Boxed In

Posted by T.L. on June 27, 2003

Q: Our 50-yr old female dessert tortoise laid 5 eggs today. They appear to be clear inside. Does this mean they were not fertile? Her 'boyfriend' of several years may not be old enough to help fertilize them. thanks in advance for your info.

A: Knowing whether the eggs are fertile or not can't be determined by looking at the eggs initially. A normal egg, whether fertile or not, looks the same - the only difference is a single sperm cell in the fertile egg. If I were you, I'd treat the eggs as if they are fertile and proceed from there. Good luck!

John Wiessinger ( June 30, 2003)