Reptile & Amphibian Forums

both were laid on the surface of the soil. i was able to save one but the other came out without the shell. she just laid a clump of yolk and egg white. i'm a little concerned. is this normal for first time layers? also, the one good egg is long and thin and not golf ball like at all. are star eggs typically this shape. any advice/help would be appreciated. thanks.

I don't know about Stars but other tortoises that have bred in my care did show that pattern.

First time egg layers do sometimes lay abnormal eggs such as unshelled eggs and odd shaped eggs.

Smaller tortoises do sometimes lay oblong eggs when the norm is more rounded eggs.

I have also found that eggs that are not deposited in a nest are usually evacuated eggs and are usually not viable.
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Ed
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Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

np

In the females I have that laid for the first time, the ones laid on the surface "were" fertile. I was told the same thing by someone that the eggs probably were not fertile, but I found otherwise. I had two on the surface that hatched successfully last year. Another female I have did the same thing here a few months ago...her first time. The egg was also fertile. Go figure.

The torts I beleive get a bit "confused" their first go around.

I would still incubate the one even though it is of odd shape. Like what was mentioned earlier, some eggs will come out at odd shape. Doesn't mean they aren't any good.

Lori

I guess I can make a note that I am now acquainted with someone who had a tortoise that did not nest and the eggs were fertile. I'm sure there are others but as a rule, from the information I've been able to gather, they are usually infertile.

That is interesting and I can't help but wonder why.

That is, by no means, that you should not incubate them.

I've hatched out hundreds of tortoise eggs. I've had a hand full that were deposited without nesting... all did not hatch. All were incubated(I too always hope) (Notice I did not say they were infertile)
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Ed
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Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

yes, i'm definitely incubating the egg (with fingers crossed). thanks for the reply.

Hello Tri. Normal Star Tortoise eggs (of all three types of Stars)are not round. They are more oval shaped, usually about half an inch longer than they are in diameter as a guideline for you to tell if the egg you found appears to be "normal" in shape. If the shelled egg you found has a normally thick shell, there is another possibility for which you may wish to watch. That is this: many first time egg laying Stars seem to have difficulty in getting the eggs out of their bodies. It seems to take a great deal of straining. On some occasions, I have had females strain hard enough to break the shells of large (or the more round shaped) eggs before the eggs emerged fully from the cloaca. This can result in the shell remaining inside the female and the egg white and yolk being expelled. Did you find any shell fragments in or near the unshelled egg? If the fractured shell did remain inside the tortoise, it will probably be expelled eventually, but I would recommend soaking her in lukewarm water a couple of times over the next 24-36 hours to stimulate defecation and see if the broken shell comes through with some fecal matter. If not, carefully watch her activities for a week or so. Normally, females have ravenous appetites after laying their clutches and eat a lot. If yours acts at all strange, it might be a good idea to have her radiographed by a vet to determine if she has more eggs inside, or if the fractured shell has been retracted into her body cavity (can cause infection) rather than remaining in the cloaca for expulsion. If you really want to play it safe, have her radiographed soon, and if more shelled eggs are present, oxytocin can be given to stimulate her to lay them. Generally if females lay their clutches of eggs over a period of time rather than all at once, the eggs do not seem to develop well or are actually infertile.

Bill Z

I meant to mention one other thing: if you observe a female tortoise which seems to be straining or having difficulty laying its egg there is something which can be done to facilitate the process. I use a cotton swab to apply mineral oil around the cloaca of the female tortoise to lubricate the area and make the eggs slide out more readily. With patience, one can wait until the tip of the egg is visible during a contraction, then apply the mineral oil directly to the shell. As the egg retracts inside again after the contraction, that mineral oil lubricates the interior of the cloaca to help the egg on its way out again. Note: mineral oil is water soluble and is easily removed from the eggs with a wet paper towel after they have been laid and collected prior to incubation.BZ

for any unusual activity by the female. she is active and eating well. i did soak her this morning but found no shell remains in her feces nor were there any around the clump of yolk she deposited. but, as you advised, i will soak her again tomorrow morning just in case. i attached a picture of the egg in the incubator. as you can see, the ratio of length to width is more extreme than what you described to be "normal" for stars. if it is in fact fertile, it will be interesting to see what pips out of an egg that shape. i guess i will see in a couple of weeks whether it chalks over or not. thanks again. have a good labor day.

If it is even slightly indented in the middle it is possible that 2 eggs were supposed to form. I've got a bunch of examples of this in Leopard tortoise eggs.
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Ed
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Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

Another thing to think about and keep in mind is that sometimes the reason why reptiles will deposit their eggs on the surface is because they could not find a "suitable nesting spot". My sulcata female will make sure to lay her eggs somewhere deep in the ground, but where the sun hits the ground. If your female isn't given enough choices to deposit her eggs, then she'll more than likely just dump them. Good luck!!

Barry

yes, you could be right. if i'm correct in what i've read and from my brother's experiences with breeding leopard tortoises, she should be laying again in 4 weeks or so. i will watch and see if she is having problems finding a nesting site. thanks!

Here is a picture of Indian Star Tortoise eggs.
As you can see, they are not round, and they are fertile!
Good luck.

congratulations! hey, can you tell me what temp and humidity level you have the incubator set at? thanks.