General Care Discussion :: Caring for eggs

[Bumby's Mom]

My painted turtle laid eggs on June 14th and after candling them last week I found out they are indeed alive. My question is, is it ok to tilt them a bit? Not turning them or shaking them but slighlty tilting them? I have to tilt them to get them back into their box and I am wondering if I should just not touch them anymore in case I accidentally harm them.
Thanks.
Angela

[WyredHardware]

If you pick them up gingerly and put them where they need to go they should be fine.
I have run across tones of info on the net about turtle eggs. Do a google search for it. I am sure you can find exact handling instructions.

[Bumby's Mom]

Can you give me the link to a couple of sites? I have been googling for days and can't find anything. I was also trying to look for some pictures but I can't find any of them either. The "stuff" inside the eggs is moving. She laid them June 14th and I figured they were dead because I left them in the tak all day, but I candled them and there are veins and the inside of the eggs are moving so I am pretty positive they are alive. Thanks for the help.
Angela

[WyredHardware]

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepage ... dex-10.htm
http://www.turtlecare.net/eggs.htm
http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/eggfaq.html

may I ask why you are keeping the eggs? Are you planning on housing all the new hatchlings?

[DavidY]

Breeding reptiles can be fun and fascinating, but the problem with the more common aquatic turtles is trying to find good homes for them. This is true especially with RES. You don't see painteds being offered quite as much though, so maybe you will be able to find some folks interested in them. Just make sure that you educate the potential new owners just what is involved with the proper care for the turtles. Too many hatchling turtles end up in the wrong hands and suffer or die because of it. That's why it's generally discouraged around here to breed them.

[marisa]

But painted turtles? I would think homes would be easier to find for them.

[Bumby's Mom]

Yes I am definitely keeping them. There are only two eggs and I know that anything can happen during the incubation time so if only one makes it I will be happy. I only have 1 turtle right now. I found her in the middle of a busy road and got her. She seems too friendly to have been wild which leads me to suspect that she was a college students pet who they dumped when it was time to return home (I got her in May, the last week of college right behind a college apartment complex) so now I have her. I didn't figure the eggs were even fertile because I haven't had her around any other turtles but then I found a website that says they can store the sperm? So I figure she must have stored some up. She did end up laying another egg a couple of weeks ago but she ate it before I got it out of her tank. Thank you for the sites, I will definitely check them out.
Angela

[steve]

They should be fine, just put them back in the same position. Take pics too

[DavidY]

Oh only two eggs. That should be fun! I can't wait to see how they turn out.

[grey goose]

I've got two young females, and all this talk about eggs is making me nervous......

[DavidY]

Lol! Is it anything like the anxiety of having daughters entering the teenage years? I'm glad I only have two boys. If I had a daughter, she'd be locked away in a very high tower until she was 30!

[marisa]

Good luck, Bumby's Mom. I hope they both hatch and the hatchlings are healthy.

[Bumby's Mom]

Thanks! I really hope they hatch too. I did read that it was difficult to get them to start eating so if they hatch I am sure I will be back on here for tips. I took some pictures of the eggs but they aren't very clear. Nyx has all sort of shell damage, the vet thinks that a dog got a hold of her. I was actually wondering if the shell damage would sort of go away once she started shedding. Here are some pics:


Nyxie gets fed in the sink now, since she is so messy with her food.


That is what one of her injuries looked like when I first got her, after some clean water and tricide solution plus antibiotic ointment (as instructed by the vet) this wound has cleared up nicely. It is not longer reddish looking and looks like part of the shell.

[Tenodera]

Wow! she looks great! Is she full grown?

[Bumby's Mom]

I think she is full grown. She is the same size as my hand. I read they get between 6 and 8 inches, so I think she is around 6 inches.