Digging nests of native species

[Katherine]

Just curious to ask those of you keeping box turtles native to you area as pets if you meddle in their breeding business. I used to dig up the nests and incubate inside thinking I was doing them a favor but have a lot of box turtles and would miss nests often and then find babies all over the pen. Anyways I realized they are obviously doing a fine job on their own and stopped digging up the nests, but now the hatchlings are left to their own devices out there : / Often times when I see them I can't help but take them inside or sequester them in a different enclosure, because I have a few males who are bullies and I worry the risks the babies face against the elements and their fathers if they would ever come in contact. Found some babies today whilst feeding and was going to let them be...but tonight is going to be extremely cold and most of my adults are deep in the hibernaculum...so I took them in ; ) Does anyone else raise box turtles native to their area and if so do you intervene? Or just let nature do its thing?

 

[terryo]

I never took in any eggs but I did take in hatchlings or any young ones that I found. I think that as long as your turtle garden is big enough most would survive and be OK. Mine used to have the run of my whole yard, but now since I renovated, they only have a small garden on the side of my house...maybe 22 ft. x 6 ft., so I might take in any eggs, if I find them. We always had Box turtles when I was growing up, and they had the whole yard, so my Dad never took in any eggs either, but we always found babies in the Summer. He had big tanks all over the house until they were older and then he would put them in the yard with the big ones. Now you know who I take after.