We Have Eggs!

Mark's nest digging was for real. Early this morning it rained 3 inches in under 3 hrs. It was impossible to get all the mud off the 5 eggs and keep them stable. Turtle eggs shouldn't be rolled or swirled once they have settled, I guess because that can make the embryo/yolk pull away from the side of the egg.

So I did the best I could and put them in the vermiculite in the same position they were settled in the nest. The bottom most egg in the 6th pic is set in there vertically, and I don't know if it will hatch. Actually I don't know if any will hatch. Last year none of the eggs I collected were fertile and the moles got all the others right after they were laid. We think Rebel is willing and able this year but we haven't seen any action.

The eggs will stay on a shelf in the little toilet room. We'll keep the room about 74-78 for 10-12 weeks and see.

Pic from last summer, Mark dropping an egg

This is what a nest looks like right after the laying (last summer)

This is the nest today after work

After some scraping I uncovered the top 2 eggs. So much rain had filled the extra space in there, which usually consists of loose dirt and leaf/grass litter, with solid mud. I have never seen this before.


This is Rehab keeping a close eye on the removal process. She stayed there watching me the whole time.

Here are the 5 eggs in the box of vermiculite. They usually look whiter than this at this point, so I don't know if this means something is wrong or what. If they don't turn white in a few days something will definitely be wrong.

Their new home -- next to the toilet paper!