How long? *picture heavy*

[Adinar]

We're just trying to get an idea as to how long we have before she lays. Poor girl is getting more and more restless. She'll be laying down then gets up and moves to a different part of her tank, then 5 min later does it again. This has been going on all night. She's also been sitting in her water dish off and on, plus climbing into the lay box and just sitting for a few minutes. She hasn't started digging yet, but has at least checked the box out. I feel so bad because I can't help ease her discomfort. This is the second time she's been gravid (first time since we got her), so has been through this all before with her former owner. Incubator and supplies are still in transit and are due to arrive Weds. I hope she can hold off until then, but we have a back up plan set just in case.

Not the best pics, but she's extremly fidgety.

 

[Adinar]

No one has any suggestions on how long she has?

 

[Enigmatic_Reptiles]

when was she bred?

 

[AvandisFifth187]

Just from the looks of it, it might be either this week or next. When was she bred?

 

[Adinar]

Beginning of last week I believe. Wasn't exactally planned.

 

[Landen]

What you'll want to do is gently bend her backwards a bit, be careful not to injure her, it only takes a little bit to push the eggs towards her belly skin so you can see the development of the eggs. The first egg to develop is the right side ( which looks fully developed in the pic), it'll sit lower than the one on the left (which you can't see in your pics) . The right egg will be fully developed a few days before the left egg gets caught up. If they both look equal sizes then she's probably within a day or two of laying.

A couple things to keep in mind....

If she's laying in her water bowl, I would take it out and replace it with something small enough that she can't lay her eggs in it. If she lays them in the water they're toast.

And if she does lay before the incubator arrives, then put the eggs on some vermiculite and put them in a container and poke one hole in the lid the size of a ball point pen. put the eggs in it and get a basic thermometer and place it between the eggs on the vermiculite surface. If it's warm enough in your house to sustain a min of 80 degrees (at the coldest time in your house) then they can sit on a shelf until the incubator gets there. Or keep them in a sturdy larger container and leave them in a corner of the tank where your leo's held. Make sure your leo can't nock it over or access the tub.

I had a homemade incubator go out on me mid season last year (didn't listen to the wife about buying one) and I wound up with alot of my eggs going into one of my larger community tanks and I hatched about 75% of them that way.

 

[Adinar]

What you'll want to do is gently bend her backwards a bit, be careful not to injure her, it only takes a little bit to push the eggs towards her belly skin so you can see the development of the eggs. The first egg to develop is the right side ( which looks fully developed in the pic), it'll sit lower than the one on the left (which you can't see in your pics) . The right egg will be fully developed a few days before the left egg gets caught up. If they both look equal sizes then she's probably within a day or two of laying.

A couple things to keep in mind....

If she's laying in her water bowl, I would take it out and replace it with something small enough that she can't lay her eggs in it. If she lays them in the water they're toast.

And if she does lay before the incubator arrives, then put the eggs on some vermiculite and put them in a container and poke one hole in the lid the size of a ball point pen. put the eggs in it and get a basic thermometer and place it between the eggs on the vermiculite surface. If it's warm enough in your house to sustain a min of 80 degrees (at the coldest time in your house) then they can sit on a shelf until the incubator gets there. Or keep them in a sturdy larger container and leave them in a corner of the tank where your leo's held. Make sure your leo can't nock it over or access the tub.

I had a homemade incubator go out on me mid season last year (didn't listen to the wife about buying one) and I wound up with alot of my eggs going into one of my larger community tanks and I hatched about 75% of them that way.

We'll def switch out her water dish because she has been sitting in it on occasion. The incubator is due to be here on Weds, so we should have enough time to get it calibrated and let it run for a bit to test it out before having to worry about putting the eggs in the.

Once we do get it to the right temp though, is it best that we leave it running even without the eggs so when she does lay we just pop them in and let them cook?

 

[AvandisFifth187]

Once we do get it to the right temp though, is it best that we leave it running even without the eggs so when she does lay we just pop them in and let them cook?

That'd prolly be best. I leave mine running year round, just in case one of them decide to start breeding before the planned season starts. It's just alot easier that way.

 

[Landen]

I would keep it running. better to be ready. Good luck and post pics when they hatch