Spotted turtles hatching

Markw84

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I don't care how long you've been doing it, it is still always exciting to see the clutch emerge. This is a clutch of 4 from one of my older females. She laid these May 22. So 49 days to hatch. Incubated at 85.5°. Should be a mix but tendency for 75% female. Really enjoy my spotted turtles...

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Moozillion

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I loveLoveLOVE spotted turtles!!!!!!!!! :<3::<3::<3:

IF I were ever to get more turtles, it would almost surely be spotted!!!!!!!!
 

cdmay

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I don't care how long you've been doing it, it is still always exciting to see the clutch emerge. This is a clutch of 4 from one of my older females. She laid these May 22. So 49 days to hatch. Incubated at 85.5°. Should be a mix but tendency for 75% female. Really enjoy my spotted turtles...

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Agree. It never does get old.
Maybe you could share your spotted turtle set-up?
 

Markw84

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I built my upper pond specifically for my spotted turtle colony. Plenty of land area and the upper pond is a max of 12" deep. All the sides are gently sloping and room for lots of plants to sit in the pond as well as some rock features. The water in the pond system is 10,000 gallons. All of that returns to the filter system through 2 - 4" drains spaced in the lower pond and 2 - skimmers at each end of the lower pond also through 4" lines. The pump returns the water to the waterfall at the rate of 6,000 gal per hour. I designed a double fall to add to the vigorous aeration of the water. I also have 2 large pond aerators in the lower pond which greatly improves water quality. So all 6000 gals per hour flows through the upper pond and splits into two streams to feed into the lower pond. I built an octagonal upper patio adjacent to the upper pond for viewing the spotteds and it provides an entirely different view of the lower pond from above. sitting there looking to my left (right side of picture) also give me a nice view of the Sulcata yard. Here is a picture from standing on the edge of our "sipping pool" looking up towards the upper pond.

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Another view standing in the sulcata yard, you can see the octagonal lower patio extends into the lower pond with 5 of the 8 sides a full 6 foot glass wall. The extreme left side of the picture you can just see the edge of our "sipping pool" that is separated from the pond by a pane of glass. So it looks and feels like you are swimming with the fish and turtles.

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Standing on the upper patio you have a full view of the spotteds' upper pond. I just took these photos, so morning sun creates shade, but I think you get a good idea of the layout. The plants are well established now after 2 years. An amazing network of roots that grow into the water, The plants are potted in 10" square aquatic plant baskets, planted with bare roots stuck into plain gravel as "potting" mix. They get all their nutrients from the water this way and forces the roots to grow out into the water. The turtles love this habitat and are by nature quite cryptic. As I took this picture I only could see one spotted turtle. There are 30 spotted turtles in there!

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The turtles have the ability to go anywhere they want within the whole pond system. But all the spotted turtles choose to stay up here. I rarely will ever see one that ventures down and swims around the lower pond. So this is definitely their preferred habitat. I did see quite a few of them in the lower pond eating koi eggs off the sides when the koi spawn. So they know that world is down there, they choose to stay here. My spotted turtles always choose to lay eggs pushed into a bush, not in the open. So I have lots of lower ground cover plants around this area. Lots of creeping jenny. The will push into it and dig a nest to lay their eggs. If I don't catch them in the act, I will not find the nest. So I do get lots of hatchlings emerging in the fall from these hidden nests. The area on the lower right here is a favorite nesting area.

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Their diet is probably 80% Mazuri aquatic turtle pellet mixed with some koi pellets. In the evenings with a glass of wine, we will toss in some meal worms, or shrimp, or boiled chicken as treats. Guest will wonder where the turtles are, but within a few minutes, there will be over 25 chowing down on the treats. Here's a photo from an evening earlier this year.

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Tom

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I think I just peed in my pants!
What an incredible job you've done. Really, words escape me...and that's hard to do.

I agree! You let me now when you are coming to visit and I will meet you there. Mark already has an assortment of good Mexican beers, but I'll bring more. I'll pick up Yvonne along the way, if I can get her to leave the house for a while.

Mark has already okayed snorkeling and SCUBA diving in there too!!!
 

Markw84

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I agree! You let me now when you are coming to visit and I will meet you there. Mark already has an assortment of good Mexican beers, but I'll bring more. I'll pick up Yvonne along the way, if I can get her to leave the house for a while.

Mark has already okayed snorkeling and SCUBA diving in there too!!!
THAT would be fun!!
 

Levi the Leopard

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Hope long will you wait until you release the hatchlings into the upper pond?

When you find the surprise hatchlings in the fall, do you pull them out? Leave them in? Do they all make it?
 

MichaelaW

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I agree! You let me now when you are coming to visit and I will meet you there. Mark already has an assortment of good Mexican beers, but I'll bring more. I'll pick up Yvonne along the way, if I can get her to leave the house for a while.

Mark has already okayed snorkeling and SCUBA diving in there too!!!
Can I hitch a ride?
 

Markw84

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Hope long will you wait until you release the hatchlings into the upper pond?

When you find the surprise hatchlings in the fall, do you pull them out? Leave them in? Do they all make it?

I get my hatchlings of all kinds up to 2 1/2". For a spotted, that is normally it's second year.

We do pull them out as soon as we see them. We actually make a point out of searching a few times a day starting in August to try to get them ASAP. They are just so small and fragile. Even one of my larger bluegill would probably eat one if they saw it swimming at the surface. Maybe even a koi. Of course even the smaller birds are a problem at that size. Also need to be sure they start eating properly and they just can't compete for food in the big pond.

Once I bring them inside, or for those who I hatch out in the incubator, normally all will make it. No matter what I do, there are always a few that are just weak hatchlings. Just won't eat and are lethargic from the beginning. But probably 90% will make it.

Once they are growing well, it is rare to lose one. A captive raised turtle is so healthy, predators are the only real threat if you have them set up properly.
 

KevinGG

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Such a beautiful habitat. I have a perfect spot in the garden for a shady stream. Would love to raise up a group of these some time soon.
 

MichaelaW

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If you venture West a few hundred miles and put yourself in the path between my house and Mark's, I'll stop and give you a ride. :)
One thing about living in the southernmost part of the US (basically Mexico)- to travel most places is quite the hike.:rolleyes:
 

Moozillion

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If you venture West a few hundred miles and put yourself in the path between my house and Mark's, I'll stop and give you a ride. :)
Swing by New Orleans to pick me up, too! I'll buy you an oyster po-boy (or whatever you like!) and some Abita beer!
 

Moozillion

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Mark, how did you learn to do all this? Are you BOTH a biologist AND a construction engineer by trade???;)
 
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