Baby Snapping turtles hatching now

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terryo

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There is a pond where I live and this Spring, a big mama Snapping turtle came out of the pond and laid her eggs in the yard. We put them in a tub, and now they started to hatch. Only two so far have hatched, and there are 6 eggs, so hopefully the other 4 will be hatching soon. After the yolk sacs are gone, I'll release them in a weedy part of the pond.
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This is what the unhatched eggs are in
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This is what I'm keeping the babies in until they are released...wet moss
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They are so tiny and just the cutest little things. The mom had to be at least 60 lbs. This happens every Spring here.
 

Tom

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Terry, that is fantastic. Almost magical. I love snappers. I can't imagine having them run around my back yard.

Any pics of momma or the stream?
 

terryo

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The pond is just a block away in the woods, so I'll take some good pictures when I release them. She came around 6 at night to lay the eggs, and didn't finished until it was dark, around 8:30. She dug two holes before the last one where she laid the eggs. I wish I had gotten a picture, but we only saw the two empty holes and just caught her leaving as she finished closing her nest hole. Last year ...don't know if it was the same one...she was starting to dig in my neighbor's yard, and he put her back in the woods. Some people are more into a perfect lawn than I am. LOL
 

Itort

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terryo said:
The pond is just a block away in the woods, so I'll take some good pictures when I release them. She came around 6 at night to lay the eggs, and didn't finished until it was dark, around 8:30. She dug two holes before the last one where she laid the eggs. I wish I had gotten a picture, but we only saw the two empty holes and just caught her leaving as she finished closing her nest hole. Last year ...don't know if it was the same one...she was starting to dig in my neighbor's yard, and he put her back in the woods. Some people are more into a perfect lawn than I am. LOL
Turtle nests make for a perfect yard.:D
 

Tom

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Itort said:
terryo said:
The pond is just a block away in the woods, so I'll take some good pictures when I release them. She came around 6 at night to lay the eggs, and didn't finished until it was dark, around 8:30. She dug two holes before the last one where she laid the eggs. I wish I had gotten a picture, but we only saw the two empty holes and just caught her leaving as she finished closing her nest hole. Last year ...don't know if it was the same one...she was starting to dig in my neighbor's yard, and he put her back in the woods. Some people are more into a perfect lawn than I am. LOL
Turtle nests make for a perfect yard.:D


Seriously! A wild snapper could dig up my yard any time!

NOt gophers or ground squirrels though.
 

pnsprrt5863

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AWW! They are so cute!! I love snappers! I see them all the time here. They always think I can't see them!:D take a picture of the release! it's always fun to see them being released!:D
 

GBtortoises

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Chances are she nested again somewhere else at another time too because only 6 eggs is extremely unusual. Minimum for a small female here in the Northeast is about 15-20 and as many as 60! Average is usually about 35-40. I "resucued" a nest this summer that was dug in a driveway, right in front of their garage door, that had 53 eggs in it.
They do often return to the same nest site year after year.
 

terryo

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Last Spring they made nests in a few of my neighbors yards. I don't know if it was the same female, but they all got rid of them. I even asked if I could have them, but they said that they didn't want any more Snappers roaming the neighborhoods here. Most people are afraid of them. So far the rest of the eggs didn't hatch. I would have left them in the ground, but my Uncle dug them up and put them in the bin, so I don't know what condition the eggs were in after that. I'll wait another week before I look for them in the bin.
 

Jacqui

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Even if no more hatch, atleast you saved the ones that did hatch. Isn't it neat to be part of the cycle? Little snappers are just so darn cute! :D
 

Allghoi Khorkhoi

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Awesome! BTW do you know why they dig several holes be fore laying the eggs?
 

terryo

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Allghoi Khorkhoi said:
Awesome! BTW do you know why they dig several holes be fore laying the eggs?

No I really don't, but each Spring we find holes with nothing in them, so I guess they are looking for a better spot. It's a very sad thing sometimes. We find babies on the church steps and all over the neighborhood. I think the birds pick them up and then drop them, or when they dig out they can't find the ponds. So many are eaten or just left to die. The one's that are released will soon dig in the mud on the edge of the pond and hibernate until next Spring.
 
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