brand new babies!!

[Yvonne G]

Darn it...I wasn't thinking. I should have gone for the camera, but I was so excited I forgot the "necessities!"

I was cutting branches off the tree when I happened to look down and saw a perfect little hole in the smooth dirt. No dirt mounded up around the hole, just a clean hole. Those box turtle officianados know what that means...BABIES!!!

So I carefully dug down into the nest and here's what I found:

It was interesting to note that the babies were only down about an inch from the ground level. After I dug out the babies, I continued down further, and found the empty egg shells down about 5". So, the babies hatch out and their movement causes the soil above them to fall down into the hole, which then covers the empty shells and leaves the babies close to the surface.

These are gulf coast box turtles...the first I've hatched here.

 

[jeffbens0n]

Cute little dirt balls when they come out!

 

[sulcatababies1402]

Cute! I love turtle babies! Little mounds of dirt just add water and tada! Cuties!!

 

[WallieTheTortoise]

Cutie pies!

 

[terryo]

What a lucky find that was. I'm really looking forward to finding babies again. Gulf Coast Box Turtles are fast becoming one of my favorites. They have such personality.

 

[Momof4]

Those are the cutest little things ever!!!

 

[yagyujubei]

Lucky You! I was outside today looking for the same thing. No luck.

 

[Len B]

That's neat, The last ones I found like that, I was pulling weeds and actually made the hole with my thumb. makes for a good day. Congratulations, Len

 

[pandacakes]

I think baby box turtles are the cutest!

 

[dmarcus]

Awesome find!!!

 

[l0velesly]

Cute muddy babies!

 

[Turtle Guru]

Awesome pictures and congratulations.

 

[Torty Mom]

Awww they are sooo cute, love the little tails!!!

 

[SulcataSquirt]

Awesome! Cute babies! What a lucky find!

 

[lynnedit]

very cute! how exciting.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Oh how exciting and fun for you? I don't suppose my Gulf Coast is the parent?

 

[Yvonne G]

Your gulf coast?

Would that be the small female that just seemed to show up after hiding all the time? I wondered where she came from. For the longest time I had one lonely male. Then a couple months ago I got in a female with a big white "3" painted on her carapace. Then all of a sudden, here's this smaller female that I was racking my alzheimer's brain trying to remember where she came from. I figured someone must've given her to me and I forgot and she was pestered so much by the male that she has been hidden all this time.

 

[N2TORTS]

Miss Y'vonne..... how Neat~O! .... just luv them lil ones!"talk about digging for treasure"

JD~

 

[philthyturtle]

^__^ so cute, i wish i could afford to get one soon

 

[DSaenz]

Too CUTE!!!! How exciting!