Reptile & Amphibian Forums

As i type this message my female easter box turlte is digging a nest. She has not layed so far this year so maybe she will tonight. MY question is what should i do with the eggs layed so late? I have read that eggs layed late can overwinter in the nest and hatch in the spring. Were i live in NJ it was very cold and the ground was frozen for over 2 monthslast winter.

I have not seen her mate this year but i did see her mate last fall. should i let the eggs stay in the nest or bring them inside and hatch them??

Any one with experiance or advice will be appriciated
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Jack

Lucky you!
If she were mine and I lived in NJ, I would lift the eggs and incubate them inside, then keep any hatchlings inside til late spring.
Do a search of the forum archives for 'incubating eggs': there are plenty of postings on the subject, this summer and on the old forum, with more specific instructions. I have limited experience but here goes:
Some important basics to remember:
DO NOT ROLL the eggs;when you dig them up, its very important to keep them oriented the way they were in the nest, and to position them accordingly in the vermiculite or peat or whatever you use to incubate them in. Mark them if necessary.
Maintain temps between 75-85 degrees: the cooler end of that range will produce more males than females, the warmer end more females than males.
Keep the medium moist but not soggy, and avoid wetting the eggs directly.
You won't necessarily need specialized equipment...
Good luck, and I hope that helps a little.
Where are you in NJ?
Stephanie

I concur completely with the previous post.

I accidentally had three nests over winter one year. I simply did not catch three girls nesting. Out of nine eggs found in three nests in spring, three (in one nest) did not develop, three in another nest all died in the egg, and in the last nest one hatched and died, the other two I found in the spring, they did not survive long, even moved indoors and cared for as best as I could (identical methods as for the other 8 that hatched fine and are still alive years later).

If you discount the nest that had no developed eggs, since anything could cause infertile eggs or similar results... that still leaves 2 out of 6 hatching, and zero out of 6 surviving long. Those are terrible odds, in my opinion. However, this is far from a scientific study, only my personal results.

The turle layed 5 eggs and i brough them insinde. I Have them in bath room in a small container. this is the warmest room in the house so im hopeing that in a couple of mounths they will hatch.
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Jack

If they are kept around 75-85, and you keep them moist (not wet, just mist the soil or whatever around them when it starts to dry out), then you can start looking for babies in about 60 days.

I find it helps to write the nesting date on a piece of tape, with the female's name (and male if your situation lets you know this), and put it on the container. I will also put the date of 60 days, so I know when to start keeping closer tabs.

Oh, and I found that the top of my refridgerator stays at 80 degrees with the temp I keep my house at.