My Leopard Laid Eggs Today

[RandyTortoise]

My giant Leopard tortoise was laying eggs when I got home from work today! She had dug the hole and started laying about 30 min after I arrived. She laid 9 eggs in about 25 minutes and now bring her nest.
I have my incubator set up and warming up to 88f and have plastic containers with wet vermiculite waiting for when I dig them up later tonight.
I am waiting for her to finish burying them. I will then take her inside the house so she doesn’t see me do this. She is outside.
Great day!

 

[RandyTortoise]

My giant Leopard tortoise was laying eggs when I got home from work today! She had dug the hole and started laying about 30 min after I arrived. She laid 9 eggs in about 25 minutes and now bring her nest.
I have my incubator set up and warming up to 88f and have plastic containers with wet vermiculite waiting for when I dig them up later tonight.
I am waiting for her to finish burying them. I will then take her inside the house so she doesn’t see me do this. She is outside.
Great day!

 

[RandyTortoise]

Incubator

 

[RandyTortoise]

The hole is gone! Took 25 minutes to bury the eggs!

 

[Tom]

There is no rush to get them out of the ground. Leave them in the nest for a few days while you make sure the incubator is all set and stable.

You said "wet vermiculite". How wet? Did you weight the vermiculite and water? Too much water and the eggs will take it on and split open. Not enough and the eggs will desiccate.

Have you seen this thread?

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

 

[RandyTortoise]

There is no rush to get them out of the ground. Leave them in the nest for a few days while you make sure the incubator is all set and stable.

You said "wet vermiculite". How wet? Did you weight the vermiculite and water? Too much water and the eggs will take it on and split open. Not enough and the eggs will desiccate.

Have you seen this thread?

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

I am thinking to do what you suggested previously by weighing a 50/50 mix of water and vermiculite.

 

[Anastasia 22]

Congratulations!!!!! Hopefully all will hatch!!!!!