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danieledwards2006

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Hi all,

I saw my female digging yesterday but the ground was too hard so I quickly threw some mud and sand together and created a slope for her with a lamp above it in her greenhouse. I went out this morning at 10.00 and she was digging a nest after 40 mins she laid 2 large eggs. I now have them in the incubator so fingers crossed.

Before christmas she laid 5 infertile eggs after laying them she dropped from 890g to 825g this time she weighed 887g and now weighs 878g after laying 2 eggs. This means she probably is holding more!? If this is the case how long do they normally take to try and lay the rest? Also will a tortoise ever lay in the same place or will they remember where they laid the previous ones and avoid that spot?

The hole she dug wasnt really deep so could this have been a factor which stopped her laying more?

Thanks
 

Fernando

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Sorry I'm not a pro and I can't answer all your questions, but from what I've read, a female can sometimes lay in the same spot sometimes (if the eggs are not removed) lay on top of the previous eggs, even smashing them.
 

danieledwards2006

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yeah she chose to lay them half way down the slope so was only 4 inches deep this was enough for the 2 eggs she buried them and left. I then dug them out after.

Do you think I should setup anymore nests or leave the one that worked this time?
 

Fernando

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danieledwards2006 said:
yeah she chose to lay them half way down the slope so was only 4 inches deep this was enough for the 2 eggs she buried them and left. I then dug them out after.

Do you think I should setup anymore nests or leave the one that worked this time?

Do you have anymore females? I don't see why it would hurt. Along the same area...I'm sure she'd like options.
 

danieledwards2006

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I have 2 more females they have never laid yet. I shall make another nest for her. It was lucky I saw her laying this morning as she patted the mud down so well I wouldnt have found them as the weight loss was small.
 

Terry Allan Hall

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By no means an expert on breeding Hermann's, but I have bred Russians, so there'll be some overlap...Having a few more nests, so she can choose, has no downside...also, I've always heard that a mama tortoise prefers a nest spot that faces the south, to get the best sun, so I'm thinking you'll want to make sure that at least one spot is aligned thusly.

GBTortoises will likely be along directly and he's got a lot of seasoned advice to share.
 
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