Our 13 year old spur thighed tortoise laid 9 eggs on Saturday. This is the third clutch that she has laid in three years, the last two unfortunately were infertile. They are now in the incubator, 31 degrees and 60% humidity. Is there anything else I should be doing to produce hatchlings this time? It was so disappointing with the last two clutches :(

Is she at a better age now? Fingers crossed but any advice would be welcome.

Many thanks

Hello,
Yes 13 is a better age. Are you sure the male is the same species?
The temp. & humidity are ok.
Good luck,
Tom

Thanks Tom. Yes, both the same species. I have all the paperwork, different mothers but same father. Does that cause any problems?

It's inbreeding, so not ideal. It can lead to problems with offspring. It would be good if you could swop with someone, but I expect you're attached to him. You should be ok with 1st generation, but be sure any babies go singly, to different owners.
Let us know what happens.
Tom

Thanks Tom, will do. What is your opinion on candling the eggs? Should I just leave well alone/

Day 75 and two eggs have pipped and the hatchlings are starting to break through!!!! So exciting!!!!

Out of 9 eggs, we have three hatchlings!! Really amazing! Two really healthy but the third is half the size of the others. At the moment I am keeping him separated in the tortoise table as the other two had a bit of a "nip" of his legs when they were all together.

Two were 10gms and the smaller one was 6gms. What sort of weight gain should I expect in the months to come? I hope to post a few photos later.

Well done, I've just spotted your post. Avoid candling. Post your pics back on the main page so they are seen by all.
Regards
Tom

Hi Tom

The hatchlings now are a month old, two doing well and the third a little small but doing ok. One problem I have is they keep flipping onto their backs when I am work, so no idea how long they have been like it! Today I came home and two of them had flipped over. How long can they survive like that?

Karen

Hi Tom,

In reply to the above thread, we now have 2 very healthy young spur thighed tortoises, 9 months old. I need some advice now as what to do next! I realise that they will never be able to run free  in our garden, as their parents do and it may be time to give them new homes. I have paper work for the parents but as we do not class our selves as "breeders" I have no understanding as to what paper work I should obtain for the young ones.

Can I give/sell them to a proper breeder or rehome them myself? I would want to make sure that they went to a person that is aware of how to care for them. As of now, I am not sure of the sex of the young ones.

Any advice, gratefully accepted.