More eggs

Cheryl Hills

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Well, she did it again! Third clutch of eggs. Three eggs this time. How many clutches will a female Russian lay? This time it has been two weeks from the last clutch. Now, if they are fertile it will be great. Still don’t see any real changes in the other eggs.
 

Tom

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Many times first year moms lay more clutches and more eggs than "normal". Hatch rate is usually low, but there are exceptions.
 

Cheryl Hills

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Many times first year moms lay more clutches and more eggs than "normal". Hatch rate is usually low, but there are exceptions.
The person that had her last year said she payed two clutches but they were not fertile. I hope at least one of mine are.
 

ohio

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Just curious on what your nesting box is like? 50/50 sand and garden mix? Lighting? Etc... I believe 2 of my females are gravid but never dig. They mount the others like males and squeak eat on the cuttlebone and pace. I just don't want them to get egg bound. Nice with the third clutch. What type of incubator are you using?
 

Cheryl Hills

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I have an indoor enclosure with peat moss. There is no nesting box. She finds a place and digs. If your females are mounting each other, that is a sign of aggression too. Have they ever payed eggs or bin with a male? Sand is not a good substrate. It can cause irritation and impaction. My female does get restless and chases anything in the enclosure when she is ready to lay. She may dig several holes before she finds the right one. My substrate is about 6 to 8 inches deep. My females are also about 7 inches long, so she is big.
 

ohio

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I have 4 inches of peat moss in the enclosure then two bins nesting boxes with 50/50 mix sand and peat moss that have lights over them to keep temps up. Add water to nesting boxes to keep moist. The only sand is in the nesting boxes just because that's what I've read on the forum. I could add more peat to the rest of the enclosure. Three have been with males for the last two years. Definitely saw activity but not 100% if the males got the job done lol. My two females that are acting this way are a little over six inches. The one they keep mounting is only 5.5 inches.
 

Cheryl Hills

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Well, clutch number 4! One egg this time. I sure wish at least one is fertile. We will see. If she keeps going like this, I will need a bigger incubator. Guess I will have to get busy with the one I am going to build. I already got the heat tape, small fridge and stuff. I want to get a different thermostat. The ink bird just don’t hold the temps as steady as I would like. It fluctuates about 3%.
 

Yvonne G

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That may be ok, Cheryl. Afterall, in nature the temp underground has a slight fluctuation too.
 

NorCal tortoise guy

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I use a helix DBS-1000 control on my incubator they are a bit expensive but work very well! being a proportional thermostat it has very good control of the temp
 
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