Reptile & Amphibian Forums

How do any turtles actually survive hatching in the wild?

I mean nature doesn't stay at a steady temp day and night for incubation. The humidity isn't always the same. Environmental conditions are not perfectly maintained.

So how do they make it?

All this comes about after spending a good portion of today reading about how to take care of my eggs.

Hi, someone acctually did a study on a nest, and temps. in that next stayed in the rage of 77-86 degress, even when the temps. at night are lowwer or higher then the acctaul nest. Also like 1 of 3 eggs survive.

Consider that hobbyists want every egg to hatch and being specific will maximize this. Also consider that when in the wild, a turtle has endless nesting possibilities, not just a few that might be provided in captivity. This means they'll be able to find a spot that will best meet the egg's needs to hatch.

What you have read about caring for your eggs likely targets two things.
1) To overcome the hazards of being layed indoors (ie, low humidity ect)
2) Again, to maximize the hatching rate, and perhaps to even determine the sex of the hatchlings with a specific temperature.

Ian