Author Topic: Nesting?  (Read 346 times)

michelle11502

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Nesting?
« on: February 20, 2007, 03:07:56 PM »
My torts have all layed their eggs in corners of their pens, this one in particular is digging everywhere but still nothing, she has all the proper substrates, shoould I pull her from the pen and put her in a seperate one? If so how much of each substrate is a good combo?50/50?

Turbotort

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Re: Nesting?
« Reply #1 on: March 01, 2007, 01:54:29 AM »
Joe or a breeder can help you more but i`ve heard they like soil hills and can take weeks to lay if theyre not satisfied with whats available, i`m sure you know all this. I`d seperate her and let her have some space for herself with lots of hills and space so she can choose, as you know when theyre gravid they get territorial so maybe she needs to be alone before she feels safe enough to lay. Not sure about your soil the breeders i know torts all lay outside or on normal garden soil. Wish i could help you more. Let us know what happens x

Joe H

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Re: Nesting?
« Reply #2 on: March 04, 2007, 09:34:27 AM »
Indoors you need a depth of around 5".  RT's like to dig nests in corners, against a rock etc.  They coose a protected area.

Its best to seperate them if you have room. But its not a necessity. Mine will dig test nests for a week or 2 before laying


michelle11502

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Re: Nesting?
« Reply #3 on: March 04, 2007, 11:27:29 AM »
Thankyou. It has been that way for her, she digs and digs for the past few weeks but still nothing. I think I will try the speration and see if she finds being by herself in peace more comfortable

Joe H

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Re: Nesting?
« Reply #4 on: March 04, 2007, 11:43:01 AM »
There is also a possibility that she isn't gravid.

When they have a growth spurt  it seems they have a hormone "shift" which makes them act gravid

michelle11502

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Re: Nesting?
« Reply #5 on: March 04, 2007, 02:00:23 PM »
Well, I put her in her own nesting box that she is desperately trying to get out of lol. Hopful she will use it otherwise I may have to put my little escape artist back into her regular home. That could be a possibility, she is the onme I adopted that has m.b.d and she is very odd shaped and was porly fed, since I have had her she has not grown any but is much better and otherwise in the best of health. She is an amazing tort!

Turbotort

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Re: Nesting?
« Reply #6 on: March 04, 2007, 11:16:37 PM »
Hi Michelle can you tell me a little more about your tort with MBD, i`m a little worried about one of mine that has it. Shes two and only 34grams she`s actually losing weight when not stuffed every minute of the day any tips please, much appreciated?

michelle11502

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Re: Nesting?
« Reply #7 on: March 05, 2007, 07:33:52 AM »
She was severly deformed by itbefore I recieved her. She had been living on a diet of carrots mostly, which we all know is not good at all. Since I have had her she has come alive! She eats a variety of 24 different veggies every day all that have the essential nutrients she needs. I give a few leaves/stalks of each and she is good to go for the day, she has not gained/lost any weight. And is very active and healthy. Your best bet is to make sure her diet is well enriched with essential vitamins and try using TNT to compensate for the ones that dont carry enough vitamins. They are not born with M.B.D They develope it by simple minded people that do not care for them the way they should, then hand them over to people like us to deal with properly. I am glad I got sonja. She is amazing now. I am proud of her for doing so well and proud of myself for taking on the challenge. I would like to see a pic of your tort. I am guessing that he/she is in beginning stages still, I hope...then you can stop the crazy shell deformities from occuring. Forgive me for not knowing how to post a picture on here yet. However here is a link to Sonja's pic, keep in mind this is the time I got her, she at that time was a mess, and was hybernated when she should not have been!

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e255/emmyv123/sonya.jpg

Zookeeper

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Re: Nesting?
« Reply #8 on: March 05, 2007, 02:42:09 PM »
Forgive me for not knowing how to post a picture on here yet.

When you are done with your Reply and before you click on Post, click on Additional Options, click on Browse, browse your files and folders until you find the picture you want to insert in your post, select it and then click Post.  If it tells you the file is to large follow these directions:  Open Microsoft Paint, left click on File, in the drop down box left click on Open, browse your files until you find the picture you want to post, left click on the picture and left click on the Open button.  The picture will open up in the Microsoft Paint program.  Left click on Image, in the drop down box left click on Stretch/Skew, in the Stretch box only change the Horizontal and Vertical percent to 50, left click on the OK button.  Your picture should appear in the Paint window at half its original size.  Left click on File, in the drop down box left click on Save As,  in the Save As window that opens rename your picture file and click on the Save button.  Your resized image should be in the same folder or file with your original image.  You should be able to insert your picture in a post on the forum now.
Rosanna

Turbotort

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Re: Nesting?
« Reply #9 on: March 05, 2007, 11:55:49 PM »
She was severly deformed by itbefore I recieved her. She had been living on a diet of carrots mostly, which we all know is not good at all. Since I have had her she has come alive! She eats a variety of 24 different veggies every day all that have the essential nutrients she needs. I give a few leaves/stalks of each and she is good to go for the day, she has not gained/lost any weight. And is very active and healthy. Your best bet is to make sure her diet is well enriched with essential vitamins and try using TNT to compensate for the ones that dont carry enough vitamins. They are not born with M.B.D They develope it by simple minded people that do not care for them the way they should, then hand them over to people like us to deal with properly. I am glad I got sonja. She is amazing now. I am proud of her for doing so well and proud of myself for taking on the challenge. I would like to see a pic of your tort. I am guessing that he/she is in beginning stages still, I hope...then you can stop the crazy shell deformities from occuring. Forgive me for not knowing how to post a picture on here yet. However here is a link to Sonja's pic, keep in mind this is the time I got her, she at that time was a mess, and was hybernated when she should not have been!

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e255/emmyv123/sonya.jpg
Hi Michelle, thanks so much for your reply. I`m glad you`ve got Sonja too, its sad the way some people are with animals its nice to know she`ll have a great life here on in and i`m sure it doesnt matter one bit to you what her shells like, my tort will never make a stunner in other peoples eyes but she is a stunner to me  ;D .
Well my torts diet is natural  shes on an all weed large variety diet with many supplements plus TNT and it has stopped her getting worse. Initially she did have liquid calcium as she was really bad. Shes now thriving, very alert and active but not growing if that makes sense. Her shell was like a bit of jelly its getting firmer but thinner than my others torts shells and she always feels light also its growing just at the bottom and not by the scutes so i`m concerned about that. The part of the shell that is growing is lovely and  smooth so she wont be misshapen(I hope) as i`ve caught it early but what i`m concerned about is the future as if her body won`t grow then when she should be fully grown she`ll still be a tiny size and her organs might fail thats my biggest concern, is this a possibility do you think? I`ll get a pic for you.
« Last Edit: March 06, 2007, 12:01:22 AM by Turbotort »

michelle11502

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Re: Nesting?
« Reply #10 on: March 06, 2007, 06:27:17 AM »
Actualy thats good. It may not seem it but it is. MBD can curve the shell, causing pain to your tort. You apparently stopped it before it got to that point. I see she is smaller than she should be, however MBD can temporarily stunt growth. Stunted growth is much better than what has happened to sonja, sonja in no longer in pain, and my guess is neither is your tort. Looks to me that your tort just make take it's time growing now, basicaly twice as slow as a normal tort would have. But she will eventualy get there. Just keep her diet well, make sure she is getting all of the proper nutrients like you have been and your tort should be perfect. Cute picture by the way!

Yes Sonja's shell doesn't matter to me. Infact dispite how she got it that way, she sure does have charictor! I have to be carful with rocks and hard obects she can fall on since her entire back end is completely exposed but otherwise she is as normal as can be!

Turbotort

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Re: Nesting?
« Reply #11 on: March 06, 2007, 06:39:17 AM »
Oh thats great news thanks so much you`ve put my mind at rest, i`ve worried myself silly whether she`ll ever grow she does eat for england so i`ll just be patient, pheww its a relief. Sonja sounds just like my little un  `a cheeky little monkey  ;D `.  I`m glad sonja`s not in pain anymore theyre fighters arent they. Thanks for your help i`ll keep up with everything, xx