Spekii

[Kapidolo Farms]

I got three spekii eggs today. Hope they hatch.

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

Yeah, so the secret is maybe discernible from this meager post. I keep some record of things here. I was too tired to work my way into my own computer database last night. So I recorded it here.

Three eggs from group 2, laid on the surface, soiled with poop. rinsed and scrubbed with a soft tooth brush, set up with Hatchrite at 86F incubator. Perforated produce bag for a an air breathing top.

 

[Yvonne G]

I didn't realize you had gotten back into the hingeback tortoises. I'd love to come visit your menagerie some day. But knowing me and the way I love being away from home, I doubt that'll ever happen.

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

I didn't realize you had gotten back into the hingeback tortoises. I'd love to come visit your menagerie some day. But knowing me and the way I love being away from home, I doubt that'll ever happen.

My progress on building everything to my own specs is slower than my own specs. When I get there I'll make a short video.

 

[MichaelaW]

Yeah, so the secret is maybe discernible from this meager post. I keep some record of things here. I was too tired to work my way into my own computer database last night. So I recorded it here.

Three eggs from group 2, laid on the surface, soiled with poop. rinsed and scrubbed with a soft tooth brush, set up with Hatchrite at 86F incubator. Perforated produce bag for a an air breathing top.

Very cool! Keep us posted.

 

[juli11]

Can you show us the enclosure? And tell the conditions?
You think they're fertile?

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

The enclosure is a 54 gallon rubbermaid tote with a smaller sweater box for a hide.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/23475429...75035&wl11=online&wl12=23475429&wl13=&veh=sem

Set like this
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/chambers-my-take-of-the-idea.77044/

The eggs' fertility is not something I can really guess at, the male mounts frequently enough that they could be fertile. As of this morning no 'banding' occurred.

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

On Facebook there is a loose forum of sorts where many with tremendous expertise share their knowledge. Many of the people in that venue in the many groups and pages do not share here.

I learned from James Badman that these eggs incubate much like Pyxis eggs in that you incubate for two months, place into a cool down for two months then incubate to hatching. Also much like the SA phenotype leopards and radiata.

James, David Mifsud, and Will Ahern have all hatched these guys. Odd how James spoke out so freely seeking to share both his expertise and potentially my success. This reignites my idea that we are having fun. Much like a lizard breeder in FLA often says "I don't do this for the money", well neither do I, but getting some $ from success is not bad either. I agree I don't do it FOR the money, but making money doing it is okay. When someone shares this kind of critical knowledge I have to pause and think, they know if all of a sudden 100's and 100's of any species is bred, or many fewer depending on interest to buy, price may go down. They are potentially creating their own reduced $ recovery from their effort by sharing knowledge with me. Thanks to James for this sharing of knowledge. To me it's a big deal.

So come 18 February I will place the eggs in my garage near the floor, with a variable temp of 58 to 65F, then back into the incubator at 86F. Hopefully we will see some development.

In 2000 I bred some spekii, but quite by accident. I had broken my back in July and had very limited opportunity for much more than just throwing food in and asking a girlfriend and a neighbor to help me change waters. Many months later when I was able to climb ladders again and do intensive cleaning, I found some desiccated neonates in the adult spekii enclosure. That was bitter sweet.

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

I got three spekii eggs today. Hope they hatch.

So today, two months later they eggs go into a cooling cycle. I have one of those high low thermometers with the tiny needles in the columns that stay at the extreme. Since James noted the cool down that I remarked about here. I used it to see how stable the garage temps were. The low is 63F, the high 78F in the most not heated yet still moderated part of the garage.

I hope they cycle. Yeah!

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

Well, I got two eggs each from both females today. I set them up for a time in the incubator. Their two months of cool down will be the peak of summer heat so I'll have to buy a chilling chamber.

I counted today and I have 21 pancake eggs not developing so the chilling chamber may help with that as well. Boo-Hoo

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

Yesterday I brought the three eggs laid awhile ago and put them back in the incubator. That would be the first spekii eggs over all and they came grommets group 2.

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

Group one female dropped another egg on Saturday 22 April, put it in with the two laid on 14 April. They will cycle together.

 

[Chelonian1]

This is Chuck.

 

[Yvonne G]

This is Chuck.

Good to see you here, Chuck (Are you "Chuck" from the Facebook group?). Don't be shy. Start a thread in "Introductions" and let us get to know you.

 

[tortadise]

Well, I got two eggs each from both females today. I set them up for a time in the incubator. Their two months of cool down will be the peak of summer heat so I'll have to buy a chilling chamber.

I counted today and I have 21 pancake eggs not developing so the chilling chamber may help with that as well. Boo-Hoo

Don't give up on those though. Sometimes they do require a diapause. I had 2 that appeared infertile and added moisture they later hatched. For some reason the temperature can't be a constant key for this species of Kinixys along with others like zombensis and Natalensis. Dry cool incubation then Gradually increase moisture along with temps seems to be the key factor for a lot of those south east continental species. I have to do the same with my leopards eggs. Cooling and dry then more moist and increased heat to hatch them properly.

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

I put the two groups of three eggs into the wine cooler on Saturday 27May2017, so a little over one month 'incubating' at 83F, and now they start a month or so of chilling.

 

[mike taylor]

So has anyone updated the incubation information for Spekii? I've been trying to break the code for two years to hatch these guys. Just got four eggs out of my female. So I setup my incubator at 84°f with 69% humidity. From what I've read I need to drop my humidity? I know they need a cool down cycle in the incubation period. All my research says the need four months of incubation. So on month warm and dry, two months of 65°f , then bump the temperature back up to 84°f and incubate to hatch. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I haven't tried the cool down period that maybe why all my eggs die. So I will be giving the cool down methods a try.

 

[Yvonne G]

@Kapidolo Farms Please update this thread. Did any of the eggs hatch?

 

[mike taylor]

Inquiring minds want to know. Lol Any update would be very helpful.

 

[2turtletom]

Inquiring minds want to know. Lol Any update would be very helpful.

Mike, do you have TRUE Kinixys spekii or the ones that have been imported since 2020? If you have the real ones, I can connect you with people that hatch them every year.