HELP MEEEE TURTLE LAID EGG

PumkinRulez

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Eggs laid in the water can certainly be fertile. With most aquatics, best research shows it is the exposure to oxygen that stimulates the ending of enbryonic arrest and the beginning of incubation. That's how turtles and tortoises are able to carry eggs ready to lay for weeks looking to find a suitable time and place to lay.

Incubate the eggs you find in the water. There is a very good chance they can hatch if fertile. You should normally start seeing chalking starting within a few days to a week of the start of incubation.
Hi, thanks! that's good to hear, the eggs are chalking, but the first two eggs started to have in, is it not humid enough? this is my first time incubating turtle eggs, I have done bearded dragon and bird eggs before, but never turtles
 

Toddrickfl1

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Yay! I’m so exited!
Here's a thread from when I hatched some. Might be something in here that can help you.

 

PumkinRulez

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Here's a thread from when I hatched some. Might be something in here that can help you.

Thank you!
 

Markw84

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Hi, thanks! that's good to hear, the eggs are chalking, but the first two eggs started to have in, is it not humid enough? this is my first time incubating turtle eggs, I have done bearded dragon and bird eggs before, but never turtles
Caving in/denting can be caused by low humidity. With aquatic turtle eggs, infertile eggs will also cave in even in the right humidity.
 

PumkinRulez

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Caving in/denting can be caused by low humidity. With aquatic turtle eggs, infertile eggs will also cave in even in the right humidity.
Ok, should I have perlite on top the egg or just halfway?
 

Markw84

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Ok, should I have perlite on top the egg or just halfway?
Don't use perlite. Perlite can be deadly if the baby turtle ingests some when it hatches. Vermiculite is the medium of choice.

I do not totally cover the eggs I leave about 1/2 exposed in a closed container with a few small holes in the sides. I wet the vermiculite with about 60% water / 40% vermiculite BY WEIGHT not volume. WHen you mix it, the vermiculite should clump when you squeeze it, but not drip water.
 

PumkinRulez

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Don't use perlite. Perlite can be deadly if the baby turtle ingests some when it hatches. Vermiculite is the medium of choice.

I do not totally cover the eggs I leave about 1/2 exposed in a closed container with a few small holes in the sides. I wet the vermiculite with about 60% water / 40% vermiculite BY WEIGHT not volume. WHen you mix it, the vermiculite should clump when you squeeze it, but not drip water.
Oh yikes I didn’t know perlite was deadly! I’ll change it ASAP thanks
 

PumkinRulez

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@Markw84 is there a specific brand or type of vermiculite I should buy? Theres a lot of weird stuff like medium grade, fine, coarse grade, I’m confused… there’s also one from Josh’s frogs, is that one good? Can you send me an Amazon link… thanks
 

Markw84

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@Markw84 is there a specific brand or type of vermiculite I should buy? Theres a lot of weird stuff like medium grade, fine, coarse grade, I’m confused… there’s also one from Josh’s frogs, is that one good? Can you send me an Amazon link… thanks
Just get plain vermiculite, with nothing else added. The fine grade can get a bit messy, but works fine. The medium is what I like.
 

PumkinRulez

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She still has not laid her eggs, i can still feel them in her I’m getting worried, should I try giving her a warm soak?
 

autumn_0201

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Help… my red eared slider laid an egg in her pond, the pond is 300 gallons and outside, it has a basking platform but no place to nest. I saw the egg at the bottom of the pond. It could be anywhere from 5 days old to freshly laid because I just came home from vacation. I’m scared she might become egg bound. Is the egg fertile? I have an old chicken incubator with removable egg turners I can put the egg in… should I use that or something else? Also I put her in a nesting area, is it ok? Is there a better way? Help…

If you have a male turtle around, it's most likely fertile. If you're not sure u can shine a flashlight into the egg in the dark. If u see red lines or veins, its fertile. If there's nothing inside, it's not fertile. If u find that it's fertile, u can mark the egg somehow to make sure it doesn't rotate and put it in an incubator. It takes about 2 months to hatch I think. Fun fact: if you keep it in cooler temperature (about 27c), it will hatch out a male and if you keep it in a warmer temperature (about 30c), it will hatch out a female!!
 

Markw84

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She still has not laid her eggs, i can still feel them in her I’m getting worried, should I try giving her a warm soak?
WIthout reading back through the whole thread - I'm not sure if you have the possibility to put her outside. IF you have a garden area with grass and plants that you can make temporarily secure, put her out there for a few hours mid to late afternoon. They typically lay eggs late afternoon and evening. An area with a mix of sun warmed and shaded areas. That is the best way to give her a choice of spots she could find to her liking.
 

PumkinRulez

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WIthout reading back through the whole thread - I'm not sure if you have the possibility to put her outside. IF you have a garden area with grass and plants that you can make temporarily secure, put her out there for a few hours mid to late afternoon. They typically lay eggs late afternoon and evening. An area with a mix of sun warmed and shaded areas. That is the best way to give her a choice of spots she could find to her liking.
Yes, I have a lot of turtle space outside, my whole garden and pond area is completely animal safe because I let my sulcata roam and eat a lot (supervised). Should I keep her in a fenced-in area, or an enclosure like a tub or baby pool?
 

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