More Platynota Babies Hatching!

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
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Jan 9, 2010
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What kind of incubator do you use? And congrats!?
Home made incubator made from a stand up freezer with the guts removed. Heat is provided by two RHPs controlled by a digital proportional thermostat, and circulated by a couple of computer fans.
 

PA2019

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5 Year Member
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Mar 19, 2017
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Tucson, AZ
@Tom how is the the TSD coming along for this species? I know a couple years ago you posted something to the effect of ‘nobody knows how to tsd this species’. Apologies if my memory is wrong. Curious, since this species seems to produce so much.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
@Tom how is the the TSD coming along for this species? I know a couple years ago you posted something to the effect of ‘nobody knows how to tsd this species’. Apologies if my memory is wrong. Curious, since this species seems to produce so much.
@Markw84 has been tracking that, but I don't know what his progress is.

Without lab grade equipment and 100% controlled conditions, like what was done with the sulcata eggs years ago, I don't know how far we will get. At best, someone like Mark will be able to say something like: "I did this, and got this result". He is using very accurate recording devices, and he is very careful and thorough in his methodology, so it should give us a good idea of what temps produce which sex ratio for this species when he is done. How well other people will be able to duplicate whatever Mark is doing is another question entirely.

Most breeders sell their babies long before the sexes can be known, and we don't get much follow up 3 years later with each individual sale, so I think most breeders don't know what sexes they are producing with their cooling and incubation routines. I don't. I've not held any back. I've sold dozens of them and I only know the sexes of two that were given to a friend and a family member. The friend got a male, and the family member was given the baby that hatched 8 months late. Don't know how or why it went that way, but that one is also a male.

At this point, I hatched 50 the first year, 84 the next year, and I stand at 31 hatched for this year with 8 clutches still left to hatch. I only know the sex of those two. Anyone who has bought a baby from me, feel free to chime in if you know the sex of yours. I incubate at 88F. No night drop. I leave the eggs to diapause at room temp for about 4-6 weeks. Room temp in my house would be around 70 in winter and around 75-80 in summer.
 
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