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if your turtle lays eggs and you think theyre fertilized,what do you do?
turtle eggs
- Thread starter adamlikesbananas
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usually they will dig a hole to lay the eggs....if they lay them on top of the ground they might be fertile..but usually not that is if there was room to dig....a lot of ppl here incubate them but without having the knowledge how to you might end up killing the eggs...if the turtle dug a hole outside you can leave it and let nature take is course....hopefully you get some more answers to your Q.
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I'm sure you'll get plenty of responses but I'll start. Obviously you have 2 options; artificial or natural incubation. Natural incubation depends on where you are. If you live in the natural range of the turtle the eggs will have a chance of developing and hatching on their own. Where I am for example, Eastern WA, they have no chance of developing on their own because the climate is a high desert and the conditions are not right.
Second option is to artificial incubate. Buy a chick incubator. Nothing fancy, no fans or forced air. Basic styrofoam box with a heater. Lots of people build their own, that's another subject.
The general agreement among herp keepers is that box turtle eggs are the easiest to incubate. Personally, I think they are the most difficult. The humidity levels are very important; too much you explode the egg, too little it collapses.
I recommend a book called Box Turtles by Tess Cook to get you started.
Hope this helps a little.
PS: If you decide to incubate, don't discard eggs laid on the ground. It's possible they are fertile. Its happened to me many times.
Second option is to artificial incubate. Buy a chick incubator. Nothing fancy, no fans or forced air. Basic styrofoam box with a heater. Lots of people build their own, that's another subject.
The general agreement among herp keepers is that box turtle eggs are the easiest to incubate. Personally, I think they are the most difficult. The humidity levels are very important; too much you explode the egg, too little it collapses.
I recommend a book called Box Turtles by Tess Cook to get you started.
Hope this helps a little.
PS: If you decide to incubate, don't discard eggs laid on the ground. It's possible they are fertile. Its happened to me many times.
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- Sep 12, 2012
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thx for the info 
If you find a nest in the ground, I would leave it there, because just gently flipping over an egg will most likely kill the turtle inside. Put a screen or something around the nest (If they are captive turtles) so that when they emerge, they will become trapped. Check on this constantly and you may find some.
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