Paul,

It is a few days after your post so she might have already laid the eggs, but here are a few more tips.



1. As soon as you dig the eggs out, mark the top of the egg with a pencil so you always know which is the top.

2. With a cotton ball (new one for each egg), carefully clean off each egg with a dilute chlorine solution. Mix 4 teaspoons of bleach with one gallon of clean water. Then use tissue paper to thoroughly dry off the egg. This process helps ward off any bacteria or fungus that might have been in the laying medium.

3. Place the eggs in tupperware containers with moist vermiculite. Equal parts of water to vermiculite by weight. You can use a basic pencil to puncture two holes in the lid of the container.

4. Spotted turtle eggs are temp dependent. In addition to what Spottedturtleman wrote, 22.5-27 C (72.5-80.6 F) should result in males, while 30-30.5 C (86-87 F) should produce only females. I wouldn't recommend higher than 30.5 C due to chance of scute abnormalities. Temperatures between 27-30 degrees C may result in a mixed clutch.

5. You shouldn't have to add any more water to the vermiculite, but keep a glass of water in the incubator to help maintain humidity.

6. Disturb the incubator as little as possible, but once to twice a week open, then close, the lid of eggs to "burp" them. It releases built up carbon dioxide and brings in fresh oxygen. Be mindful of the condensation on the inside of the lid when removing it so you don't accidently drench the eggs. You can just let the water run off back into the vermiculite.



Good luck and you should see hatchlings in anywhere from 1.5-3 months.



-JG

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