Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a small three toed female I picked up on the interstate ,I made a pen on the side of my garage.Well 6 days ago she dug a nest and laid some eggs,I was going to take them before she burried them but I was to late,I didn't want to damage the eggs by digging them up.My question pertains to ants,not the large fire ants but small red and black ants.Will they get to the eggs if they are left in the ground? Should I dig them up or leave them in the ground?I ordered a still air incubatorit should get here any day now.I live in south Louisiana and the temps have been in the 90's every day and we get a shower almost every day.I built a wire inclosure to keep the eggs safe from large predators but I'm just concerned about the ants. Thanks Jason

I haven't had any personal experience with this, but I suspect that ants become an issue at hatching, at which time they can be a serious hazard to the new babies. I don't think they can really do anything to the eggs until that time. Like I said, I can't speak from experience, and I may be wrong.
An option would be to place those little bait traps outside the enclosure and try to control the situation that way.
If you do lift the eggs to incubate them, be very careful not to alter their position at all, and put them in the medium of choice at the same angle, and no rolling please.
Good luck
Stephanie

Thanks,what about the high tempatures and rain,she laid the in a open spot with no cover I placed a board on top of the cage to keep the direct sunlight from hitting the nest I don't know if this is necessary or not but the ground gets pretty hot.If I do deciede to dig them up how much time do I have? It's been over a week since she laid them.Thanks

Actually, box turtles frequntly lay their eggs in areas with little or no cover, presumably so that the sun will warm the soil, and, the female encounters fewer roots when digging. Air temperatures in the 90's don't translate into soil temperatures in the same range: its not as hot in the nest.
I would say that they are probably fine where they are, let it rain on the nest. Unless water pools there and it stays really soggy, rainfall shouldn't affect them adversely.
If you choose do dig them and incubate them, you'll find that maintaining the high humidity needed can be tricky, so keep that in mind when thinking about rain falling on the nest. Moisture is necessary. Warmth is necessary.
Regards,
Stephanie

I carefuly dug them up yesterday,they look fine,put them in a bowl with damp vermiculite and punched a few holes in the lid,put them in the still air hovabator set at 82 degrees and hope for the best.thanks for the tips I feel much better having then in a more controled setting safe from predators. By the way she only laid 2 eggs,I heard that they lay 2 clutches is this common?If so how long between clutches,so I can start watching.Thanks Jason

One of my girls produced 2 clutches of 4 eggs each last year, two weeks apart. This year, the same female gave us 4 eggs, then a month later, 3 more. Just keep an eye on yours, and look for certain behaviors: lots of walking, lots of drinking, active in the evening.
Stephanie