Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

hjamie

does any one have any good info on how to go about this. ive read a few articles etc, but the more info the better.

also, i need a male!! if any wishes to lend me one this summer, in the london area, i would be much appreciated, and of course they would be entitled to half of the hatched clutch Smile

cheers, j

blondesarah · Contributing Member Joined: 03 Oct 2005 Posts: 89

Hello i keep 5 horsfield 2 i rehomed on saturday. You must NEVER lone another tortoise. If introducing another tortoise you need to have a quarantine period of 6 months.

There is a debate about quarantine on here http://forums.shelledwarriors.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=4000
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Keeper of, Iberas, Horsfields, Red foots, Hermanns, Tunisians, Pancakes and Indian Stars.
Shelled Warriors

hjamie · Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 2:41 pm Post subject:

i dont really have the money at the moment to buy an adult, so that is why i was looking for a 50/50 loan.

surely if the male comes from a fellow hobbyist who has cared for it for years, then the need for quarantine would be minimal?

blondesarah · Contributing Member Joined: 03 Oct 2005 Posts: 89

A tortoise may harbour a certain disease and then pass it on to your tortoise and kill it. Tortoises are not like humans they cannot tell us what is wrong or show signs of what is wrong. This is why a 6 month quarantine period is a must!

Im sure its better to be safe than sorry.

Breeding tortoises is not easy i have alot of tortoises breeding groups and none have layed eggs yet, tortoise can hold on to eggs for many years if they dont find a good spot to lay them, this can cause problems if held on to for too long.
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Keeper of, Iberas, Horsfields, Red foots, Hermanns, Tunisians, Pancakes and Indian Stars.
Shelled Warriors

Mememe · Site Moderator Joined: 23 Dec 2005 Posts: 2141

hjamie · Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 1:48 pm Post subject:

cool, thats what i was thinking. Smile

anyways, i'll do a quite a bit of reading now and try find out the best way to go about it, it would be nice to hatch out a few torts, never done it before!

cheers Smile

blondesarah · Contributing Member Joined: 03 Oct 2005 Posts: 89

But you don't know anyone with a male horsfield do you? Someone you have know for years???

Ive been waiting for over a year for my lot to lay so is not easy.
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Keeper of, Iberas, Horsfields, Red foots, Hermanns, Tunisians, Pancakes and Indian Stars.
Shelled Warriors

Nikki76 · I'm new here... Joined: 29 Apr 2007 Posts: 8

Hello Blonde-Sarah

You say you have been waiting over a year for your tortoises to lay and that it is not easy. This is true, to get your tortoise to lay, and to be able to incubate the eggs to produce hatchlings is not an easy task, but its not impossible. I have a baby hatchling at home, who is thriving. I am very proud of him (I say him, obviously it is too early to determine sex)!

Tortoises can hang on to their eggs for a number of reasons but if your tortoises are happy and healthy, and have a suitable site to lay their eggs, then there should be no reason for them to hang on to them.

In my experience, a substrate of top soil and play sand, about 3-4 inches deep, should be enough for your female to lay. Alternatively you can provide a small mound of soil in her area in addition to her usual substrate. I removed any obstacles (i.e. ramps, and logs, etc) so that she had a bit of space. I also removed my male for a couple of days, once I realise she was gravid, to give her some peace to lay her eggs with no distraction. This worked well, and on laying, the eggs were removed to an incubator, and my male was re-introduced.

Hopefully you will have success soon. Wink

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1.1.0 Leopard Tortoises (Geochelone Pardalis)
1.2.1 Hermann Tortoises (Testudo Hermanni)