My little female Delores is laying her eggs, finally. Last year in the beginning of January she began to dig test holes and after a few days she dug the real hole and laid three infertile eggs.
This year she dug a bunch of test holes in Mid-December and then... nothing. And NO, I didn't miss it, she just didn't lay. I bumped up the warm water soaks and calcium supplementation, but still nothing happened. Then today around 3 pm I walk by the pen and see her digging out the bottom portion of a nest chamber. No test holes, no nothin'. Just BOOM! Eggs. Well she kept digging so I left her alone, until it started getting dark. Then I hung a heat lamp over her as the temp was in the low 50's already. Well as of 8:20pm she's laid the eggs( can't tell how many yet, but I could see some ) and now she's just sort of sitting there and slowly pushing a little dirt on them with her back legs.
SOOOOO......... Questions:
1. Is she done laying?
2. Can I pull her out of the hole and stick her back in her heated den box or do I need to let her finish covering them up and walk away?
3. For incubation temps is it warmer for more females or the other way around? I always get it confused. Incubator is all set up with fresh vermiculite and ready to go, just need a temp to shoot for.
I've got lots of experience keeping, but very little with breeding.
Let me also ask that those of you who frown upon sullie breeding please keep your comments to yourself. I started this project 12 years ago and we didn't have the perceived problems back then that we do now. This is the completion of a long term goal for me, so please go pee on someone else's parade. Besides all of that, I'm ready, willing and able to care for all of the offspring even if nobody else wants a single one.
This year she dug a bunch of test holes in Mid-December and then... nothing. And NO, I didn't miss it, she just didn't lay. I bumped up the warm water soaks and calcium supplementation, but still nothing happened. Then today around 3 pm I walk by the pen and see her digging out the bottom portion of a nest chamber. No test holes, no nothin'. Just BOOM! Eggs. Well she kept digging so I left her alone, until it started getting dark. Then I hung a heat lamp over her as the temp was in the low 50's already. Well as of 8:20pm she's laid the eggs( can't tell how many yet, but I could see some ) and now she's just sort of sitting there and slowly pushing a little dirt on them with her back legs.
SOOOOO......... Questions:
1. Is she done laying?
2. Can I pull her out of the hole and stick her back in her heated den box or do I need to let her finish covering them up and walk away?
3. For incubation temps is it warmer for more females or the other way around? I always get it confused. Incubator is all set up with fresh vermiculite and ready to go, just need a temp to shoot for.
I've got lots of experience keeping, but very little with breeding.
Let me also ask that those of you who frown upon sullie breeding please keep your comments to yourself. I started this project 12 years ago and we didn't have the perceived problems back then that we do now. This is the completion of a long term goal for me, so please go pee on someone else's parade. Besides all of that, I'm ready, willing and able to care for all of the offspring even if nobody else wants a single one.