- Joined
- Jul 13, 2013
- Messages
- 38
My Shella just now laid an egg and there's NOTHING open around here to get an incubator till morning. Anyone got any ideas of what I should do till then?
parrotlady said:Pop it in the incubator, you might be surprised. I found an egg on top of the ground and it did hatch!
kimber_lee_314 said:Did she dig a nest? If not, it probably isn't fertile. What kind of tortoise do you have?
parrotlady said:Please keep us posted, also keep watch as I am sure she will lay more eggs. It sounds like she hasn't found a good nesting site.
tortadise said:Could lay any day really. Russian females as well with any tortoise really, can stress a good deal if the male is still with her. Just make sure there is ample depth for her to nest. I would allow 10" or so of soil in maybe one or two corners fer her to choose which area she likes. As for the egg. Keep it warm and if should be fine. Given it being fertile it will hatch if kept warm enough and not too dry or wet. I'd make sure it stays around high 80s.
On another note too. When you do get an incubator run it and tweek the temps for a few days before putting the egg inside. If Tamps get too high or too low in the beginning or could harm and halt development. So once you get an incubator make sure the temps stay consistent, day/night before trusting it with the future of the egg. Also is she lays more in up coming days or weeks. Mark your calender. She will more than likely lay more 4 to 6 weeks after these if she is in a production state.
Good luck
kimber_lee_314 said:Is there any way you could set her outside for a while? She might dig a nest right away.
Baoh said:It looks like she tried to make the best of what she had, but still found it lacking and went on with the process. You might want to add a ton more substrate, although you said you already have. I would use soil without perlite.
Baoh said:There is more to it than depth, but the smell must be right from what I see many females do. I am not sure if they are checking moisture or some other cue that their olfactory sense can detect.
If you suspect she is retaining and that this is less than ideal or risky, you could take her to get induced and then prep further for future clutches. Incubate anything intact that is expelled. I keep a supply of oxytocin and another compound (that is a bit more drastic) on-hand in case I deem this sort of thing necessary.
Baoh said:Do you want a male or a female (if it is fertile)?
I would get a secondary thermometer such that you can place the tip of the probe near the egg itself. I like the digital cooking ones you can find at grocery stores for $5-10 if you do not have lab grade stuff. Several of the ones sold at pet stores are of poor quality in my experience.
For most chelonians, I would say 82-84F for male and 88-90F for female. Thresholds often fall around 86/87F.