leopards bred...have questions...

[vicedretard]

my friend has had his leopards breed... he found two nests. he has a chicken incubator (cause no one sells reptile ones here in hawaii) and he wants to know when and how does he extract the eggs from the nest and how should he set up the incubator...thanks for any help

[geordie mark]

i think most of em on here take the egss straight out

If the weather in Hawaii is condusive to breeding tortoises - best leave them where they are in my opinion. Mark or cover them with something and wait!

[vicedretard]

should he moist the ground so it stays a lil humid in the nest cause where he lives its mostly dry heat. and he should cover it just enough that no one digs it up and he can remeber the spots the eggs were laid. the temp out here ranges from mid 80's to low 90 fereinheit in the day and nights is high 70's to mid 80's F is that okay to still leave the eggs out in the nest...thanks again

In the wild torts find what they think is the best spot to lay - her in the UK they obviously find the hottest spot and live in hope. Below the soil the temps will not be so hot. I would not water them as this could drown them. Humidity is always higher underground Obviously I do not know anything about Hawaii so I'm sure someone will step in and give an opinion.

[EJ]

I'd suggest taking them out of the ground.

Vermiculite or sand soaked to a 50/50 mix by weigh water to substrate... one time.

There is going to be a 'cap' on the nest. That is a layer of packed dirt. Under that is going to be the opening to the flask shaped nest. You can widen the opening to make extraction easier but if you are not familiar with the shape you might break an egg. Once you reach the eggs there should not be much dirt beyond the first egg. The only real caution at that point is that the eggs are covered with a layer of mucus that makes them as slippery as snot. This is the best time to break the eggs so be careful.

I use a rubbermaid shoebox for my eggs and it works great.

Originally Posted by vicedretard

my friend has had his leopards breed... he found two nests. he has a chicken incubator (cause no one sells reptile ones here in hawaii) and he wants to know when and how does he extract the eggs from the nest and how should he set up the incubator...thanks for any help

So how come leopards eggs are covered in snot when others are not? Never heard of this before!

[EJ]

I guess you don't have as much experience with tortoises laying as you claim.

I've watched Kleinmans, leopards, pyxis, greaca and hermani lay eggs. They all have that snotty coating on the eggs.

Watch the animal planet when the run items on the sea turtles...

Get off my case.

Originally Posted by wizzasmum

So how come leopards eggs are covered in snot when others are not? Never heard of this before!

I asked a simple question. I have retrieved numerous hermanni eggs from the ground. I always without fail let my torts lay in the ground quite naturally and always retrieve the eggs after they have covered the nest. I know that some people move the tortoise off the nest and remove the eggs there and then. I happen to think this is unkind (and BTW have no idea if you do this or not before I am jumped on) and prefer to dig them up. In several years and many nests I have only once broken one egg this way, and this was because I did not know the tortoise had laid and was digging the ground over. I have never come across a snotty egg. I assume the snot is absorbed into the soil. I have never seen a leopards nest as I have no intention of breeding from my leopards.
Come to think of it last year when my hermanni female was induced her eggs were not snot coated either. Julie was with me when this happened and we picked the eggs up as they were laid - no snot!
I cannot watch Animal Planet as I do not have sky TV.
Your remarks were nasty and uncalled for Ed.

[EJ]

You have my appologies.

I'll leave it at that.

Originally Posted by wizzasmum

I asked a simple question. I have retrieved numerous hermanni eggs from the ground. I always without fail let my torts lay in the ground quite naturally and always retrieve the eggs after they have covered the nest. I know that some people move the tortoise off the nest and remove the eggs there and then. I happen to think this is unkind (and BTW have no idea if you do this or not before I am jumped on) and prefer to dig them up. In several years and many nests I have only once broken one egg this way, and this was because I did not know the tortoise had laid and was digging the ground over. I have never come across a snotty egg. I assume the snot is absorbed into the soil. I have never seen a leopards nest as I have no intention of breeding from my leopards.
Come to think of it last year when my hermanni female was induced her eggs were not snot coated either. Julie was with me when this happened and we picked the eggs up as they were laid - no snot!
I cannot watch Animal Planet as I do not have sky TV.
Your remarks were nasty and uncalled for Ed.