]

Mine are being incubated in the winter enclosure. I would not be comfortable with outside incubation in Iowa as conditions are so variable and period to short. The adults do spend the spring, summer, fall outside which I feel helps with breeding conditioning. This method may work well for Erosas but other Kinixys I can't say as their habitat is different, Jacqui would have a better idea.

 

[Jacqui]

These are all indoor enclosures I am talking about. The eggs are kept with the adults, once the hatchlings appear they get removed (but would have been with the adults until spotted). I did this with Homes. My friend has had this work for him with Speki, Bells, and Erosa as my memory recalls.

It seems to work for other species just by all the times you hear about somebody finding a surprise hatchling wandering around their enclosures. Outside you would have more problems for instance if the eggs were laid late in the year and winter's cold came too soon.

The major issues would be you have no control over the temps they may incubate at, losses due to females redigging in the same choice location, weather patterns like too much or not enough rain. If you can keep adults out of the section where the eggs are (be it inside or out) you increase your chances. Also keeping them in a different enclosure but one kept as though an adult lived in it would work too.

I think it is helpful with the hingebacks because it adds the element of temperature changes and moisture changes which seems to be helpful but the exact sort of diapause type method is not known for sure yet.