This little lady certainly knows how to scare me!
Yesterday was 56 days after their first mating, 17 days after her pre-lay shed and I was getting really worried, because she had been cruising quite frantically for 5 or 6 days. I tried putting more nest boxes in her viv (4 in total), with different substrates in each, in case she just wasn't happy with her first box, but she just didn't seem to want to lay!!!
I went shopping yesterday morning and when I got back at 2pm she was finally in her first lay box and had started laying :dancer: By about 4am this morning she had laid 16 eggs and was still going, so I left her to it......10am this morning I go to check on her and she is trying to pass egg #17!!! How long has she been trying, if I left her at 4am with 16 eggs??????
Checked her again at 12pm, she is still trying to pass the same egg

It's crowning with every push, but just not making it out, so I go in to help, gently put pressure behind the egg as she pushes, to stop it retracting and hey presto out it pops! It wasn't any bigger than the rest, I just think she was tired out from all that hard work.
I removed the 17 eggs and left her to it, after offering her a drink, which she took gratefully, she still had more to go. I decided to check on her every couple of hours after that and at 2pm she was having the same trouble with egg #18, so I helped with that too. 4.30pm egg #19 needed some help and at 6.30pm I again helped with the last and final egg, #20. *big sigh of relief*
So, 29 hours after she started laying, I have a very tired out Ruby and 20 beautiful pearly whites in the incubator, oh and a few more grey hairs to boot....lol....hopefully her babies will give me my own home grown Opal Motleys in a few years time
Sorry I didn't get any pictures, but I was too busy helping and trying not to panic! I will get some of the eggs when I check on them in a couple of days and some of Ruby once she sheds, she's in blue already!!!
Thanks for taking the time to read all that
