Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was digging in my turtle pen so that I could partially bury a large overturned flower pot so that the kiddos had more shady areas.

Well a couple of shovel scoops in and I see a broken egg in the hole. I go looking thru the last couple of scoops and sure enough I had dug up a nest of 4 eggs. One completely chopped in half and one broken. The other two are intact and look good.

I hurriedly put some soil into a butter dish and placed the eggs in there then misted.

The broken open egg had a nice bright yellow yolk (broken of course) but I could see no viable baby. Either infertile or just to freshly laid. The eggs had no foul odor to them.

Did I mention that I feel horrible here?

My question is what are the chances for the two remaining eggs? I have no idea what position they were in as they got tossed with soil. For all I know, the yolk can be broken within the egg.

I don't know what to do.

I feel horrible.

Someone help me out here.

Don't feel bad, it happens all the time. I have a hard time catching all of my turtles laying eggs and here and there I ruin a nest.
The chances for the eggs are very good, they were most likely just laid or laid recently. Are the eggs a chalky white color yet or are they still a pinkish-peach color? If they are white then the embryo has started to draw calcium from the egg's shell and is growing. If they are pinkish-peach then nothing may have happened just yet or worse case scenario they are infertile. Try to see if you can keep the eggs in the same position that they were laid sometimes if turned the yolk will crush the embryo so be careful. Don't panic it's all part of turtle keeping.

Ditto Chris. We've all probably been there a time or two. When I was about 10, I had a nice colony of Eastern box turtles. The females used to lay a ton of eggs...I had a male that was VERY aggressive and would mate will all of them at least weekly. The problem was, I was feeding them poorly. They were not getting the high calcium that they required not only for life, but especially for egg production. The result, every time I dug the eggs up, I'd puncture most of them. They were so weak, I could barely pick them up. I suspect that some were punctured by the female during laying also. After a season with no success, I bought an updated book on how to care for turtles. I followed the example diet more closely and had no more problems. Now, many years later, the eggs mine produce are so calcified that they actually feel rough. They have rough spots like sandpaper from calcium buildup. Note - there are no problems with hatchlings emerging. The eggs thin quite well throughout incubation.

Long story short...I FEEL YOUR PAIN.

Here are some links to egg care
http://www.tortoise.org/general/eggcare.html
http://www.aboxturtle.com/box_turtle_incubation.htm
http://turtle_tails.tripod.com/raisingbabyturtles/tour8.htm

Good luck!

I didn't handle the eggs enough to feel the texture, I'll do that today.

What I do for nutrients for these guy is ... I feed them fresh or frozen fruits and veggies every other day. The food is sprinkled with ground up cuttlebone and Nekton reptile vitamins. I also add a couple of drops of Vitamin B to their water.

Yesterday I fed them even though it wasn't feeding day because my big female was over at the food bowl and was just staring me down. I think she knew what I did.

Here's some recent pics of the results of the carnage. The eggs were right were I put the new shade pot. Guess I picked a good spot. (insert the eye roll here) I have another shade spot bin to add today. It is NOT get dug in! I'll partially cover it with soil and compost.

Can you find the turtle in this picture?

That's part of the problem, they got tossed with a shovelful of dirt. I have no idea what position they were in.

I did candle them last night and it looks like the yolk has settled in the bottom. At least the bottom had more density.

The eggs are a chalky white color.

I still feel horrible.

It's good that you candled them. Just to make sure the blastula wasn't growing and the yolk is positioned correc tly. Also accidents happen; lucky for the boxies it wasn't a racoon.

Ric

Well upon closer look at the eggs, one appears to be chalky white and the other has a bit of a pink cast to it.

I didn't pick them up and won't again for a couple of weeks. Why press my luck.

I don't have an incubator but my garage stays very warm. That'll do until I find a good, reasonably priced incubator. Any recommendations?