as above, what medium do i use to incubate leo eggs??

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my bright red hair is very SHORT........where did it go!

right . its like this. went out to collect the tortoises for the night and there is a single perfect egg, right next to the nesting site my husband dug over last week. we have picked it up, marked it and put it in a tub. will be going in with some vermiculite soon. i found a poorly formed slug a few weeks ago that was bad. no idea whoits from, but i did think it was from gracie.

now the sensible part of me thinks that this egg has come from my big burnt girl. iknow 100% that she has laid eggs before, and they have all been fertile. BUT i just have this feeling that my page 3 stunner is possibly gravid. she has been sunbathing alot in the last week, always under her lamp. and she keeps sniffing at the huge rock thats under the lights to retain the heat.

SO i have dug over the nesting site and put some hot water over the top and set up a basking lamp over the top. and i have put gracie and bertha in there under the normal basking lamps. have set the background temps to 18c and have 3 basking lamps all together.

all of this ok?? was planning on leavingthem out there for an hour to see what happens. whats the next step??

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my bright red hair is very SHORT........where did it go!

an hour lol i wish.gravid female last year wont lay, then dropped an egg now im desperate as it was october put her in the greenhouse under basking lamps 12hours a day, took 2 weeks to nest. second one end of april dropped an egg, dug over greenhouse and put her in took 2 days to nest. have big girl in there now has been trying to dig up the concrete put her in greenhouse she has access to an enclosed pen outside all on her own perfect peace nearly 3 weeks, i put her back in the main enclosure to give her a break saturday and she tried to dig up the concrete again,so she is back in the greenhouse again.i hope for your sake it is only an hour lol.meanwhile have been waiting for eggs from my hermans and spurthighed.so far 4 clutches i think i might take up knitting instead.
terry

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these are my own opinions do with them what you will


http://www.shelledwarriors.co.uk/

I am waiting on at least two females, possibly three. Its been 4 weeks for one of them and its getting frustrating!

Good look with the egg!

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well the hour didnt happen! both was asleep when i went outside. what can i do to improve the chances of them nesting? my stunner bertha is for some reason making me think she could be gravid. she is suddenly very heavy and basking alot. but the logical part me of thinks its the proven female. i have no idea. is it normal for them to drop the odd egg when getting ready to nest?? it is perfectly formed and bigger than i was expecting. i have put it in vermiculite in the incubator.

any more pearls of wisdom? i need help or i am gonna have a seizure!

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my bright red hair is very SHORT........where did it go!

dig up the nest site so it is easier for her then scrape back the top of the soil and pour a kettle of boiling water in and push the soil back over and flatten it with the back of your spade.a warm bath helps as they like to urinate on the soil when they dig so she may want to load up with ammunition.this always works with one of my graeca graeca and worked with the youngest leopard (after 2 weeks) lol.a choice of nest sites helps she may prefer to nest in the lawn some do,some seem to like concrete lol.try the boiling water tomorrow see if they can smell the moisture through the soil they are normally interested and have a sniff.
terry

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these are my own opinions do with them what you will


http://www.shelledwarriors.co.uk/

what is the chance that the egg she has laid is fertile?? my little girl was the one that found it so she is thrilled to bits. and how can i prepare the lawn? or doi just let her do her own thing? god i am more worried about the tortoise laying eggs than i am about ME giving birth!

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my bright red hair is very SHORT........where did it go!

if you dont calm down it WILL be you giving birth lol


oooossaaaaaa....nice cleansing breaths

hi Ali there is always a chance it is fertile this is very likely to be part of a larger clutch so i dont see why not.i would treat it as fertile and incubate i assume you have a incubator ready .
terry

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these are my own opinions do with them what you will


http://www.shelledwarriors.co.uk/

yes, i have a temporary incubator that has been set up for a few weeks. its set at 29-30c. i have put the egg in a veltilated tupperware tub with slightly moist vemiculite.

i am in the process of ripping apart an old frdge to make a long term incubator. but i am confodent that this one will dot he trick.

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my bright red hair is very SHORT........where did it go!