redfoot eggs

[Anyfoot]

Well my largest female(pushing 14") redfoot has been acting a bit strange for about 3 weeks now. She stopped eating at one point, sitting in the corner very subdued at times, I started bathing her fearing for illness. She kept pushing all the time as though she was constipated, After baths she would only eat fruit and this one likes her greens and grass.
She started dragging one of her back legs around without bending her knee.
So about a wk ago I made my mind up she must be gravid. In the last wk I've caught her digging twice and getting restless. I put the incubator on 3 days ago just incase. Lone behold she dropped 5 eggs today, but she broke one. So got 4.
What I really wanted to pick your guys brains about was this. I've only had this female about 3 months.
All 4 eggs are very different sizes, one is huge. 2 look very calcified.
Is it possible she has been holding on to some for a while and dropped 2 clutches?
Is 5 eggs enough for 2 clutches?
Why would some calcify and not others?
Is different size and shaped eggs normal within the same clutch?

Anyway they are in incubator now in vermiculite @ 29.5c. What humidity should I be aiming for?

Thanks

 

[Yvonne G]

I think the two on top were probably held eggs from before. They were too big for her to pass, but she eventually was able to get them out, thank goodness! I don't know the normal clutch size for RF tortoises, sorry.

 

[Anyfoot]

I think the two on top were probably held eggs from before. They were too big for her to pass, but she eventually was able to get them out, thank goodness! I don't know the normal clutch size for RF tortoises, sorry.

I was bathing her every other day fearing she was coming down with an illness. Whilst bathing she would push that hard all around the base of the neck would blow up like a balloon. Quite scary. I also offered food after her bath hoping she would start eating. She would only eat fruit, this is not normal for her, she eats a very good mixed diet. Could it be the natural thing to eat more fruit when trying to get her system loose. I know the last owner fed a very high fibre diet. Her stool was very dry and solid when we first got her.
Anyway, ordeal is over, glad it was just eggs.

 

[Yvonne G]

This type of straining is what sometimes causes prolapse, so you're lucky that didn't happen. I'm not sure of the way the tubes and pipes inside the tortoise are situated, but I don't think the food and feces pass through the same areas as the eggs will pass through, so I don't think diet or change in diet would make a difference. When a bird is egg bound, one is supposed to set them up under a light in a quiet place and supposedly the heat helps them to pass the egg. Maybe next time making her warmer than normal will help, but then again, let's hope there's isn't a next time.

 

[Anyfoot]

This type of straining is what sometimes causes prolapse, so you're lucky that didn't happen. I'm not sure of the way the tubes and pipes inside the tortoise are situated, but I don't think the food and feces pass through the same areas as the eggs will pass through, so I don't think diet or change in diet would make a difference. When a bird is egg bound, one is supposed to set them up under a light in a quiet place and supposedly the heat helps them to pass the egg. Maybe next time making her warmer than normal will help, but then again, let's hope there's isn't a next time.

So could that have been my doing in a 3 month period or the past owner?

 

[Yvonne G]

Neither. You'll never know the reason she was unable to pass the eggs before. Probably because they are just so darned big. Maybe after she grew a bit bigger, it made it better for them to be able to pass.

 

[mike taylor]

My red lays two / four when she lays . But she lays little eggs that blow up .

 

[AnimalLady]

Because she held these eggs in, does that mean they cant hatch? Or is that still a possibility?

Congrats!

 

[Anyfoot]

Because she held these eggs in, does that mean they cant hatch? Or is that still a possibility?

Congrats!

There is still chance for them to hatch. I'm not holding any hopes though. To be honest I'm not ready for this stage of tortoising. I had visions of setting up my adult enclosure. Getting that running correctly first, which will be trial and error ironing out expected and unexpected problems. Then create a few small enclosures to raise and study juveniles.
I need to get a move on with things.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

If even one hatches I'm officially jealous!!!

 

[AnimalLady]

There is still chance for them to hatch. I'm not holding any hopes though. To be honest I'm not ready for this stage of tortoising. I had visions of setting up my adult enclosure. Getting that running correctly first, which will be trial and error ironing out expected and unexpected problems. Then create a few small enclosures to raise and study juveniles.
I need to get a move on with things.

Definitely need to get a move on it! Keep us posted!

 

[JourneyN15]

That's awesome! They look great. The one is huge! If she buried them or tried to bury them I think there's a very good chance you'll get hatchlings. One of the two eggs my female laid on Monday was speckled with calcification on one end, and the eggs were different shapes, like yours. I'm assuming she held this one longer because of the size/calcification. I'm keeping the humidity between 80% - 90% for these Redfoot eggs. The average has been 85 %. An experienced breeder in Tampa warned me about the radiant heat from the heating element. He lost a whole incubator full of Sulcata eggs. They got cooked. He advised something over the eggs, like a lid to the container, he even suggested a piece of damp newspaper or paper towel. If my humidity goes above 90 I open the incubator for a minute and take the loose lid off the egg container for about 30 seconds to a minute. That has only happened once. And as long as I'm seeing some condensation droplets on the side of the egg container and I have the right humidity reading, I feel good about the humidity. Keep us updated!

 

[Anyfoot]

Well I got home from work today to find another of my females laying 5 eggs. Totally unexpected, she showed no difference in behavior what's so ever. Sooo hope these are fertile. Out of all my rescues this one is the most pyramided, looks like she wasn't cared for well at all, be nice to have some if her juveniles. Really dark head pattern too. We will see.

 

[N2TORTS]

Yvonne' and Mike ...spot on with info . I do have a large female who is a very good producer who lays 5-7, along with viability. But normal clutch size for Reds...2-5. A couple of my females seem to break one or two during the cover process even with ideal soil conditions. I think this may be related to an "experience" thing , as the mature a female gets that is producing more clutches seems to become a better "back-filler"
Congrads with your clutches!
Nice to see some other Winter clutches~