Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I never thought I would have this problem, but this year if all goes well, I am going to have too many hatchlings (I don't want to count my turtles before they hatch, but I want to be prepared). Has anyone ever released hatchlings in a state park or in the wild? The reason I thought of this option is because one of the clutches I have (and have not dug up) was laid by a turtle that someone thought they were rescuing from the road and brought to me. I returned her to where she was found the next day, but not before she laid eggs in the pen. I had too many eggs before this clutch, so now I don't know what I'm going to do with them and some of the others (all 4 of my girls have laid this year). Any suggestions as to what I could do with all those babies??

technically it would be illegal.

Also, something to consider is that so far, little is known about hatchling box turtle behavior in the wild, but one thing that is known is that they stay within a few feet of the nest for the first year of their life. This means that the selection of a nesting site by the female is of utmost importance. These turtles will have to drink rainwater, eat what is available, and withstand the temperatures and weather (rain washouts, etc) of that spot for a year. A female box turtle may instinctually get the right spot and be reasonably successful, but would you? I have no reason to think I could select the right spot myself.

I find myself in a similar situation to you in many years. This year I'm only expecting a few hatchlings, so I have little worries, but normally I give away my hatchlings to people who will agree not to buy captive bred animals. I can't enforce this, of course, but at least I know that the hatchlings I provide will take up the space that could otherwise house wild animals. My wife and I find this rewarding. We ask for photos of the enclosures, and that the adopter pay shipping, and that is all. Each year we've posted notices about it, we've gotten roughly ten times the amount of responses as we had turtles. Some of ours from one year are in a future captive bred breeding program run by an aspiring biologist.

In any case, good luck, and glad to hear you've had a fruitful year.