Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everybody
I have been lurking around this site for a while and get some good info. I have 6 boxers(2 3-toes from Grannys hillside farms whom I highly reccommend for food and animals) and 4 rescued easterns. This is my 4th season with them and they hibernate well indoors and are all healthy and fat(except one who refuses to gain weight but eats a fair amount and has been dewormed etc.
I had him for 4+ years too so I guess he is just a skinny boxer.
I have yet to hatch eggs although every year at least 2 of my females lay them. The soil is a bit sandy and gets pretty hard in the heat of the summer. I am thinking the eggs are cooking in the hard hot ground. I do water the whole pen everyday but I dont think it holds the moisture. The question I have is do y'all think I will have a better chance at hatching eggs if I dig out the hard soil and replace it with mulch or peat moss or anything like that? Any ideas comments will be appreciated. I am in NJ and they ususally go outside in early april

Lots of variables to consider, but first things first: the image you posted is not a photo of either an eastern or a three toed box turtle( you knew that, right...?)
You don't mention whether or not your turtles are breeding regularly. No nookie, no babies.
You may have mature females and immature males, so the ladies are producing eggs that are not fertile.
Nests may be collapsing in that sandy soil, causing eggs to roll, which is not a good thing.
Hard soils that can be well compacted (and stay that way) are best, loose soils aren't good for reasons mentioned above.
If you have to add anything, add topsoil, mix it in and tamp it down well.
My female Easterns lay their eggs in the hardest clay they can find in their enclosure: its almost like concrete but they meet with success.

Since it can be so many variables that cause your eggs to not be viable, why don't you dig up a clutch this season and incubate in an artificial (constant temp & humidity) incubator?

I've had great luck with make-shift incubators and most recently with a hovabator (without the fan - too dry).

If you try this, you will remove many of the elements that you mention with your nesting area. Sometimes we just can't produce what nature produces. You will at least prove that your females are producing viable eggs.

Paul

Thanks for the replies, I think I may try to incubate the eggs this year. And They are definitely breeding, usually after they wake up from the winter sleep. We'll just have to see what happens. And yes I do know that is a snapper, There are 3 that I see every year on the trails behind my house, in the swampy area, always around the same spot and only for like one week will they be out of the water. I saw about 10 boxers back there last year so the population seems to be OK here in jersey.Lets hope it stays that way. Cheers and thanks again for the replies and suggestions.