Will today be the day?
 

Molly the Graeca Graeca who built a trial nest was sniffing around the ground this morning while I was feeding the others and as the ground outside isnt soft enough for her, I have just dug over the entire greenhouse and wetted it down and put her in. She is now sniffing around under the lamp while the others have been kicked out.

I did put Rosemary in( the one who I suspect layed a few weeks back) but she just went straight back out in the rain.

So fingers crossed it may be today, hopefully she wont just leave it this time.

Fingers crossed for you Claire.Hope todays the day :)

hey clare
lets hope so hun ill keep my fingers crossed for u and keep us posted ..
luv becks xxxxx

Claire they are so tempremental about laying but once you have observed her gravid behaviour and laying procedure it usually never changes from one year to the next good look and fingers crossed for you.
My female graeca laid in the scouching heat only two days ago in ground like concrete even though i have been keeping her normal laying are slightly damp and gently surfaced raked but just shows how different they are we can do every thing to help but the choose very often there own way , she laid within a foot of were she normally lays and the area i prepared to lay in the hot hard ground .
Darren

Well she is still sniffing has been taking 2 or 3 pages and sniffing all morning now! She is even eating little bits of the moist soil in the greenhouse.
The whole greenhouse is loverly moist soil. She is being very weird, when in greenhouse she is pacing and frequently opening the flap a tiny way before deciding she wont go out after all!

The area she dug before in the greenhouse has been filled in but she isnt interested there.

She did go outside and was sniffing a lot in a hard patch but it will be no use for egg laying as there is only a couple of inches of soil on top of rubble and gravel for drainage in that place.

She is extremely restless and hasnt stopped all morning, not even for breakfast. I keep throwing her pansy flowers which are her favourite but she wont eat them.

well Claire the signs are all there all you can do now is wait
Darren

Yeah but I really feel for the poor girl she looks real stressed.

I hope she lays I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Keep us posted :D

Well she decided to build another nest but left it- In the middle of the log grass. She is a girl who knows exactly what she wants, just a shame I dont.
Ive had to let the other torts out - I trapped them the other side of the tunnel from the greenhouse but they have been there since 9am and were trying to get back through.
Pics will be in the photo section.

Claire

Section of part of your green house (or completely, and let the torts out) and then poor boiling water all over it- let it coool a bit, then let them in- apparently the smell of warm soil gets them going.
Martin (tortsmad martin) mentioned that a while back- or maybe it was darren.....