Help needed asap please (large yolk)

[Tolis]

Testudo ibera graeca egg broke prematurely on day 102. The turtoise is alive moving its limbs with the sack still attached on to it. Is there any chance of it surviving? I wrapped it in wet paper towels. My mom feels really bad for breaking it please tell me if there's anything I can do to help it survive.
Also, is it normal for eggs to take so long to hatch?

 

[Tolis]

I have had the chance in the meantime to google similar help threads. I will keep it on wet towels make sure it is well ventilated it and can breathe. 30C temperature. Any other tip is welcome ?

 

[zovick]

I have had the chance in the meantime to google similar help threads. I will keep it on wet towels make sure it is well ventilated it and can breathe. 30C temperature. Any other tip is welcome ?

From what I can see in the picture, the tortoise looks as though it will be all right. I suggest rinsing it off very gently to get the dirt and incubation medium off the yolk sac and shell. The yolk sac should shrink in size daily, but while that is happening, you must be very careful not to puncture it or the tortoise will die from infection.

While you are waiting for the yolk sac to shrink to the point where the tortoise can begin to walk, you should give it a drink once or twice daily. I used to do this by putting the tortoise in the palm of my hand with some water. You could also put it in a round bottomed dish to do this, but don't leave the tortoise soaking in water until its yolk sac has shrunk way down. Just put it in the water for a minute or so so that it can drink, then take it out again and place it back where you are keeping it on the paper towels.

Many tortoise eggs take 100-120 days to hatch, so this one probably would have hatched on its own in the next week or two. If it were not that close to hatching, it would have a more difficult chance of survival as the yolk sacs usually get infected when they are broken out of their eggs much too early.

 

[Tolis]

Thank you zovick I followed your advice and just 4 days later the yolk sac is almost gone. In the meantime 4 more have hatched and I am wondering if it's ready to join the siblings. The big terrarium seems like a better environment than the tupperware.

 

[Tom]

Thank you zovick I followed your advice and just 4 days later the yolk sac is almost gone. In the meantime 4 more have hatched and I am wondering if it's ready to join the siblings. The big terrarium seems like a better environment than the tupperware.

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Please take them off of that sand. It will kill them. They need a good week in the Tupperware while the umbilical scars close up. This is also a good time for you to introduce a wide variety of foods for them. Please give this a read:

How To Incubate Eggs And Start Hatchlings

I put my eggs in a plastic shoe box with a lid on it and put the shoe box in the incubator. You can drill a couple of very small holes around the top of the container, but not on the lid. I use vermiculite as an incubation media. I mix it in a 1 : 1 ratio with water by weight for Sulcatas and...

tortoiseforum.org

More detailed info with pics and explanation here. Its a different species, but the same info applies to all hatchlings:

Sudan Sulcatas (This never gets old...)

DAY 7:

tortoiseforum.org

Here is more info on raising them once they are ready to be in an enclosure:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[saleena.lewis]

Thank you zovick I followed your advice and just 4 days later the yolk sac is almost gone. In the meantime 4 more have hatched and I am wondering if it's ready to join the siblings. The big terrarium seems like a better environment than the tupperware.

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I'm so glad to see that the yolk sac is almost all the way gone. But from the pictures, It looks like you have sand as a substrate? I would change that asap.

 

[Tolis]

Thanks for the links Tom, I carefully read everything twice (your care sheet is my new bible now) and I am surprised by the amount of misinformation there is on the internet, I have been doing everything wrong! Eggs incubated in perlite, hatchlings spending the first 1-2 years indoors on pure sand without UV lamp (they were hibernating in winter months).

I will replace all the substrate with coco coir. I have the option to choose between the fine-grain coco soil and the bigger chip husk pieces. I assume it's best to go with the bigger pieces that look like orchid bark to offer better traction?

On another note, the second batch of (4) eggs started hatching on day 80. (the first batch of (7) eggs took more than 100 days). Perhaps spraying them with water a few days ago had something to do with it.

Unfortunately, one of the babies seems to have some sort of carapace mutation (pic attached). The little guy was full of life strong and kicking like a horse when I picked it up for a quick wash to get the eggshell detached from it, but the bottom carapace looks very mutated. Will it survive or is it a matter of time before he has some kind of organ failure growing up?

Lastly, I think I am getting hooked up to the hobby, and since I have a big yard and live in the eastern Mediterranean (Cyprus) I am considering buying an African spurred sulcata couple. I did a quick search online and I am seeing ridiculous prices, even for these little greek iberas I have they are asking for more than $200 each. Any advice where I can buy them from in Europe or advice on whether I should buy them or not are most welcome.

 

[Tom]

Thanks for the links Tom, I carefully read everything twice (your care sheet is my new bible now) and I am surprised by the amount of misinformation there is on the internet, I have been doing everything wrong! Eggs incubated in perlite, hatchlings spending the first 1-2 years indoors on pure sand without UV lamp (they were hibernating in winter months).

I will replace all the substrate with coco coir. I have the option to choose between the fine-grain coco soil and the bigger chip husk pieces. I assume it's best to go with the bigger pieces that look like orchid bark to offer better traction?

On another note, the second batch of (4) eggs started hatching on day 80. (the first batch of (7) eggs took more than 100 days). Perhaps spraying them with water a few days ago had something to do with it.

Unfortunately, one of the babies seems to have some sort of carapace mutation (pic attached). The little guy was full of life strong and kicking like a horse when I picked it up for a quick wash to get the eggshell detached from it, but the bottom carapace looks very mutated. Will it survive or is it a matter of time before he has some kind of organ failure growing up?

Lastly, I think I am getting hooked up to the hobby, and since I have a big yard and live in the eastern Mediterranean (Cyprus) I am considering buying an African spurred sulcata couple. I did a quick search online and I am seeing ridiculous prices, even for these little greek iberas I have they are asking for more than $200 each. Any advice where I can buy them from in Europe or advice on whether I should buy them or not are most welcome.

Hi! Never spray the eggs directly. If more moisture is needed, add it carefully along the edges being care full to to get the eggs wet.

Use the coco coir not the chips for a baby. Use a thick layer and hand pack it down firmly. ou might have to hand pack it for a few days and then it settles in nicely for them.

It is normal for the plastron to be folded over like that in a new hatchling. It will usually flatten out in a day or two in a brooder box on damp paper towels or flat edible leaves. It will likely be a normal healthy fantastic looking baby.

We've all gotten and followed bad advice. Don't feel bad. Be glad you found the right info now, and spread the word to others.

Sulcatas are a fantastic species. Amazing personalities. The problem is they get HUGE, dig a lot, and are very destructive. They are also expensive and difficult to house and feed in comparison to the smaller more manageable Testudo. You'll have to decide if you want all that hassle, expense and yard destruction. Some people find it well worth the effort and some don't. Its a lot to deal with as they gain size, but in a warm climate like yours or mine, and if you have a large yard, it can work fairly easily with a heated outdoor night box.

I have no idea where to get one in Europe. Very few people start them correctly and that will be your biggest obstacle. Finding a healthy baby that isn't all dried out and damaged. Good luck!

 

[Tolis]

After just a night of research I have returned down to earth and realized owning sulcatas is a waaaay bigger commitment than my little greek iberas. It will most certainly destroy my house and marriage

 

[Tolis]

After just a night of research I have returned down to earth and realized owning sulcatas is a waaaay bigger commitment than my little greek iberas. It will most certainly destroy my house and marriage

Just for the record i just wanna state that the wife supported the decision and we got a baby sulcata. Now I have to find a smooth way to introduce a couple of aldabras in the yard