Box turtle eggs!!!!!!!

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shellfreak

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My box turtle laid eggs over night, 4 of them. I have never dealt with eggs before. I placed them in a tuberware container, with a lid and put them under a lamp (temp is around 90 degrees). they started to shrivel up and have dents in them... i sprayed them with water for humidity. i have an incubator on order for monday delivery. are my eggs ruined????
 

Kristina

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Possibly. 90 is way too hot!!! I would try keeping them at no more than 83-84 degrees. Turtle eggs are very fragile though, it may be too late.
 

shellfreak

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thanks. thats what i get for being unprepared... ive owned turtles all my life, never had eggs. this caught me off guard. bummer
 

Jacqui

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:( it may be too late, but don't give up yet. Turn off the lamp. 77 to about 82 is normally the range most suggest.

What did you use inside of the plastic for substrate?

I have in the past just placed mine up in a cupboard in the kitchen with no heat source, just the normal summer heat (we have no AC). Now I just leave them outside in the enclosure to hatch naturally.

shellfreak said:
thanks. thats what i get for being unprepared... ive owned turtles all my life, never had eggs. this caught me off guard. bummer
:( *hugs* Hey don't get really bummed out about it. Yep it's a big loss to you, but try to look at it as a growing/learning experience. Also keep in mind that she may lay a second clutch for you in a few weeks and your going to be ready this time!:)
 

shellfreak

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I should have just kept them in the enclosure, but i paniced. i will turn the light off until the incubator comes. thank you for the advice...for the substrate i used what she laid them in. sand and dirt mixture. i have some incubation substrate coming with my incubator on monday.
 

Jacqui

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Hindsight is wonderful isn't it? Whose to say if you had left them out there where they were laid, that another turtle might have dug them up and cracked or eaten them? You did what you thought was best. Things don't always work out as we hope for.

Also I think we all, to some degree, panic when our first eggs appear. ;) It's hard to be really prepared. Now is sounds like you will be ready for the next time.

How bad are they dented? They may still be good.
 

kimber_lee_314

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I like to leave mine in the ground too - my hatching rate is better when I don't interfere! Yours are probably okay - they can dent up like that and then rehydrate. Just don't move them too much.
 

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I have to agree you should have left them in the ground. I let my box turtle eggs naturally incubate. But on the high side they may still be good!!!
 

earthyman71

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don't stress out at all! :) all people with turtles and tortoises who aren't expecting eggs go through this (i went through it with my russian tortoises - i was a mess :) )

check out www.aboxturtle.com for great info about eggs/hatching.

good luck!
 

shellfreak

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thank you for all your help and advice. i spoke to someone at lllreptile and they suggested to put the eggs on a wet paper towel in a container, and put a drop of water on each egg every day until my incubator arrives. since friday they have not dented anymore, but they are still dented. i will take a picture tomorrow and post it. if it doesnt work out this time, i will be ready next year.
 

kimber_lee_314

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shellfreak said:
thank you for all your help and advice. i spoke to someone at lllreptile and they suggested to put the eggs on a wet paper towel in a container, and put a drop of water on each egg every day until my incubator arrives. since friday they have not dented anymore, but they are still dented. i will take a picture tomorrow and post it. if it doesnt work out this time, i will be ready next year.

They often lay more than one clutch per year - my three toeds and Easterns lay three or four times on average. One of my Easterns laid five clutches last year - one with seven eggs! I'm betting yours are fine, but if they aren't you will probably have more this season. Good luck!
 

Macheteslaststep

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This may not help now since your incubator is coming on Monday, but just in case it's ever needed for aquatic or boxie eggs. This is posted on another forum I belong to, it's called the ghettobator.

http://www.turtleforum.com/forum/upload/index.php?showtopic=57215

There's the link, there's pictures on the link also but I think you have to be a member. And for those who don't want to click -

This is my cooler. Mesurements 18" X 12" 14" deep. Under $10.00 most anywhere.

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Then I go out and buy a couple disposable plastic tubs. Any will work, I just like these because they fit the inside lip of my cooler, so I don't need a rack to keep the containers above the water. $1.99 anywhere. Poke a couple small holes into the bottom to prevent water from pooling.

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This is what I prefer to use as an incubation media. It's cactus/succulent potting soil. 100% organic and has great drainage while still holding in the moisture. Never had an issue with it.

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Fill the bottom of the cooler with a couple inches of water, and buy a submersible aquarium heater(the most expensive part!) and set the heater to 83-84F. It's best to notch the side of the cooler where the heaters cord will exit, so you can still get a nice tight seal when you replace the coolers lid.

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I put about 3" of moistened media into the egg containers, and use a finger to create impressions for the eggs to sit in. Just be sure that the media of your choice is only slightly wet...if you can grab a handful and squeeze water out of it...it's too moist.

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The egg containers lid should be placed at an angle so that any condensation that will form can run off to one side, away from the eggs. Condensation will form on the cooler lid too and the egg container lid prevents the water from raining down onto the eggs.

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When it's all in place, just place the cooler lid on and remember to check back every couple days at first to be sure that everythings working out the way it should. Depending on the temperature of your house, you may need to tweak the temp on the heater. My setup is in the basement where it's about 60F, I set the heater to 84F and it keeps the actual temp inside the cooler between 80-85F.

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It's cheap and easy. Mine can hold around only around 40 eggs, so this is only a do it yourself thing for the average turtler.

Saranna
 

shellfreak

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thanks! kimber_lee, you were right. i went digging for more eggs and found a clutch. 4 eggs again, one had a hole in it, and smelled god awful. They are in my incubator, set at 79 degrees. It fluctuates between 77 and 80. i put them in hatchrite substrate. hopefully they survive. im new to this breeding thing and very excited. its been a long dream to watch turtles hatch. its amazing how many people want a turtle. i dont think i will have a problem finding them good homes.
 

shellfreak

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there are two that are folded over, should i discard them? are they dead? one also has a small hole in it, and looks as if some mold is growing around the hole (the single egg picture, the hole is towards the left lsid eof the egg) please let me know what you all think, should i discard this one as well?

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Macheteslaststep

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Usually denting means the humidity is too low. Once it's fixed - they should pop back out in a day or two hopefully :) I'm incubating my first eggs too this season - EgyptainDan has been a big help on here!

Saranna
 
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