My new pancake is digging

[Tortoise]

Hi
I have only had my pair for a few weeks here so I was surprised to see the female digging over the last few days.
Her digging is on and off and the substrate isn't deep enough so I filled a large tub with peat moss yesterday and placed it under the MVB bulb.She had a look once but since then ignored it.(probably too cool for a while)She was digging in shallow bedding and I placed her in the peat tub over an hour ago and she went straight to digging.She has moments of digging and then rest periods.( She is still there)

I am so excited as this will be my very first tortoise egg ( if one is produced!)
I'm not home tomorrow or part of next day though but there will be people here that can help if given instruction.
I wonder if I should set up incubator running just in case and have a container of vermiculite (dampened) in there.

Any suggestions on temperature for incubator? I have read about some people starting low and increasing temps over time.

What would be the best choice for now?

Thanks
Louise

---

Hi
I have only had my pair for a few weeks here so I was surprised to see the female digging over the last few days.
Her digging is on and off and the substrate isn't deep enough so I filled a large tub with peat moss yesterday and placed it under the MVB bulb.She had a look once but since then ignored it.(probably too cool for a while)She was digging in shallow bedding and I placed her in the peat tub over an hour ago and she went straight to digging.She has moments of digging and then rest periods.( She is still there)

I am so excited as this will be my very first tortoise egg ( if one is produced!)
I'm not home tomorrow or part of next day though but there will be people here that can help if given instruction.
I wonder if I should set up incubator running just in case and have a container of vermiculite (dampened) in there.

Any suggestions on temperature for incubator? I have read about some people starting low and increasing temps over time.

What would be the best choice for now?

Thanks
Louise

UPDATE
She left nesting tub and is hiding again.

 

[Jacqui]

I would get the incubator set up just in case. So excited for you!!! Come on pancake, lay an egg.

 

[Tortoise]

Thanks Jacqui I think she has gone to bed for the day today.Just hope she doesn't lay when I'm not here. I guess if she laid it in the damp peat it will be ok for a day or two undisturbed?
I just can't get anything done here-the tortoises are too interesting!!!

---

I set incubator at 86 but wonder if I should try a diapause period at a temp of 79.
Anyone know if there are more successful incubations with the diapause or not?
Thanks

 

[african cake queen]

Thanks Jacqui I think she has gone to bed for the day today.Just hope she doesn't lay when I'm not here. I guess if she laid it in the damp peat it will be ok for a day or two undisturbed?
I just can't get anything done here-the tortoises are too interesting!!!

---

I set incubator at 86 but wonder if I should try a diapause period at a temp of 79.
Anyone know if there are more successful incubations with the diapause or not?
Thanks

---

hi, i put it right in incubator last time. the other times didnt find eggs right away. they were out for atleast a day. hate to tell you the wrong thing to do. good luck , hope all goes well.

 

[Tortoise]

Thanks Lindy
I may try a start at 79 for a few weeks (6) then slowly creep up to 86.
Read a more recent article on some breeders doing this and it sounds very successful
I can't see it hurting the egg really.
Now all I need is an EGG!!!

 

[AZtortMom]

I'm so excited for you!

 

[african cake queen]

Thanks Lindy
I may try a start at 79 for a few weeks (6) then slowly creep up to 86.
Read a more recent article on some breeders doing this and it sounds very successful
I can't see it hurting the egg really.
Now all I need is an EGG!!!

SOUNDS GREAT. KEEP ME POSTED.

 

[Jacqui]

Now all I need is an EGG!!!

I have 18 eggs you can have. Of course they are all hardboiled, deshelled, and dyed green.

 

[Tortoise]

I got 2 EGGS TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So happy!!!!!

She was digging for almost a week and today I popped a hide over the nesting tub and put her on it as I have been doing for a few days and she laid within the sheltered area in peat moss. I had also packed it down harder last night in case I was leaving it too soft and fluffed up.
So maybe combination of hard packed and the shelter??
I am new to this and these are my 1st tortoise eggs ever!!!!!!

 

[tortadise]

Congrats. They lay when they are ready thats for sure. Also you should have success if fertile doing 79. I start mine around 78 for a few weeks then increase 1 degree each week. Should start to see chalking and around 5 weeks then veins at 6-7 weeks. Then at that point increase temp every 3-7 days a degree or so until upper 80s are achieved. Keep medium relatively dry too. But humidity 70-80 percent in the incubator.

 

[Tortoise]

Thanks Kelly
I wonder if my medium is too moist?? I did about 1:2 (perlite :water) as 1:1 felt dry but I wasn't really sure as I've never hatched a tortoise egg before.
I have the taller fridge type incubator and I filled both water trays and popped in a cup size container full of water too.I also have lid on eggs with holes punched thru but maybe its too much moisture-what would you do??
Shall I drop temp to 78

I read this article on breeding pancake tortoises
http://www.reptilechannel.com/turtl...g-turtles-and-tortoises/pancake-tortoise.aspx

Thanks I appreciate the input

Louise

 

[tortadise]

Yeah it seems a bit wet. Just let it dry out. The lid and place it half over the container. Should dry out. 79 works. It really wont make that much difference. Dont touch the temps till you see veins though. What i do is take a photo of it being candled 1 week after the day it was laid And every 7 days after that and compare.

 

[Tortoise]

Ok I'll loosen lid and have it half over tub for now.
Thanks for tip on photos -I'll do that for sure.
Thanks this is great advice that I needed right away
I appreciate it Kelly
Now the patience game has begun!!The eggs seem so huge its unbelievable she had two-poor girl.It was funny we were taking her eggs and all she could do was eat and she took no notice of all the excitement and activity-just needed her food!!

 

[tortadise]

Haha yeah. its quite amazing.

Here is a sequence for yah. Still have not seen veins from this one yet. But you can see the embryo doing what it does. Starting to chalk with most recent. Veins should appear in a week or two if fertile, then I will increase temps and proceed with incubation. I recommend a LED pen light for candling. They are around 20 bucks and work great.

1 day in

2 weeks in

3 weeks in

4 weeks in

 

[Tortoise]

So the darker area to the right is the embryo?
Thanks we have not seen those LED pen lights are they from hardware stores?
With larger chicken eggs we candle with mag light and toilet tube to hold egg.
So to candle you don't ever lift egg from incubation medium?
Thanks

 

[tortadise]

Yeah I don't lift the egg. You can get the LED lights online or any hardware store or outdoor store should have them. I would assume Canada is relatively similar to the states store wise. I still don't know if this egg is fertile or not yet. I am thinking it is with the differences it has shown over just 4 weeks. Few more weeks and I should be able to tell hopefully.

 

[Tortoise]

So why does this diapause method prove to be so successful?
is it more natural as compared to eggs in the wild?
I have found little written about this in relation to tortoises thus far.
Thanks Kelly
I have been told not to rely on temp showing on incubator-thats a worry as I don't have the right equip here to do anything else yet.
I'll look into that.

 

[Jacqui]

Glad to see you got eggs!!

 

[tortadise]

Yeah dont rely on the incubator thermometer. Not sure which one you have. But get a thermometer that you cN read at ths egg level. Diapause is natural for most southern hemisphere species. They lay the eggs during the a colder season so the egg actually doesnt develop until the season changes and the temperatures increase. All the while the egg has already been laid. So its just a part of nature. This occurs in almost every south african species, madagascan, even south american (chacos mainly). It really depends on which species and where they are from. Tanzania or kenyan are a bit further up to the equator than that of swaziland so even some locales of pancakes can do without a diapause. Pancakes are pretty easy, and dont really require a hard diapause unlike pyxis where the eggs need to be in mid 60s off and on until its broken and show signs of development. Thats my take on it. All depends on which species it is and what climate naturally occurs to their

 

[african cake queen]

two eggs! how cool. now its a waiting game. i am so happy for you. best of luck with them.