gestation time???

[NEtorts]

does anyone know the time in days that it will take from copulation to egg laying??? last year I watched my male and female greek mating many time through out the summer....I dont know why but I just didn't think they were going to make babies then in september my son found 3 baby's walking around the floor of my tortoise shed....they were healthy and still are.... about triple in size since then....well mom and pop have started to go at it again and I am hoping to pay better attention to her when she is looking to lay her eggs, id like to incubate them this year if i can catch her laying the eggs....so i was wondering when i should start looking for egg laying behavior... thanks for any experiences

 

[GBtortoises]

My Ibera breed and nest solely outdoors. To some degree, timing seems to depend upon favorable weather, at least here where I live. Mine usually breed from mid May through mid June and will nest about 10-15 days after I being bred. Mine nest from early June through early to mid July. They will also usually breed again, half-heartedly, in late August, early September but nesting rarely takes place from the fall breeding. Again, that is all based on my tortoises in my climate. Other keepers in other parts of the country will likely have different results based on their climate.
My Ibera females almost always nest in the very late afternoon to early evening and the females that are getting ready to nest are usually evident a few days ahead of time. They will usually completely stop, or vary rarely eat anything starting about a week before nesting. I often see them drinking more water than they usually would be. They will also begin sniffing the ground, especially around potential nesting sites and will sometimes "hang out" at that site for hours on end.
Although I have not witnessed my Ibera doing so, my Eastern Hermann's females will also sometimes dig or paw at the ground with their front feet and then sniff around the spot. I've never read about this action being explained, but I believe that they can sense moisture in the ground somehow by doing so. This probaby tells them if it is a potentially good spot to nest. I have also seen one particular Eastern female chase other females away from the spot she has picked to nest in once she is getting very close to actually nesting. I've never witnessed this with Ibera or other Testudo either.

 

[NEtorts]

thanks for the info......im surprised that they only take around 15 days from breeding to laying! great to know though......

 

[GBtortoises]

I completely left out some important information in my post above!

Mine also, after the initial nesting will almost always lay a second and many a third clutch of eggs. These vary in duration anywhere from about 15-25 days from the first nesting and from each other.

The time from mating to nesting (10-15) days for the first "cycle" of my tortoises may be unique due to the climate in my area. I do not believe that it is typically that short elsewhere or in nature. That is why I always try to emphasis that this is what my tortoises do in my area. Other keepers in different climates will likely have different results. Mine come out of hibernation usually in early to mid April but because of the cool, usually wet weather throughout April and early May, they spend most of their time in their shelters peering out. So that time is "wasted" as compared to what they might experience in other climates.