Calypso is digging...

[Crazy1]

Thanks Kelly. Sorry, I’m a little panicked as I leave for vacation in TWO days and the person who is looking out for them is only set to feed and make sure they have water they know nothing about torts.

So far:
I have separated Echo and Ajax. She started digging and he kept bumping her while she was digging (not good).

I am going to call around tomorrow for an incubator as you described. I see her substrate is not good either. I will get some peat and mix it with soil tomorrow and moisten it so it holds together better.

Kelly I know you said you placed Calypso in a box so she could lay her eggs. How big is this box?

Echoes winter home is now 29 in. x 48 in. and her substrate in middle is about 8 in deep.
Would it be better if I placed her in a bit smaller but deeper Plastic tote and gave her more substrate?

When I had Comet it was so easy. Step into the enclosure and there she is.

 

[egyptiandan]

If you can Robyn I'd do the same thing as Kelly did. If not just place a hotspot over the center spot that is 8 inches deep.
It depends on the female but some don't like being moved to a different spot to lay. One of my greek females is like this. She'll dig in her table, but when I put her in a laying tub she won't dig. So then I have to shift her back and forth. Letting her dig in the table then putting her in the tub. It takes a few days to get her hormones up enough to just dig in the tub.

Danny

 

[wayne.bob]

great video Kelly.
i hope both of your torts do well with their nesting.

 

[Crazy1]

OK Echo is still eating a little this morning after digging her first hole. I have amended the soil and made it mainly soil with bead a beast added a litttle water for moisture and packed it down. She sniffed it then started digging.
I found a Hovabator Incubator as Danny suggested and will pick it up in an hour. Hope her eating is indicating she will wait until I get back form vacation.

 

[egyptiandan]

It would be okay if she laid while you were gone Robyn. The eggs will be just fine until you got back. I missed 4 Golden eggs this fall in my laying box. They were there for 2 weeks in less than ideal conditions, as I'd shut the lights out. All four are fertile and growing just fine, so fertile eggs can withstand quite a bit.

Danny

 

[Crazy1]

It would be okay if she laid while you were gone Robyn. The eggs will be just fine until you got back. I missed 4 Golden eggs this fall in my laying box. They were there for 2 weeks in less than ideal conditions, as I'd shut the lights out. All four are fertile and growing just fine, so fertile eggs can withstand quite a bit.

Danny

OK, Thanks Danny but the stork has landed. We have three eggs. I have set up the incubator and they are in there now. She still seems a little interested in digging. She is nosing the dirt. So maybe more to come? But now I won't worry so much if she lays while I am gone. Whew!

 

[cvalda]

WOOHOOOOOOO! Hopefully the stork's next stop is my house!

 

[Crazy1]

Kelly any luck with Calypso yet?
Boy or boy, being a tort grandma is harder than being a human grandma.

 

[egyptiandan]

Thats excellent news Robyn. 3 is about normal clutch size for T. g. antakyensis, so she shouldn't be laying again for another 20 to 30 days.
Keep a very close eye on the incubator. It's sometimes hard to keep the temperatures low. Keep checking it these first few days.
What do you have the eggs in and what are they sitting on?
What are you doing for humidity?

Danny

 

[JustAnja]

Congrats Gramma Robyn! Good luck with the eggs.

 

[jlyoncc1]

OMG! Congrats! It will be so much fun hearing about the progress!

 

[Crazy1]

Thats excellent news Robyn. 3 is about normal clutch size for T. g. antakyensis, so she shouldn't be laying again for another 20 to 30 days.
Keep a very close eye on the incubator. It's sometimes hard to keep the temperatures low. Keep checking it these first few days.
What do you have the eggs in and what are they sitting on?
What are you doing for humidity?

Danny

I wiped them off with a damp towel-dryed them then placed them on vermiculite. I kind of made a nest shape in it and placed them on it. I numbered, measured and weighed each egg. #1=17 gm 3.5cm, #2=15 gm 3.2cm and #3=16 gm 3.0 cm. Temp is about 94 and humidity I am shooting for no less than 50% I have a small bowl with water inside the incubator and a hydrometer so I can keep track. Any suggestions or tweaks are appreciated.

Also how long before I can find out if they are fertile eggs?

 

[cvalda]

nothing new here. she rested almost all morning, and ate like a tiger. now she's digging again.

 

[egyptiandan]

Hi Robyn,
You want to get that temperature down a bit to about 88F. Is the vermiculite dry?
The yolk on a good egg will settle to the bottom within 24 hours, you will see what looks like a line of yellow on the bottom and no color on top if you look on the side of the egg when you shine a small flash light on top of the egg.
Other than that a fertile egg should start to chalk up (turn white) within a week, sometimes taking 3 weeks to show that.
I'll post some pictures later.

Danny

 

[cvalda]

SHE JUST LAYED TWO EGGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dropping her second egg:

Burying her eggs:

The proud papa, Roland, giving me a high five!

I'm sooooo excited!!!!!!!

 

[barbie69]

YAY!!! HOW TOTALLY COOL!! Congrats on the eggs and thanks for the pics too!! Roland looks way too excited!! LOL

 

[cvalda]

Okay so since I don't have an incubator yet we did dig the eggs out and put them in an temporary "incubator" following something I had seen Joe Heinen suggest. So hopefully all is good! I hope it stays moist enough!

 

[Crazy1]

Congratulations Kelly, Roland looks so totally cool and proud. Yeah, you got pictures of Calypso laying, how cool is that.

OK danny so temp about 88 and humidity about 70%. Yes the vermiculite is dry. I have a larger bowl of water in there to keep humidity up. I will be watching the temp and humidity like a hawk until I leave tomorrow night. Then I am placing them with a Teacher friend of mine, who I am sure will watch them like a hawk. Thanks Danny.

 

[cvalda]

This will be exciting for us to be "expecting" babies at the same time! It'll be great to see how they grow together! LOL!

 

[egyptiandan]

Thats great news Kelly and great pictures. Don't worry so much about humidity Kelly, just temperature.

Your welcome Robyn

Kelly the Russians will be hatching before the Greeks will be.

Danny