Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm just curious, I only seen one of my turtles lay eggs and that was about a week ago so I know I won't be seeing them soon, but as far as the other ones, they could have laid eggs earlier without me seeing. So when do you usually start seeing them? Or is it basically anytime. I've been looking out for them and haven't seen any yet. Thank you for any help in advance.

The average range is in the 60-90 day ballpark, with lots of variables, of course. Warmer temps = shorter wait. If you're incubating, keep temps around 80, 85 max (above which you risk cooking them), and be patient. Good luck!
There's been lots of discussions on the subject lately, so if you check out previous posts and the archives, you'll find more details.

I had two hatch yesterday and they had been incubating for only 45 days. Their yolk sac was completely absorbed by the time they emerged from the ground. Last year, I don't think any of mine took longer than 60 days to hatch.

These are my observations from the eggs I received this year. The first clutch of five eggs was incubated between 78 and 85 degrees. The first egg hatched on day 55 and the last egg hatched on day 59. The second clutch of four eggs was incubated between 78 and 88 degrees. The first egg hatched on day 52. It is now day 54, and the third and the fourth eggs hatched today. I am still waiting for the fourth egg to hatch, and I am guessing it will probably happen within the next day or two.

Steve

P.S. I will most pictures of the hatchlings soon!

Sounds like you'll have a nice batch of hatchlings this year

I don't really monitor the temperature. I just leave the eggs in my garage which is about as hot as it is outside which is in the low 90's. I keep the dirt wet to cool it down a little bit. Seems to work just fine. I'll post pictures of mine too, but I'm going to wait until all the eggs hatch and take a big group picture which should total 50 hatchlings. Last year I had 25, and they were a handfull. I'm going to be busy taking care of twice as many.

The fourth egg hatched yesterday. So my total for this year is now officially nine hatchlings. I have it in the incubator right now until it is finished absorbing its yolk. The third hatchling is also in the incubator, but it will be moving into a 20 gallon aquarium with its other two siblings today. The fourth hatchling will probably be moving into the aquarium tomorrow. In a couple weeks, after they are all eating regularly and start showing signs of growth, they will be moved into a large rubbermaid bin with the first five hatchlings. I'll post pictures of the first five hatchlings within the next day or two, and after the last four hatchlings start eating, I'll get pictures of them, and also group shots with all nine hatchlings.

It sounds like you'll be really busy this year. I know how busy I am just taking care of the first five hatchlings, along with the five adults. I can easily spend an hour each night just caring for the five hatchlings; I usually let them soak for a while then they each get a chance to eat, which seems to take a while, since they haven't mastered how to chow down on earthworms yet. Anyway, I'll get pics up soon, and everyone enjoy their new hatchlings and good luck to the rest of you still incubating eggs!

Steve

Thank you for the help everyone, I appreciate. I look foward to seeing everyones pictures of their hatchlings.

Kyle

Hatching has started in the south and is moving northward, for outside incubated animals. With box turtles, though, you'll have to be amazingly lucky to find babies in an outdoor pen. I've only located them outside once, and that was because I was clearing out the leaf litter they were hiding in. I actually tossed them out into the yard and then got lucky enough to see what I thought was a big slow beetle crawling on the dirt... found out it was an overwintered baby.
They are masters of staying hidden and invisible. In the wild the smallest I've found is what I would guess are at least two year olds.
Heck, even in my yearling pen, which is only 9'x3', I can lose them for a while and not see them for long periods of time, no matter how hard I search, only to find them again randomly one day.

If some do hatch in my outdoor pen and I don't see them, will they be okay? I thought I heard before that the adult turtles kill them, I could be wrong though. Also what about winter? Will they be alright hibernating? I've seen all the turtles in my pen mating this year, but I only seen one lay eggs, so the other ones may have laid eggs that I don't know about thats why I've been on the lookout. Thank you for your help.

well... I have never had a baby survive outdoors in a pen. If you are lucky enough to find them, then you can possibly save them (though the percentage drops I think if they overwinter). Adults might very well make a snack of smaller turtles, as might birds or even large insects, plus there is the weather and such to contend with, just as in nature. In the wild few hatchlings survive to adulthood, it's the long life of those who do, where they breed every year for a hundred or more, that keeps the species going (and what makes the removal of an adult from an area a devastating blow).

I'd say just keep an eye out as best you can. Check your turtles at dusk every day possible through the spring into mid summer, when most nesting happens.

Thanks again for your help. I have just one more question for you, as I mentioned earlier I had one lay eggs a few weeks ago, I went out the next day and screened the area in, do you think this is the best way to do it? I dug a nest up before by accident and put the eggs in moist vermiculite and had no luck with any of them hatching, therefore I was reluctant to try it again.

You can do it however you are comfortable. I like using an incubator, and then knowing exactly when they hatch and moving them to infant quarters to raise. If you leave them outdoors, wait two months and if they are not up yet, you might consider excavating to see if they've hatched and either way bringing them in.
I personally have either not had good hatching in the yard, or have missed it and the babies have disappeared. Either way the results were poor, so I watch diligently for nesting and move them in.
It's actually not as hard as it sounds, if you learn to palpate your females so you can tell when they develop eggs. After that you learn quickly when they will be close to nesting and can keep a good eye out.

Thanks again for the help, but I have a few more questions for you now. First off where do I get an Incubator at? Also if I were to escavate the eggs at the end of the season, how do I go about doing it, I heard you can't change the position they're in, is this true? It seems like this would be hard to do with out cracking them or moving them, do you have any advice on how to dig them up? Thanks in advance, I really appreciate all the help you've given me.

you can get a hovabator from LLL reptile. Don't get the one with the fan, as you don't want moving air. The normal model does have some moving air, but you minimize it by putting the eggs in deli cups of soil/vermiculite/whatever with lids on them and small holes in the cups for slight air. It is cheap, it takes about a week of running it and constantly checking temp every 15 mins to get it set perfectly (and setting it for one spot might change if you move it to another location, I have found).

Anyway, once it's set up, get a deli cup 1/2 full of moist vermiculite, get a stiff paintbrush, plastic spoon, and pencil with soft led or fine felt tip marker.

Go to the spot and start brushing away the dirt. Carefully brush it out of the way as much as you can. Then I use the spoon to score the top of the earth and brush more away. I repeat until I find a nest. I do this slowly and meticulously so as not to harm an egg.

When you come to the first egg, uncover the top of it, and enough of it that you can see the top. Note the positioning. The important thing is that the top point stays at the top. Use the pencil or felt tip to mark this spot carefully. Now make a depression with your thumb in the material in the deli cup that will accomodate this egg in the same orientation. Gently remove enough dirt to carefully and slowly lift out the egg and set it in the deli cup in it's new depression. pack a little extra material around it so only the very top (showing the mark you made) is visible.

repeat until all eggs are out of nest.

Thanks again for all your advice. I'm going to try to buy one this weekend and set it up. I really appreciate you taking the time to explain all this to me.

Thanks,
Kyle