found egg laying box turtle. What to do

[amandamb]

I was out walking my dog late last night in the woods behind my house. We have made trails all throughout the woods so it looks like a park. It was about 10:30 when
I came across a box turtle laying eggs. I was so fascinated but then I realized where she was laying them. Right in the middle of one of my tracker trails. Uhgg! So my question is what can I do to protect this little ones for all the other critters that live in my woods. Needless to say I lost my tracker trail for a while! But I would still like to give them a fighting chance.

 

[wellington]

She will lay her eggs and bury them back up and she will go about her business. Leave her and the eggs alone. If your afraid a dog your tracking with will dig them up, you could put a barrier around it, but make sure the hatchlings can get out of the barrier when they hatch

 

[amandamb]

I left her alone to lay them in peace. That's what I would want so I just walked away. But I have fox and raccoons that come around a lot and I'm afraid something might dig them up. I have lot of wild turtle friends back here but I want to insure the little ones have a good chance of making it. I'll have to put a barrier up

 

[Sara G.]

In cases of wild animals laying eggs, having young, etc. it's really best to just let nature take its course imo.
As long as there are no human problems or interference (cars driving over the nesting sites, people letting their pets loose and their pets destroying the nesting site, etc.) then you should just leave them.
Box turtles know how to lay their eggs to protect them from predators.

 

[Yvonne G]

Since it's on the trail, you can drag a log over and place it right next to the nest so people walking have to step over and not trod on the nest.

 

[amandamb]

Thats a good idea about using a log. I reread my post I meant to say tractor trail. As in heavy equipment. This particular trail connects with my neighbors land and use it to drive my tractor over to his fields for plowing. So I won't be able to use it until I know they have hatched. But with all the box turtles that take refuge back there I'm starting to wonder if there aren't more nest on the trail. I found another pair mating today when we went for our walk. I guess I'll just have to give it up to the turtles. Lol