The latest report on Flash is that he was seen digging a large hole right next to our vegetable garden and close to the footpath. Whenever we approached to look he stopped as if waiting for us to leave. When we did, he began digging again.
Nowhere in any of the literature we have read did it mention that MALE tortoises dig nests!
However, according to our night guard, around 1am Kobe, the female tortoise, lowered herself into the hole that Flash had dug and laid one solitary egg.
Flash was close by watching.
When she had finished he quickly covered the egg with dirt and made sure there was no evidence of midnight laying.
We await to see if the egg hatches. I am not certain that breeding in captivity is very successful.... or even if this could be considered captivity?? If the egg hatches successfully then we can expect to see something like the little tortoise in the picture below.
Meanwhile the young male is nowhere to be seen.
When I asked the locals how long it will take for the egg to hatch their reply was that we needed to wait till it gets cold??
So it seems that Flash was being a very good daddy and husband ..... not gender confused as first suspected!
Nowhere in any of the literature we have read did it mention that MALE tortoises dig nests!
However, according to our night guard, around 1am Kobe, the female tortoise, lowered herself into the hole that Flash had dug and laid one solitary egg.
Flash was close by watching.
When she had finished he quickly covered the egg with dirt and made sure there was no evidence of midnight laying.
We await to see if the egg hatches. I am not certain that breeding in captivity is very successful.... or even if this could be considered captivity?? If the egg hatches successfully then we can expect to see something like the little tortoise in the picture below.
Meanwhile the young male is nowhere to be seen.
When I asked the locals how long it will take for the egg to hatch their reply was that we needed to wait till it gets cold??
So it seems that Flash was being a very good daddy and husband ..... not gender confused as first suspected!
Comments
I like the seahorse agreement whereby the mother lays the egg in the father's pouch and swims off. Makes hole digging a "wee doddle".
S.
....typical....
;)