Inground incubation

[Raymo2477]

Well I'm a little shocked. I found eggs my Hermanns laid back in May and they have been in an incubator ever since. Three went bad and the others are just doing nothing.

I found a baby today in the pen. He's tiny and his belly is almost closed.

How common is this for them to actually do this?

 

[Abdulla6169]

Well I'm a little shocked. I found eggs my Hermanns laid back in May and they have been in an incubator ever since. Three went bad and the others are just doing nothing.

I found a baby today in the pen. He's tiny and his belly is almost closed.

How common is this for them to actually do this?

If you haven't purposefully mated them, the sperm from the last time she mated is still there. And it can remain for years...

 

[Raymo2477]

Well I didn't think the temps would be warm enough for this to happen naturally.

 

[Abdulla6169]

Well I didn't think the temps would be warm enough for this to happen naturally.

Keep watching the pen, hope someone helps

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

Sometime ago (many years) CTTC published an article by Mike Connors of a survey of in-ground incubation for southern California. If I reacll corretly about 25-30 species were reported. I see you are in eastern PA, but with good timing it would work for most of the testudo genus. Cool that you got the one hatchling.

They are creatures of habit, if you can sort out exactly where she laid and what week of the year, there is a good chance she will lay in the same general place during the same week next year. I had found that with several chelonians when I had them in outdoor pens.

 

[tortadise]

Well I'm a little shocked. I found eggs my Hermanns laid back in May and they have been in an incubator ever since. Three went bad and the others are just doing nothing.

I found a baby today in the pen. He's tiny and his belly is almost closed.

How common is this for them to actually do this?

It's naturally common for every turtle or tortoise. Especially in this spring-summer time when temps are just warm enough. Perfect for testudo like will had mentioned. They incubate rather rapidly 60-90 days sometimes shorter sometimes longer. Pretty cool that you found the little guy. I actually started working on heating the soil in my greenhouse here so I can leave all my eggs in the ground all year long. I've had numerous red foots hatch out of the ground here.

 

[Raymo2477]

Here's a better pic

 

[Jabuticaba]

What a pleasant surprise! Congrats! Baby looks very healthy and bright.


May, Aussies, & THBs
IG: @AUSSOMEAUSSIES

 

[TurtleBug]

Here's the link to the above mentioned article.

http://www.tortoise.org/general/natural.html

"Natural" Hatchings of Captive Chelonians, by Michael J. Connor, Ph.D.

Originally published in the Tortuga Gazette 33(5): 6-8, May 1997

 

[Yvonne G]

In my desert tortoise yard, there is one spot where tortoises have dug, dug and dug again and again. It is now more or less a permanent indentation in the ground full of very loose soil. So I'm walking past their yard going to the mailbox and I see there's a female in the hole flinging out dirt with her back legs. Trouble is, she's also flinging out eggs. I had a cat food spoon in my hand, so I went in there and rescued what I could. There were 12 eggs. Desert tortoises only lay about 4 or 5 eggs per clutch, so more than one female had made a nest in this hole. It is against the law to intervene with desert tortoises, so I never go looking for nests or eggs, but since I was aware of this happening, I had to rescue the eggs being tossed out of the nest.

Here in my neck-of-the-woods, there is a very bad red ant problem, and any eggs in the ground get eaten by ants.

 

[tortoisetime565]

Can I have him!! Lol.

 

[AnnV]

That is phenomenal! Congrats!

 

[Tom]

It is fairly common for any species kept here. Now we all know its possible for hermanni in PA.

Your baby looks great! Congrats!

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

Aww, he looks so healthy! Congrats to you and the mom

 

[turtlemanfla88]

congrads on baby I hope you find more hatchlings