Eastern mud turtle eggs and hatchling

Lizadore

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Okay so my parents are redoing our back yard and last weekend while moving a pile of dirt they ran into 5 Turtle eggs. One of the eggs was accidentally cracked open in all the dirt moving and out cam a teeny tiny turtle. Before my mom could stop him, my dad put the little guy down in the marshy like creek behind our yard. Next they decided to incubate the eggs mostly because they couldn't put them back in the pile they just moved. After a little help from me we have a make shift incubation thing going on. Its still pretty hot out so they are in a bin that has holes in the lid with lots of moist dirt sitting outside (we keep the house at 70 which I know is to cold to bring them in side when we don't have a heat source for them). After a few days our dog was really intent on the box of eggs and it turned out that one of them was hatching, something I didn't think would happen because the eggs were moved and turned and there was no way of telling the top from bottom.

So now we have three eggs and a Hatchling. Let me start with the eggs. Two days ago one of the eggs started to look like it had cracks in the shell and then a small crack appeared and has some clear goo out side of it. and today they same thing happened to another egg. When watching the two eggs with tiny cracks they seem to be moving of vibrating more so. I can not tell if this means they are going to hatch on their own, if I should help them, or what is happening. I am just really worried that they wont be able to hatch if turned wrong.

On to the hatchling. We did what ever web site said to do and removed him from the dirt and put him in a container with moist paper towels until he finished sucking up his yoke. now we have him in a ten gallon tank with eco-dirt and little plants with the moss you can get for reptiles over top of the dirt and a fairly large compared to the turtle, yet still easy for him to get out of water dish-thing. We put him in he went straight to the water swam through got out and disappeared into the dirt. We were expecting him to do that, but now we haven't seen him, even slightly and I am worried that he is not eating or drinking. I know it says everywhere that they sometimes don't eat when absorbing the yoke but how long until they do eat? Should we try to give him veggie now along with other things? Any help in this aspect would be great!

We are planing to release him and the others if they hatch after they sewer company has finished their work behind our yard. Our creek comes up from a bay of water, it is where their mom came from and will be perfect for them once all the work is done and we do not have to worry about them being hurt cause they don't move far when the guys come through and cut down the path to the sewer hatch.


10551553_10152295466149205_9135164127899164069_o.jpg The eggs before I took over with making sure they were in good moist dirt (this doesn't show the lid which has holes). Also this was before the hatchling.10582995_10152297642529205_6972794578513953661_o.jpg Showing the belly before moving to the big tank.
10450658_10152297643099205_8119725766106926122_n.jpg 10479988_10152297643194205_6713861429398410134_n.jpg
Him compared to the mini meal-worms which we got for food along with pinhead crickets and pellets. 10001204_10152297642594205_4087154232874476323_o.jpg
The tank set up. (we have changed water dishes since the picture because that one leaked.)10547916_10152297643509205_3944938912769663990_o.jpg 10548159_10152297643529205_7343206172569765208_o.jpg The little guy in the tank and the last picture before he went poof.
 

bouaboua

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How little and how cute.
 

Lizadore

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Water turtles don't eat out of the water, they must be in water to swallow their food. They have no saliva. Thats why he may not be eating . You can take them up the creek and release them away from construction site .
Hmm interesting. I know that mud babies spend many weeks just hiding in mud in the wild, so I'm guessing to eat they come out of hiding breifly? Thanks for this info it is really helpful!
 

lisa127

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He is way too cute!

I believe eastern muds are considered semi aquatic/semi terrestrial and they spend a lot of time on land. But that they eat in the water.
 

Lizadore

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Update:
Egg wise still not hatching but all three eggs have a slight crack. I still dont even know if they will hatch.

Hatchling wise. Today after reading he needed to eat in water I dug him out of the tank. In the less 24 hours since I seen him I forgot how tiny he was! I but the little guy in enough water that the tippy top of his shell was still above water but the rest of him was under in a small 2.5 gallon tank. Next I added some baby turtle food pellets I have for him just to see what he would do. He swam a bit then went omnom on the pellet, so i pulled out the mini meal-worms and put two in the water. He found one and ate it then just walk around a bit enjoying the water but he was soon very done being in water and wanted out (was trying to climb the sides of the tank). I took out the plants and moss and left just the water dish and dirt in his tank to see what he would do. He has spent the last 2 hours exploring the tank and totally kid in a candy shop with this world above the dirt. There was a few meal-worms in the tank crawling around (they escaped the bowl they were in before I knew he had to eat in water). One of the meal-worms came up and the little turtle looked at it then ate it. Yes, above water. So now I have a plan to feed him in water once a day but also keep a food pellet in his water dish and a meal worm or two in the tank with him.

I don't know how much he is supposed to eat and I feel the amount will increase once he get more antiquated to the world out of dirt. But this would be his first meal since hatching three days ago. I have some picture of today I will post just so y'all can see.

Also if anyone can help me with what to do or what could be going on with the eggs that would be helpful.
 

turtlemanfla88

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better then mealworms I had good luck with earthworms cut them up in smallpieces and reptomin turtle food it smells fishy.
 

kathyth

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I have had several Mud Turtle hatchlings. They eat tiny amounts of food daily.
Good luck. :)
 

Anthony P

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The small cracks sound good. All of my Kinosternon eggs did the same before hatching, and Ernst and Lovich describe the same thing in "Turtles of the US and Canada."

At first, I was concerned because you didn't mention not turning the eggs. However, with one of the turtles already hatching out, and the small cracks in the eggs developing, I'd say you might be past the point where eggs can drown from being turned.
 

Lizadore

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Okay that is good to hear that there might be a chance. I'm just concerned cause still no big cracks just the one small in each of the three eggs left. We are definitely going to wait them out and hope they hatch. Is there a point at which I should try to either help the eggs or just leave them alone in the incubator?
 

turtlemanfla88

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I work with Eastern muds, three stripe muds, common musks, and a friend gave me a baby common musk and a FLA mud turtle they hatched out and they are not even turtle and tortoise people. How many day since first baby hatched?
 

turtlemanfla88

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I am worried if you wait to long babies will die in eggs. I use a razor blade a put a very small hole on top of egg.
 

Lizadore

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The eggs were found on Saturday the 16th one egg was broken during the moving of dirt that day and but down in the creek the first actual egg to hatch since we set up a place was on the 18th. The small crack in the other eggs started appearing on the 19th.
 

turtlemanfla88

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Are you finding any more cracks in the eggs?. In my experience I spray my eggs and that usually gets them hatching with a water bottle from the dollar store.
 

Lizadore

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HELP!!! My friend accidentally pulled off some of the egg shell from on of the eggs!! There is a baby turtle inside and it looks like it has a clear sac around it the turtle looked developed but now we don't know what to do!! She just put the egg down and the shell piece right back over it.
 

Lizadore

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We have an update with pictures!
On august 24th we had three eggs and one turtle. Large piece of one of the eggs was accidentally pulled off. Inside there was a fairly large and very alive baby turtle. You could see a clear sac around the turtle and sadly some blood coming from what look like a vain attached to the egg. Immediately the egg shell was put right back and the egg was left alone unsure of its future.

10557419_10201575903198500_7928707777351363181_n.jpg This is the egg, and you can see where the large piece was taken off and put back on.

Tears were shed and nerves were wreck. But we kept the conditions as stable as we could for the eggs and hoped maybe one more would hatch.

10622887_10201575903078497_1391677083846225999_n.jpg The three eggs, top is what we call 1, then the bottom left is 2 and bottom right is 3.
10626488_10201575903238501_6305876689446826479_n.jpg Egg one on august 24th.
10702187_10201575903158499_2993114951353759964_n.jpg Egg two on August 24th.

Our first turtle to hatch who has been named Raphael, is doing great! We still have him in a 10 gallon tank working on getting a spot for a much bigger 55 gallon tank to be put up. We have moved everything inside to our garage because that is warm then our house. The eggs and him have a heating lamp, and his dirt has been replaced with small pebbles to allow for half the tank being water. Raph has a filter set up with a little water fall and stream.

10660200_10204024260359749_2445366781396214386_n.jpgThe filter is set up against a wall deep in the rocks with a black drainage pipe cut in half around it to keep the rocks and Raphael from getting to the filter.
10670278_10204024259399725_3572685483263977910_n.jpg 10420355_10204024337641681_6194423658740008064_n.jpgRaphael is in LOVE with the water place he spend most of his time swimming now, but he still wont eat floating food,thats whats above his head, which is okay he loves mealworms.

On the night of September 5th a miracle seemed to be happening, Egg three was showing signs of hatching, or well we hoped it was that and not the egg exploding. Still we sat on our hands and waited.

September 6th:
10688451_10152340576684205_6241792775761387618_o.jpgThere was a little turtle trying to work his way out!

We moved him to a container with moist paper towel and helped him a little to clear the shell around his head because he was trying to come out the top instead of the side.

10682369_10152341271904205_7902400908064487263_o.jpgMany hours later we welcomed little Leonardo into the word!10694375_10152341271899205_2078909227611460773_o.jpg He is just too darn cute! has a very different personality then Raphael at this point.

We did a size comparison of the two and noticed that Raphael had really gotten big!

885910_10152341272014205_7363838926777744244_o.jpg

Of course we have not put them together yet, Leo still has some yoke so we are introducing meal worms to him and as soon as he eats one we might go about and introduction of the two.

If anyone has any advise about introducing the two please share!

We are still hoping the other two hatch and are patiently waiting them out it hasn't even been a month that we have had them so we will see. But for now we have two turtles and two eggs all seemingly doing well.
 

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