Buying tortoise Eggs to Hatch

[janeL]

have your Horsfields bred Jo?

[Henry-flash]

Originally Posted by janeL

Morning Jo!!
I am a novice at this, but the way I understand it is....
As we know tortoises will ahppily mate like rabbits (well the males will and of course the ladies put up with it ) But unless the husbandry is perfect, the female won't lay. Is that right?????

You are along the right lines, yes Jane. It can take years to establish a breeding group and then also a few more years for the 'breeding' group to actually breed. Everything has to be just perfect for the females to lay. A lot of time, effort and money goes into breeding (well for me at least).

Late last year I had all my females x-rayed to check for eggs before hibernation, only to discover one of my ibera had an over calcified egg. Inducement was required, which caused me a lot of stress and worry until Hannah phoned to say all the eggs were out safe and sound. I'm pleased to say Bonnie has now settled and laid 2 clutches 'normally'.

Of course after all this there is no guarantee that the male has done his job and that the eggs are fertile, so its a waiting game until they hatch. After going through all these things to get eggs and make sure every tortoise is happy and healthy I wouldn't sell my eggs to any old person so they can hatch them themselves. I would much prefer to hatch my own eggs and then ensure the babies are healthy before selling them/giving them away.

[sarah]

Put it this way i have kept tortoise for 10 years, over the last 3 years my collection has grown so i have breeding groups, the end of last year is when i started to get eggs.

Tortoises are very difficult to breed they stress so easy this is why i dont handle mine offen only to bath and put outside. Everything has to be perfect for a female to start producing eggs.


you have to have a compatible male that will do the job
You have to provide a brilliant diet full of calcium so she can produce the eggs
you have to provide her somewhere where she wants to lay the eggs- now for a wild caught female this is a nightmare as she is after somewhere like the wild

Tortoise eggs cannot be turned so you have to be very careful when handling them.

As peter says you can buy a breeding group, but because of the stress of the move to your environment it could be years before the female feels comfortable to produce eggs.

[sandy]

I waited ten years for my first ever eggs, then another ten years for that hatchling to lay
fertile eggs. It was well worth it believe me.

[jeff]

sandy Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 9:05 am Post subject:

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I waited ten years for my first ever eggs, then another ten years for that hatchling to lay
fertile eggs. It was well worth it believe me.


Sandy you are a true keeper .

[sandy]

I am patient Jeff<g>.

[wildlifewarrior]

i have hatched peoples eggs in the past for free and have been given eggs in the past aswell. but i doubt the eggs will be from the wild as they wud never survive as reptile gets must not move or be turned as the cord and egg sacs can go wrong.