Reptile & Amphibian Forums

At work we have this white-cheeked mud turtle that we just got in. Well, we've only had her a few weeks, and she layed an egg. I'm not sure how you tell if the egg is fertile or not. I heard of the candle method, but what do I look for?

I put the egg in some moist soil pointing up. I read this in a red-eared slider book. I've got a lamp over the top of the container to keep it warm, at about 85 degrees. I know that birds can lay unfertile eggs all the time, but reptiles don't do that do they?

Yes, reptiles lay unfertile eggs all the time, especially in captivity.

When you candle an eggs, you are shining a bright light source through the egg (the shell is somewhat translucent) and you are looking for red blood vessels.