any way to tell if a female is gravid?

[Andy1632]

I mean other than waiting for her to pace and dig? My tort house has a long "tunnel" they can go into to get away. My female has been spending a fairly great deal of time in there. She comes out in the morning to eat, catch a little "sun" and then goes back to "bed". Sounds like pregnant behavior to me, but this is the first time I have had her with a male.

[Joe H]

when they are gravid, they are more active. They get very restless. Mine often stop eating.

[Andy1632]

thank you Joe< I will keep an eye on her

[Joe H]

You can also palpate for eggs. But its hit or miss.

[Andy1632]

I am guessing I should know what that means, but I have no idea

[moeNlily]

it means you can feel for them

[cjicollectibles]

All of a sudden my female wont stay in her cage. She can escape if she tries, but usually, only here and there. Last week, she escapes 10x per day, put her in, she climbs out.  I'm hoping maybe thats the "restless" behavoir you mention?

[cjicollectibles]

What do you folks think? Dan? My female tortise has really gone "crazy" for about a week. Not eating much, walking around, climbing constantly, climbing out of her enclosure constantly, 20 times a day, when usually she would bask, very rarely escape, etc. We are laughing all day as she keeps walking about etc. BUT, not digging at all. Anything else but possible egg laying would make a tort sort of go "nuts" all of sudden?

[Jay.j]

Athena got very fidgety pacing up & down, running about when she was getting her gggs ready. This lasted for quite a while before she started test digging every where.

[cjicollectibles]

Yes. She dug a nest yesterday, for TWO HOURS! But then walked away.  I'm sure she is gonna lay some eggs....

[KQ6AR]

When gravid, its not unusual for them to sniff around the ground, & dig several test nests trying to find the right spot.
Sounds like shes about ready to lay.

[cjicollectibles]

Thanks Guys. Yes, she has every symptom talked about, and yes, saw her sniffing ground a lot.

Question though - is it normal also for her to take a "day off" from all the behavoir. Yesterday she spent the two full hours digging with her hind legs (never saw that before, normal digging would be primarily with front legs), clearly a nest digging, but no eggs

BUT today, nothing. Not acting crazy, not digging, eating again. Sound ok? I figure she must be pretty much starved and tired from non-stop walking about and then the digging, with very little food for days. Maybe she's gotta rest up before trying it again?

[cjicollectibles]

Day 2 of quiet. To me, this is SO odd.....

5 days she runs around non stop walking climbing, going nuts.  Day 6, she digs a nest hole for 2 straight hours, but no eggs. Right after that, these two days where she is eating well and resting.

Is this normal? Will she go nuts again soon?

[Jay.j]

Are you sure she hasn't sneakily laid them when you weren't looking? my tort laid 2 eggs that we saw her lay, then 2 more that we had no idea she had laid & only found later by accident.

[cjicollectibles]

We are pretty sure about that. My wife sat in her lawn chair and watched the last 1.5 hours of her diggin the hole, just went in house for a few mins to get a snack. Then she checked out the hole, no eggs. And she is an indoor tort, except when we are out watching her, so its not like she is out in a yard unwatched. Really hard to imagine any lost egg cenario, really there was only a few mins when my wife went in to get a snack. Unless she laid the eggs right then and they were immediately taken by a squirrel or something. That would seem extremely unlikely. Hmm...she is quiet again today for 3rd day in a row.