Re: Nesting area for tortoises

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Posted by Logic In Action on October 16, 2000 at 21:07:22:

In Reply to: Nesting area for tortoises posted by J.M. on October 16, 2000 at 16:55:19:

You may be in for quite a surprise.
For starters, Leopard tort's will frequently urinate on a spot ( so to speak ) to soften even the hardest soil. If no other spot is available and she doesn't like the spot you've chosen, she may decide to retain her eggs. Rarely will a Tortoise chose a shaded area. At noon, when the sun is overhead, is the site shaded?

Deciding where a tortoise should lay her eggs is like deciding when a woman should deliver a baby. What's convenient for you is most assuredly not going to be convenient for her and she ( the woman ) may well refuse to go into labor just to spite you...

You can identify an egg site with Leopards by placing marker rocks just beneath the soil. Simply rake away your " volcanic rock " or top soil ( 2 inches is more than enough ) and place decorative white rock ( pieces too large to be swallowed )every few inches and then cover them up with the original substrate. You could also use Orchid Bark or various other identifyable items beneath the surface to achieve the same results.

If she digs anywhere ( and leopards only dig deeper than two inches for one reason...) you'll see some white rocks thrown to the surface and know something's up.

This assumes you don't have a large pen or large potential nesting sites.

Good Luck

Rick

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Re: Nesting area for tortoises EJ 10/20/00 (0)
Re: Nesting area for tortoises J.M. 10/17/00 (0)

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: You may be in for quite a surprise. : For starters, Leopard tort's will frequently urinate on a spot ( so to speak ) to soften even the hardest soil. If no other spot is available and she doesn't like the spot you've chosen, she may decide to retain her eggs. Rarely will a Tortoise chose a shaded area. At noon, when the sun is overhead, is the site shaded? : Deciding where a tortoise should lay her eggs is like deciding when a woman should deliver a baby. What's convenient for you is most assuredly not going to be convenient for her and she ( the woman ) may well refuse to go into labor just to spite you... : You can identify an egg site with Leopards by placing marker rocks just beneath the soil. Simply rake away your " volcanic rock " or top soil ( 2 inches is more than enough ) and place decorative white rock ( pieces too large to be swallowed )every few inches and then cover them up with the original substrate. You could also use Orchid Bark or various other identifyable items beneath the surface to achieve the same results. : If she digs anywhere ( and leopards only dig deeper than two inches for one reason...) you'll see some white rocks thrown to the surface and know something's up. : This assumes you don't have a large pen or large potential nesting sites. : Good Luck : Rick

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