More eggs

[helsbells]

Tilly my biggest Herc finally laid 5 eggs in the garden yesterday after nearly a week of digging up the lawn. I cut a square in the lawn last year and filled it with lovely topsoil which she laid in last year, but no she decided to dig where she wanted to this time. Will have to go and buy a new piece of turf unless i make it into a nesting site

[Colette]

do you move the eggs to an incubator? or are they ok in the garden?

[helsbells]

Hi Colette i move the eggs into the incubator as soon as she has finished burying them. I pick them us as they have been laid without turning them and place them in a dish of vermiculite. Then i use a pencil to mark the top of the eggs with a cross and i put the date on them

[Easter Bunny]

Just wondered, Do the female tortoises look for their eggs or do they just leave them?

lynne x

[Fred123]

More eggs is always great news. Even if the lawn looks worse for it. No Lynne the females dont look for them once they are buried they move on to normal day to day tasks like eating, basking and sleeping.

[helsbells]

Hi Lynne like Fred123 said the female just go of and usually has a good feed then i give them a warm bath and they have a good sleep. I don't mind how the lawn looks as it's full of tasty weeds as well which they all love

[Colette]

thats really interesting - do you incubate them for males or females?

[helsbells]

Hi Colette i incubate them at a temp of about 29 think i get a mixture of sexes that way

[helsbells]

candled the 5 eggs last night all are fertile due to hatch in July

[Bindi]

Fantastic news, baby Hercs, how lovely