Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I posted a message last night saying one of my female easterns was digging a nest. She started digging at a little before 7:30 p.m., and after five hours of waiting for her to lay, I finally went to bed. When I checkd on her this morning she was completely finished and walking around the pen as usual. I carefully dug up her nest site and uncovered five perfect eggs. They are currenly incubating at about 85 F in an incubator. Has anyone else's box turtles laid eggs this season?

Steve

GRRRR....... thats all i can say steve!! GRRRRRRRRRR!!! I want eggs SOOOO bad and thats all i think about when i feed them and everything! I had them last year, you didn't, now you have them this year, I don't.. heh maybe the cycle will continue? CONGRATULATIONS THO!!

Was these eggs product of last years before hibernation breeding? Or do you know (i know that its impossible to tell which mating the eggs came from, just wondreing tho)

hey man, how much was tha hovabator (still air) and where'd ya get it? And I am getting one.. how did u set the incubator up?

John,

Thanks for the congrats! I once shared in your fustration. I do believe these eggs were the result of a breeding last fall, as I have not seen a succesful breeding with Ethel (the mother) this season. In fact, up until a few days ago, I had not witnessed a succesful breeding at all this season. On May 15, which was last Thursday, I witnessed a succesful breeding between Fred (the alpha male) and Chloe (another female eastern). I am really hoping I get eggs from Chloe also.
I think the Hovabator was around $40 or so. I can't seem to remember what website I purchased it on. Someone on the forum gave me the link a couple years ago before I purchased it, so maybe someone will know it. I do know that there are many places on the internet that sell them, so maybe you could try doing a search.
I set it up just as the instructions said to, except I didn't keep the temperature at 100 F. I plugged the incubator in and turned the temp up all the way. When it was done heating up, I gradually lowered the temp until it was at about 85 F. There are small rings at the bottom of the incubator used to fill with water, so I went ahead and filled them up. I then put the screen that came with the incubator at the bottom of it. After Ethel was done laying eggs, I dug them up and put them in a gladware container with holes in it and filled with topsoil and peatmoss, and I put the top lightly on top of it. I then placed the container in the incubator. I will have pics of everything up soon in my webshots account.

Steve

Are you using 85 for an increased chance at mostly females?

Actually, after advice from some on the forum, I have lowered the temperature to between 80-82. I would like mixed sexes. I do remember reading a few sites saying 85 was a temp that would produce mixed sexes, but I think I will follow the advice of some of those who have been successful at hatching box turtles.

Steve

all this turtle egg talk wants me to go force my turtles to have turtle love.. oh well maybe...

I went out to the annual feed of the boxies and guess who has eggs!!!! BUFFY!! My favorite female eastern. She has about (i felt 3) but maybe more! Last year she layed 5 whopping eggs but they got smashed but this year that won't be happening!! Hey Nathana and steve, should i put her in one of those turtle egg laying chambers or leave her in the pen and watch every night?

John,

Well first of all, congratulations with the eggs! When I found out Ethel was gravid, I blocked off part of the pen just for her, to where no other turtles could get it. I also loosened up the soil in a few places where she was being kept. I also watched her every night. It worked for me, so you may want to try doing it.

Steve

When you say annual feed, you don't mean you only feed them once a year do you?

Anyway, as to laying... I would NOT recommend a laying box unless you don't have any other choice (like they live in an aquarium or something) because they will not enjoy going to a small box and will stress and likely not lay. My gals held their eggs last year and all only dropped very reluctantly and I had horrible hatch rates for the year. I used the bins because I had no choice, I had just bought my house and moved and had no fenced yard yet to build the pens in... so...

You could partition off part of the pen, but I bet you could just check on her as often as possible. I'd recommend having a mound of dirt with some sand mixxed in. It doesn't have to be too large, but sometimes they like to get above the normal ground level to lay their eggs. You can mound up some dirt, mix in sand, tamp it down really firmly, then put on some grass seed and water it and then leave it alone. Then it will just be a grassy hump eventually and won't look odd in your pen.

If you catch her laying, which you probably will if you check every night, don't disturb her. Put some rocks or sticks on the outside of the pen on two sides that if you imagined lines from them through the pen they would cross where she is nesting. Then give her the space she needs (especially important not to disturb her at all while she's just digging, after she starts laying you can watch and snap some photos, they seem kinda zoned out then). Often they go LATE into the night with the nesting so you can check the spot the next day and carefully transfer the eggs. If she finishes before it's too late and starts filling it in, let her finish up and walk away before raiding the nest (common courtesy *grin*).

Why are everyone’s box turtle reproducing except mine??! congratulations, however!

Thanks for the congrats. I know exactly how you feel. I have been trying to breed my box turtles for two years, and this is the first time I get eggs. Keep trying, and I'm sure you will one day get eggs!

Good luck,
Steve

I'm guessing you are at least as far south as me, probably farther. Mine won't lay for close to another month. Seems late to me, but it's been like clockwork for the last three years now.

What is it that ya'll are doing for housing and such? maybe there are some small things I can help you with that I might be doing without realizing it that could help you out getting yours to breed.

I believe you live in North Carolina, right? I'm way down south in south central Louisiana. We have already getten temperatures in the low 90's, so it's pretty warm here.
I think what may have helped me get eggs is that my 2.3 group is now in a 10 X 12 pen. They were previously in a 6 X 8 pen, as I had only planned on having a 1.2 group. Last year I received more, so they needed a larger pen.

Steve

yep, I'm in central NC (border of zones 7a and 7b).

I'm expanding this year as well, my most packed pen has 1.4 easterns in it and is 8'x8', so that's about 12 square feet each turtle. The new pens are all going to be 16'x16', providing 51 square feet each for those turtles (more for the less populated pens) and there are four of them. I'm stoked, it's finally warm enough and I finally have some extra cash to do it... I do think more space is good. I think the boys can use a separation from the ladies once in a while as well, so I think I'm going to build a bachelor pen soon and just keep it empty for them to use in the early spring.

courtesy of my female Gulf Coast... if only those Florida boxies would produce...