Reptile & Amphibian Forums

If you suspect that your bird is eggbound you can give it cod liver oil. Is there anything similar that can be done for tortoises? I have a large yellow foot that only had 1 egg. She is huge so I suspect there are others. Any ideas?

I don't think you can do that with a tortoise. I'd suggest that you leave the tortoise alone if it is healthy and showing no outward signs of distress.
I've got a hermans that dropps eggs on a regular bases and will not nest. They seem to 'know' when to nest and when to just dump the eggs.
Again, if she is moving normal and eating normal I would just let it go. If you see a change in the behavior that seems abnormal you might look into a vet visit.
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Ed
Tortoise_Keepers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

The cod liver oil doesn't really work for birds (I've tried it many times) and probably won't for tortoises, either. Tortoises can get eggbound for some of the same reasons that birds do. These are: insufficient calcium during egg production, and too low of a temperature while the female is trying to lay. The lack of calcium causes the egg to be too soft and therefore hard to push out. Sometimes the egg can even rupture in the female's body and cause all kinds of problems. Too low of a temperature can cause the special muscles that birds and reptiles have for egg laying to become too ridgid and immobile which keeps them from moving the egg along properly. Another reason that applies to tortoises is a female who's reprodcutive tract is not developed enough due to improper nutrition from a young age. Obviously, this is seen almost entirely in captive-bred animals. Lastly, and actually quite common, is that a female tortoise will retain her eggs within her if she cannot find an adequate place to lay them. You would be surprised how picky tortoises can be about this and sometimes go years with the eggs retained. The trouble is, when she retains them, they will have an extra layer of calcium put on them every year until they become too large to move through the canal. Impacted eggs are more common than people think it is. Of course, if you have had her a good while and she has laid eggs before, this is not the problem.

It is also possible she just layed one egg and that's all there was for now. Unusual, but possible. You will be able to tell if she actually becomes eggbound. She will repeatedly strain to lay the eggs, then rest, then try again until she becomes exhausted. If this happens, and you catch it early, try raising the temperature where she is to relax the muscles. If that doesn't work, take her to vet before she becomes too weak.

"The cod liver oil doesn't really work for birds (I've tried it many times) and probably won't for tortoises, either. "

Thank you, it is an old wives tale. Egg binding is not a "lubrication" issue it is a "low calcium" issue. True egg bound birds and reptiles should be taken to a qualified vet for treatment. As tortoisehead so eloquently said, these eggs can rupture and cause what is called egg yolk peritonitis which if untreated can be fatal. Make sure your females have extra calcium supplementation. I have seen that many tortoises will readily eat chopped up cuttlebones.
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Stacey