There are reports of Star females nesting in leave mounds in captivity, but it is possible that this is a behaviour forced by the lack of suitable nesting places. The eggs of the Star tortoise measure appr. The eggshell is quite different from Testudo-eggs, being significantly thinner and much more brittle. If viewed under magnification, the structure of the eggs is markedly porous. When newly laid the eggs are translucent, but under the first 2-3 weeks they whiten, starting with a 'waistband' of chalky coloration.
Incubation time is very variable.
The shortest reported time from oviposition to hatching as a mere 47 days, and the longest 223. Sex determination in G. elegans seems to be dependent upon incubation temperatures. The hatchlings normally grow rapidly for the first few months, and then settle down to a slower growth rate. In captivity, maturity can be reached far earlier, but then usually at the cost of unnatural growth and among extremely quick-raised animals probably locomotion difficulties and reproductive problems in females. I am sure there a 'golden compromise', where growth is reasonably rapid and no health risks are involved, but it is hard to understand why rapid growth would be important enough to justify experimenting on these animals - it is far better to aim for a replication of natural growth patterns.