Reptile & Amphibian Forums

First of all, a big applause to EJ (Ed) for his help in helping my oldest male (roughly 17 years of age) fight off an eye infection he developed a few months back. After a few days, his eye got much better and now is back to normal.

Unfortunately, 2 of my 3 tortoises (oldest male and female) still show signs of some clear, liquid discharge from the nostrils. The male shows it much more than the female. This has been going on now for years, but has not affected their overall health. I've been to the vet countless times but made no difference. :-/

As a side note, there is some good news. I've observed my female acting strangely the last week or 2. Besides being more active than usual, she's been showing signs of nesting. Today I found her a hole that was much larger than the previous ones she's done. Was hoping to see her lay an egg and perhaps catch it on video... however there was no egg today. I've recorded her behavior on video and will post below for all to see.

I keep all 3 of my tortoises in a 3' by 5' pen that I made. I separated the one male and the pair with a wall. The two males cannot be left together as they become territorial and start showing aggressive behaviors(biting head/forearms and ramming of shells). The young male and female seem to get along well together, but I've caught the female trying to bite the head of the male when there was little food left. Possible sign of jealousy/greed or she REALLY needed more food as we're suspecting she'll be laying an egg soon.

All three have great appetites, and will clean out their plates in a matter of minutes. Very rarely will you find any left overs. I'm not a breeder or an expert on raising tortoises, but I've owned my oldest male now since 1997. One thing that I noticed is they almost never drink any liquid out of their water dishes. I either have to wet their food or give them a weekly soaking to ensure they're hydrated.

As for the pen, I tried to mimic a desert environment. I use play-sand substrate and some aquarium stones here and there. When the pen was freshly prepared, it had dunes where they would exercise going up and down. Above the pen, I have a long UVB bulb and heat lamps. I added some little cacti in the enclosure as decorative pieces... they show no interest in eating them so its fine.

Enjoy the videos! Comments appreciated!

More videos...

Last but not least...

Thanks for the kind words.

She is definately nesting. Try and moisten the sand where she is trying to nest so she can form a proper nest.

They are beautifully developed animals.

>>First of all, a big applause to EJ (Ed) for his help in helping my oldest male (roughly 17 years of age) fight off an eye infection he developed a few months back. After a few days, his eye got much better and now is back to normal.
>>
>>Unfortunately, 2 of my 3 tortoises (oldest male and female) still show signs of some clear, liquid discharge from the nostrils. The male shows it much more than the female. This has been going on now for years, but has not affected their overall health. I've been to the vet countless times but made no difference. :-/
>>
>>As a side note, there is some good news. I've observed my female acting strangely the last week or 2. Besides being more active than usual, she's been showing signs of nesting. Today I found her a hole that was much larger than the previous ones she's done. Was hoping to see her lay an egg and perhaps catch it on video... however there was no egg today. I've recorded her behavior on video and will post below for all to see.
>>
>>I keep all 3 of my tortoises in a 3' by 5' pen that I made. I separated the one male and the pair with a wall. The two males cannot be left together as they become territorial and start showing aggressive behaviors(biting head/forearms and ramming of shells). The young male and female seem to get along well together, but I've caught the female trying to bite the head of the male when there was little food left. Possible sign of jealousy/greed or she REALLY needed more food as we're suspecting she'll be laying an egg soon.
>>
>>All three have great appetites, and will clean out their plates in a matter of minutes. Very rarely will you find any left overs. I'm not a breeder or an expert on raising tortoises, but I've owned my oldest male now since 1997. One thing that I noticed is they almost never drink any liquid out of their water dishes. I either have to wet their food or give them a weekly soaking to ensure they're hydrated.
>>
>>As for the pen, I tried to mimic a desert environment. I use play-sand substrate and some aquarium stones here and there. When the pen was freshly prepared, it had dunes where they would exercise going up and down. Above the pen, I have a long UVB bulb and heat lamps. I added some little cacti in the enclosure as decorative pieces... they show no interest in eating them so its fine.
>>
>>
>>Enjoy the videos! Comments appreciated!
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Ed @ Tortoise Keepers
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

Ed, how long can I expect her to be kicking around holes before she nests? Tried calling you last week.

take care!

I agree with Ed. You will need to have a moistened area that will allow her to dig her nest. It has to be wet enough to hold shape. She is not likely to lay eggs if the sides of the nest keep collapsing in on her. It has to hold shape. They are very nice looking Egyptians, and congrats on a gravid one!!

Chiming in a bit late....

I agree with Ed, moisten the substrate and make it deeper.
Some of my females will stop nesting if they hit a hard surface before the hole is almost as deep as their shell length... seen it many, many times. My substrate is at least 6 inches anywhere they have or are likely to dig nests in. I am currently using a blend of oystershell and coconut coir.

Pretty exciting stuff, huh? Good luck with the nesting!

Your animals look great too!

Hope the sniffles stay away. I have been told that they sometimes get the sniffles if the cage is TOO dry.
I always give my kleins moistened areas they can retreat to IF they choose to.

Bill S
NeTxUsa