To the extent that she can be fussy, the female will be fussy about this spot – she’ll want somewhere situated on a slope, ideally, because it will mean that it’s less likely to be overwhelmed in the rain. Egg-laying can be a dangerous event for captive turtles. Never has "she" been around a male. If you feel that your tortoise is in laying mood and you want to help her out as best you can, then it’s a really good idea to try and help her create the ideal conditions for nesting in the vivarium or your back garden. Mating occurs any time other than during hibernation. The yolk, the normal yellow, and there appears to be nothing else in the egg. In most cases, lower temperatures produce males, higher temperatures result in females. Spaying female tortoises may of course be necessary even when there is no risk that she has been fertilised by a male, because just like poultry, tortoises can lay unfertilised eggs. In addition to this, retained eggs will on occasions erode through the oviduct walls, cause peritonitis and eventually lead to the tortoises death. Fertilized eggs, however, will have signs of “chalking”. This can be a little more in some species, though, and it’s always best to look up your exact breed of tortoise if you want a precise figure on this. Male sulcata tortoises will likely reach sexual maturity before females. Don’t feel bad, it’s easy for pet tortoises to become calcium deficient, it’s not your fault that she ate her eggs and she won’t feel bad about it, because that’s what tortoises do when they need calcium. Well, firstly, if your tortoise has not mingled with the opposite sex for over 4 years – you can safely assume that they’re not fertilized. The eggs … The difference is, the eggs are infertile so they will not hatch. Yes, this can be quite disturbing, particularly if you weren’t expecting it to happen but sometimes, a tortoise will eat her own eggs. Tortoises normally lay between 2 and 12 eggs, although this varies depending on the particular species. From the moment hens hatch, one ovary continues to develop inside the hen’s body, and one just stops. Related article: Pet tortoise pregnancy: How to tell and what to do. But when the female turtle has matured and is ready to reproduce, they will get to the shore or beach where the male turtles will try court her by biting her flippers and neck. Tortoise Group and federal and state wildlife agencies strongly discourage allowing captive desert tortoises to mate. If you had a male/female pair you would, without doubt, have seen persistent mating behaviour from the male by now. Just like chickens, turtles lay eggs periodically, but this doesn’t mean that babies will always come out of them. If not, the eggs will be laid unfertilized. My two tortoises have been laying eggs all this summer I have had both for about 60 years and no male. She’s going to prefer a position that can catch the sun too. However, a tortoise will only lay once in a year, so don’t expect to see a steady supply of tortoise eggs appearing. The most likely time of year for a tortoise to hit egg laying is in the late summer months, tortoises don’t tend to lay eggs in the wintertime. Furthermore, each year that an egg is retained, it receives an extra layer of calcium. Return to Ask Your Turtle or Tortoise Question. We know that some pet owners believe that a female tortoise, even a lone one, will lay more often based on the quality of their diet, though we’ve not found any evidence that this is true and we suspect it may be wishful thinking on the part of the owners. This seems to be the exception rather than the rule. Tortoise eggs are subject to ESD or Environmental Sex Determination. Not only can they lay eggs without mating, they almost certainly will lay eggs without mating. They begin to move around more often, possibly because the hormonal changes in their bodies make them feel restless, they may find it difficult to get comfortable (we wonder how comfortable we’d find it if we were full of eggs) and they may even exhibit signs of stress or distress. Once you have determined if you have male or female tortoises, you may be concerned about breeding. Tortoises Eggs by: Shelly A female tortoise can, indeed, lay eggs without ever being introduced to a male. It appears that size is more of an issue than age. Holger Vetter's (Terralog: Turtles of the World, Vol 4) recommendation is to keep 2 male and 2 female (2:2) Indian Star tortoises as a group, and 1 male and 2 female (1:2) Burmese Star tortoises as a group. My own female Hermanns lays about six eggs each year, despite having no contact with a male. Tortoises — as distinct from turtles — all live on land, but did you know not all … There are many reasons why turtles can get egg bound, but the most common reasons in the case of captive turtles are: Lack of the kind of place the turtle is looking for as an oviposition (egg-laying) site. I think you can be 99.9% certain that you have 2 female turtles. They only have been with each other?? Can a tortoise have both male and female sex organs at the same time? We encourage having only one tortoise per household, preferably a male. yes they can lay eggs with out a male being present but obviously they will not be fertile, a female tortoise can hold sperm for up to 3 years so she may have had a mate at one time, but any contact with a male can cause the female to lay eggs whether she has been mated or not they can still produce eggs with out a male. A female tortoise will start laying eggs when she reaches sexual maturity, when precisely this is will vary from species to species. I step in something. Sulcatas produce a lot of eggs every year, which means you’ll have to find homes for up to 100 baby tortoises. Female tortoises that are about to start laying tend to mimic the behavior of expectant mothers in other species. Tortoises that dont have access to a suitable nesting area will not lay their eggs. That must have been an odd sensation. Or are they simply unfertilized eggs that will never produce offspring? So if there is no male around to fertilize the eggs, then you can simply throw them away, or leave them where they are. The turtles can take up dissolved oxygen from the water using these papillae, in much the same way that fish use gills to respire. Turtle - Turtle - Reproduction: All turtles lay their eggs on land, and none show parental care. The eggs of the largest species are spherical while the eggs of the rest are elongated. It turns out that the fussiest of females will simply refuse to lay at all if they can’t find a spot that they’d be happy to have their young in. Related article: Can a tortoise drink milk? There is ample evidence that tortoises do lay eggs without ever being with a male. Well, it turns out that it’s relatively easy to find out. Long times favor females, and short times favor males. In that case, the eggs are infertile. This is a sign of severe calcium deficiency and it means that you need to add calcium supplements to her diet! Unlike human beings, tortoises will continue to produce eggs throughout their lives. If you have tortoises (or turtles) then you may suddenly find that one day, you’ve got some eggs on your hands but are these eggs going to turn into babies? Females store sperm and may lay fertile eggs for several years after separation from a male. LOL, My female tortoise has just laid seven eggs in a small hole that she dug herself.She is thirty years old and has been doing this for seven years and has had no contact with a male tortoise so I know they are not fertile, My tortoise is alone and has laid an egg today as she did last year. Females lay an average of 6 eggs, but can lay from 3 to 14 eggs, depending on their body size. What I was really asking, is whether this was a normal behaivior, which i now understand is a yes. What pet owners must know. Yes, it’s entirely possible for a female to carry a fertilized egg for up to 4 years before laying it and that means even if it was only “just that one time with the handsome chap from Alabama”, she can have babies much later on. In contrast, tropical tortoises such as Leopard tortoises can produce on average between 6-20 eggs or more each month for up to approximately 7 months of the year. Do not need the males to come and fertilize tortoises don ’ t your. 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