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#2047494
GG1man
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NEW BOX TURTLE EGGS 
Much to my suprise, I found three eggs in my turle pen today. I looked at some other websites on Box Turtles about how to care for the eggs. One site leans more toward leaving the eggs alone. However, in the same paragraph, they mention predators, such as racoons, skunks, and cats. Not to mention ants. The other site leans toward housing the eggs indoors, in a terrarium. My feeling is to place them in a terrarium, properly set up to mimic the turtle pen. Both sites say the eggs will hatch in about three months, which places their due date around the end of October. Although there was mention of the eggs overwintering, if I understood correctly.
Has anyone any thoughts or additional advise to share?
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07/29/09 07:25pm
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#2047512
Reptilefreak23
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Message To: GG1man In reference to Message Id: 2047494
NEW BOX TURTLE EGGS
Make an incubator, which can be as simple as burying most of the egg in pot-soil and moss in a tub with a loose lid in an area where temps stay between 75-84 degrees. It would take them about 70-90 days to hatch in those conditions. Or you can buy a hovabator which work very well.
Eggs laid on the ground are often infertile, they should be digging holes to lay in... however incubate the eggs anyway. Young females often do not dig their first season or so.
Also when they say "over winter" it means the babies over winter underground, not the eggs.
If moving the eggs ALWAYS remember not to turn them from their original position. Doing this will result in the drowning of the embryos.
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07/29/09 07:43pm
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#2047515
Reptilefreak23
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Message To: Reptilefreak23 In reference to Message Id: 2047512
NEW BOX TURTLE EGGS
So if they are laying on the ground you must take them... they wont last a two days on the ground. (maybe not even minutes depending on animals, where they are etc...)
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07/29/09 07:45pm
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#2047520
GG1man
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Message To: Reptilefreak23 In reference to Message Id: 2047515
NEW BOX TURTLE EGGS
Thanks for your quick reply and information.
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07/29/09 07:51pm
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#2048197
Reptilefreak23
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Message To: GG1man In reference to Message Id: 2047520
NEW BOX TURTLE EGGS
Your welcome... so hows it going? Did you get the eggs inside? What are you planning on doing etc..?
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07/30/09 05:44pm
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#2048963
Gottee guy
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Message To: Reptilefreak23 In reference to Message Id: 2048197
NEW BOX TURTLE EGGS
I’d say vermiculite is a better incubation substrate. I have had problems with eggs molding in dirt. Make sure the eggs and substrate are ALWAYS moist. And like stated above, never flip the egg over.
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07/31/09 11:37pm
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#2049029
GG1man
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Message To: Gottee guy In reference to Message Id: 2048963
NEW BOX TURTLE EGGS
Yes, I have them in an aqarium behind my barn. I have a lamp in it and a glass cover that I can lift to keep things from getting too warm. The temperature is at 85 degrees with the sixty watt bulb. I probably should replace it with a smaller wattage lamp.
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08/01/09 07:19am
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#2049113
Reptilefreak23
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Message To: GG1man In reference to Message Id: 2049029
NEW BOX TURTLE EGGS
The problem with vermiculite and box turtle eggs is that the majority of the egg needs to be burried. Vermiculite will sort of stick all over the egg not allowing it to breath.
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08/01/09 11:53am
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#2049281
GG1man
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Message To: Reptilefreak23 In reference to Message Id: 2049113
NEW BOX TURTLE EGGS
I have the eggs in a mixture of soil and pine needles, mostly pine needles. The soil itself is decomposed pine needles. It holds moisture fairly well, while allowing air to flow through it. I did wind up changing the bulb to a forty watt.
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08/01/09 07:56pm
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#2085223
GG1man
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Message To: GG1man In reference to Message Id: 2049281
NEW BOX TURTLE EGGS
It appears that something went wrong during the last couple of months. The eggs that I was most careful with, and that were partially buried when I moved them into the incubator have all collapsed and split open. No turtles were to be found in the soil. Two other eggs that I had in a small plastic container and that were not buried at all when found, are still intact. However I don’t know if they are fertile or not. I’m going to leave the incubator light on for another week or so before I clean the incubator out.
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10/17/09 09:28pm
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#2088306
GG1man
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Message To: GG1man In reference to Message Id: 2085223
NEW BOX TURTLE EGGS
Today I was starting to clean the incubator out and was going to throw away the collapsed eggs, and had given up on the two eggs that were still intact. These two were the ones I found first on the surface of the turtle pen soil. So I was told that these were least likely to develop. I picked one up and it felt pliable. I cut it open with a razor knife, and found a baby turtle inside along with a majority of the yoke. It is alive as of now. I am going to leave the remaining egg intact for now.
What are the chances of the baby turtle surviving outside of it’s shell with the yoke still attached? And what should I do to help it along, as far as environment and feeding.
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10/24/09 07:22pm
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