General Care Discussion :: 2 females found laying eggs

[Rexamus]

This morning on my walk I noticed a large turtle in the field next to my house. I approached the turtle and realized it was a RES!!!! It was also in the process of laying eggs in the ground. I looked further down the field and saw a second turtle, not quite as big though but it too was a RES. I approached that turtle and realized she too was laying eggs in the ground. I didn't want to disturb their egg laying but was concerned because there was quite a few black crows in the area. I returned about 30 minutes later and both turtles were gone. The crows were also gone. I checked their nesting site but couldn't tell if the crows made off with the eggs. One nesting site was covered completly. The other site was a big open hole in the ground. Maybe she didn't finish? Does anybody think the crows would have stolen the eggs? This field also gets mowed frequently. Any chance this would impact the eggs? I'm keeping my fingers crossed for these babies!

[Take-One]

If the hole was open she probaly didnt finish. But the closed one probaly has eggs.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Ultimately you have to accept that nature will either hatch or destroy these eggs. It's best if you hope for the best and do not return to the site. You'll feel better not knowing the outcome if it's bad. If you know the owner of the field, you could tell them the approximate location and ask him to avoid it.

[marisa]

If there were any shells around the open hole, a predator likely got them. It's also possible that the turtle was scared by your presence and abandoned the nest she was digging for a better spot. (They often will "test" places and dig in a few of them before deciding on where to actually dig.)

As for the covered nest, if it's possible to do so, you could protect it by covering it with a square of something like hardware cloth and staking the corners down (I don't know if you can do this if the land isn't yours and it's frequently mowed, though). You'd have to check on it periodically and let out the hatchlings when they hatch, though. Four summers ago I protected a nest that was dug on our front lawn with a wire basket and 5 painted hatchling came out of it. There are other predators besides crows---if you have any raccoons where you are, they're very good at locating eggs and digging up nests.

[Rexamus]

I appreciate everyones feedback...ComputerGremlin is right. It's up to mother nature to decide the outcome and I'm better off not knowing. I've done my good deed this year...I saved Curtis and have provided him as good a home as he would have had in the wild. I'm glad for this website...it keeps things in perspective, that's for sure!

[Bascomb]

Rex-us -- In answer to your question about the crows eating the eggs, they are as bad as turtles when it comes to eating anything. They are ormnivores and will eat another dead crow. If they can kill a smaller animal they will. They eat road kill to corn. They are considered a varmint and are hunted as such.