Our boxie layed an egg yesterday, and since it was infertile mom picked it up to take a looksie. When she put it back down the turtle ran over and ate it.... is it because she saw mom touching it? How many eggs should we suspect?
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Gravid female eats egg...
tanias16
Jun 10, 2003 10:39 AM
Replies (3)
Greg_978
Jun 10, 2003 04:38 PM
Very normal behavior... any turtle will eat their own eggs if they see them.... once they are laid, they are just food... this is why they bury them.
>>Our boxie layed an egg yesterday, and since it was infertile mom picked it up to take a looksie. When she put it back down the turtle ran over and ate it.... is it because she saw mom touching it? How many eggs should we suspect?
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Greg
http://greg978.tripod.com/
tanias16
Jun 11, 2003 09:01 AM
She only layed one, is that normal or should i be worried?
vidusa
Jun 16, 2003 08:28 AM
You should suspect all eggs as being fertile until proven not to be. Place them in an incubator, and if they begin caving in in a few days then they are infertile. Boxes can hold sperm for 5 years, at 5 years 1/4 eggs could be fertile.
If a box does not find a sutiable nest site, she will just lay it on land. I had this happen a few times, and they often turned around and ate it because it was there. I also suspect that some late laying (maybe due to retention problems) was layed in water because the helps in easing the laying process also with constipation.
mark
