That is amazing! I feel like you should put a little protective fence around the hole to keep any critters away from the eggs.

Do newborn turtles have to immediately survive on their own, or does mom stick around? Time to do a little googling.

Right, mark the area so you don't catch it with the lawnmower or anything. We'll all be waiting for pictures of baby turtles!

Great... You have to build a turtle sanctuary now... and then remember about all the shreded turtles you may have dispatched (unknowingly), while lawnmowing. ;)

Well, I've found they'll take about 60 days to hatch. That's too long, I want baby turtles now, damnit! I'll likely miss them if they do come out, but you never know. It would be great if I could get some pictures of them emerging!

I'm not worried about munching turtles with the lawnmower, but I do worry about these little toads that I often see around. I usually catch them hopping out of the way, but I can't believe I've never chopped one up to date. It must have happened, poor little guys.

Those are cool pictures - thanks for posting them!

Wonder if the fertilizer isn't more a danger to the toads than than the lawnmower.

I'm a little worried about the grub control I need to apply (it's that time of year). I'll probably just avoid the area around the eggs.

A painted turtle just laid eggs in my yard 2 days ago too! Right next to the driveway! I'd have thought they'd be a little more picky on their nesting spot. So it's about 60 days before they hatch? Do you think once the baby turtles come out we should just let nature take it's course? I live close to a lake that has some nice weedy marshy areas... but they'd have to travel across some roads to get there. I'm wondering if I should put them in a bucket and bring them down if I'm lucky enough to witness the hatching or just leave them be. Any thoughts?

Oh, I don't see why you shouldn't help them along if you happen to be there when they come out. I'm thinking you'd have to be there at just the right time, though, and I'm not even sure what the success rate is for hatching, anyway. (It's been a bit chilly the last few nights.)

I was reading on a turtle BBS I googled up that some people dig them up, dirt and all, and bring them in a bucket into the house for placement in an incubator to maximize their chances. If people are doing that, I don't see any reason not to help 'em out in any way possible.

In fact, here's the discussion.

Good luck, and let me know how they turn out!

We just saw a mama turtle laying eggs in our lawn on July 1, 2004. We have marked the spot and will mark the days on a calendar. My cousin dug up some eggs last year and put them in an aquarium with a light but had no luck with them hatching. We will just let nature take it's course with the little guys finding their own way to the wetlands but we hope we get to watch.

Thanks for the site. I just watcha turtle laying eggs in my yard to the very same way. I feel so guilty cause another turtle was in my yard yesterday and I took her back to the lake. Who would have guessed she was just trying to make a home for the little guys. She was so far from the lake I'm surprised. I guess I just got the primo spot for turtle nesting. Well I'll let you know how they are in about 60 days or so. I'm gonna try to watch for them. I built a little protective area around the nest. Yeah! 7-5-04

Now the chief danger is armadillos, if they are in your area.

VERY rare to see baby box tortise. I bet you miss them. Turtle research folks say finding adolescent box turtles is very difficult.

If you wire around the are in 40 days, TIGHTLY, you might get to see them. They need sunlight and a little water. A drouth will dry out the eggs.

Just happened across your discussion as I was searching for info about the eggs I found in the water tonight.

A few years ago I came across snapping turtles eggs. As I was digging them up to take back to my classroom, one was actually hatching. It was a terrific thing to have in my class the first few days of school and actually I had snapping turtles in my class all year. About 7 or 8 hatched as I remember.

This year we have witnessed three snappers laying their eggs on our beach. Two nests have since been dug up and eaten probably by raccoons. Tonight I found some oval eggs about 6 feet out in the water . . . ten of them. That is what I was searching for information for - to identify them.

As for your idea of digging up the newly laid eggs to incubate, I have just read that reptile eggs do not do well and in fact die from being turned. As I said, the ones that I had that hatched had been in the same spot the entire time I just happened to get lucky and find them at hatching time.

That is extremely cool. And I'm definitely with Tom on this one: protect that egg site! I'm sure the little eggs will do fine without any other help, but keeping people/predators off the egg site couldn't hurt.

We have 3 turtles in a little swimming pool ( the 10 dollar ones from wal-mart). They are extremely easy to care for, babies don't even eat for the first month... ours are probably a few years old now, we throw in feeder gold fish once in a while and everyday we feed them turtle pellets found in any pet store.They have a little "ialsnd" in the middle of the pool to dry and sunbathe on. The baby turtles are just the cutest little things you'll see!! I'm hoping one day I will get to witness the birth/hatching of sea turtles.

Wow - how awesome!

I just happened along a turtle near the lake by my house and my husband and I watched as the turtle popped out 5 rubbery eggs.

I was just online to look and see how long it would take before they hatched - thanks so much for posting this site! Now I have my answer, and I even know what kind of turtle it was, thanks to your pictures!

Good luck with yours - post the baby 'turtlett' pictures if you can catch a glimpse! :-) We'd all love to see them!

I'm really happy to find this site, is solomonia someone's name. I just found a turtle or small tortise on my doorstep. It crawled into the ivy and when I went to look for it later it was out on my lawn and had dug a hole. I thought it might be trying to lay eggs but I didn't think my lawn would be a safe place for them so I took her into my back yard and set her down in my strawberry patch. She immediately started digging another hole. When I came back out it looked like there were two eggs in the hole and right there while I was watching out came another. This is so awesome! Now she is slowly and laboriously covering them up. I wonder if any of my neighbors are missing the little creature. It's great to find the company of others who have similar experiences. I wonder why they like to lay eggs in lawns. I hope they will be okay in the strawberries here in Wildomar California.

I have recently been given a painted turtle. We have it in a large aquarium with large rocks and water. When we got up this morning we saw that the turtle had laid 2 eggs. My kids are excited. I am having difficulty knowing what to do. I want the eggs to hatch but I am having trouble finding information on how to handle the eggs and what to do with them so that they will hatch.
Any information about this would be great.

Thanks,
Ivan

Shirley, Solomon is my name, Solomonia is the name of the site. :)

Ivan, try here.

Good luck with it.

Hi,
Unlikely as it seems, my husband and I "caught" a turtle in process of covering up her eggs. She had dug a hole in our driveway! We found it remarkable because not 10 feet away is a very nice bank with freshly put sand and gravel. We live next door to the railway tracks and they had just done some work at the box. Now we, too, are waiting for the little ones to emerge. I clicked on this site in an effort to find out how long the gestation period is for these little ones. Thanks for the info.

I came on to find about the gestation as well. While at camp we watched a turtle come out of the water, over the beach and onto the grass near our bonfire. As it was walking over the grass it seemed to be heading a far way from water so we let the curious kids handle it and bring it back to the lake. Then the next night, again sitting by the fire, we spotted a turtle on the grass laying eggs. Guess she was determined to have the spot! It was at the beginning of July so I guess we have another month to go. Will have to plan another trip to camp around that time. So far the area has been undisturbed.....will keep our fingers crossed that we get to see the little ones hatch!

my personal turtle laid eggs, we have a male and a female. We move them to an incubator to keep them warmt o hatch. We started with 7, since then 3 have burst. 1 right after moving them, 1 a few weeks ago, and 1 today. the one today was about the size of a nickle, shouldnt be long and we will have babies. i cant wait. good luck to all keeping track of nests.

We had a painted turtle lay eggs in our yard on 6/27/2004. We researched and found they take about 70-75 days, 60 at the earliest, 90 at the latest. (We also learned their sex is determined by the average temperature of incubation.) We kept watering the marked area all summer to keep it moist, not soaked. Well today, after 94 days, we carefully started to move the soil away from araound the 'nest', thinking they were dead or rotted. Our ground is clay, so it was kind of tough. We saw what looked to be egg shells, smashed and pushed aside, and then noticed movement. We watched and waited as the first turtle started to emerge from the dirt. One by one, with a little help from us, they climbed up and out of that hole. The last one was still in the shell, and it looked like yolk inside, but it was moving, so we watched it put its feet out and pull itself out of the shell. It still has the 'sac' stuck underneath it, it looked deformed (like its insides were coming out). We had 9 turtles total! 2 were runts but lived, one of them had slightly malformed shell. We will release them today near the creek crossing our driveway. It was a very unique experience!

We had a sun turtle (painted turtle) lay eggs in our lawn this past July. She crawled up from the lake and laid 6 eggs. On September 17th the area appeared to be having activity. Two little turtles came out and we helped them to the water.

The remaining turtles stayed in the nest. Today, October 1st, we decided to see if the other 4 were ok. Upon carefully removing the dirt covering them, we found them still in their shells but the shells were open and the turtles were sitting there looking back at us. I did some searching on the web and found that some of the little guys will actually spend the winter in the nest and won't head to the water until spring. We carefully put the dirt back over the little guys...being sure to leave plenty of air pockets. I'm going to let mother nature take its course.

They are alive, but didn't appear to want to leave the nest. Their eggs sacks were almost fully absorbed into the underneath of their shells so I assume that it how they are being nurished. It's getting pretty cold at night and therefore the activity levels of these guys must be pretty low. I assume since they were laid rather late and hatched near the end of September that they will probably spend the winter hibernating in the nest.

I've always found that when dealing with mother nature, one doesn't want to "help" too much. For often that "helping" is more hurting. I feel that if I did take these little guys to the lake, with water temps down around 55 degrees, they might not make it because it's just a little too late for them to make it in the lake. They are probably better off in the nest until spring.

Hi all, sorry, just wanna get some answers from u experts. I have a terrapin and she's been laying eggs around the house! She's living in a fish tank and we let her out to bask every now and then. She's been running about the house and we didn't know what she's up to till we spotted tortise eggs around. We live in a high rise flat in Singapore, so there's no chance of her laying her eggs in a yard or in some dirt, unless we bring in some. She'd even layed 2 eggs in the water and have been eating them!

Our terrapin's all alone and there aren't other male tortises around. So are the eggs infertile or are there any chances of us having baby tortises?

Thanks guys, for the help!

mgbass,

The responses here are all from people Googling in. I don't know how much luck you'll have with a response. You might try a more specific forum like this one to ask your question.

Good luck!

I'm so glad I found this site, and more than comments I've also got some questions. A painted turtle laid eggs on our lawn on 6/25, and yesterday (Oct.3) after there had been no signs of life in the nest, I decided to check it. I didn't get far when a head popped out. I didn't know if I should cover the nest back out again, but since whenever I've read people's experiences with babies overwintering in the nest, they've been found dead in the spring, I didn't. To make a long story short, 5 baby turtles came out. They all have their egg tooth, and four of them have a nice round shape and seem to have a mark where the egg sac had been (a bit of dirt on it actually). The fifth, however, is smaller than the others, has an elongated shaped with the marginal scutes pressed toward the sides and a rough looking shell. There also seems to be some of the egg sac left on it. They are all active, but not interested in eating.

I didn't know what to do, but finally brought them in and put them in a small aquarium with an inch of water and a flat rock. They had a red heat lamp on them for warmth. The littlest one I put in a container of damp vermiculite and sand, thinking it was more important for it to be in some kind of nest than in the water. I feel unsure of what to do.

Is it too late to release the four of them? (The temps are dropping prettly low at night.) I don't think the smallest one should be released because it's just too small and wouldn't survive for sure.

Or, would it be better to care for them until spring and release them then?

If it's better to care for them, what is the best way to do it? Should the smallest one be kept out of the water and damp until the egg sac is dissolved?

Any advice, ideas would be more than welcome. Thanks.

BTW, mgbass, you should make your turtle a nesting site; it doesn't have to be elaborate, just a box (like a dishpan) that she can easily get into and be able to dig. You didn't say what kind of turtle you had, but a mix of sand and organic compost/dirt, the depth of about three-quarters the length of her shell, should be OK. You don't want her retaining eggs if she has more to lay and can't find a place she wants to do it--they could rupture inside.

If she hasn't mated, the eggs will be infertile.

Hey guys,
Thanks for the all the information. I really should get working on the nesting site that Mariza had suggested. My mum did try once but the tortise just scrambled out of the dish pan. We'll see what we can do. It's a pity that the eggs go to waste just like that, but I suppose that's part of nature.

But still, thanks a lot! :)

dat iz sooo cooool i dont want that 2 happen 2 happen 2 mwa but its still cooool
(me)

I've enjoyed reading a lot of the comments - never been on a site like this - but never saw a turtle lay her eggs before either - I live in Sarasota with a canal behind my home and as I sat here at my computer this morning, a large black turtle started pacing right in my side yard and I just knew what she was up to. I was completely mesmerized by her actions - she started digging with her hind legs while, I think, urinating and moving back and forth using her shell to deepen the hole - this went on for at least a half hour - then she lifted her back up and out came an egg - from my point of view, it looked like a small chicken egg - I lost count of how many she deposited, but it seemed to be about 8 to 10 eggs. She then proceeded to cover the hole which took another 10 - 15 minutes then sauntered off - kind of wabblie like "gosh, what a good girl am I kind of walk" I had a most wonderful time watching this. My concern is that I do have armadillos - what can be done to protect these eggs? and should I start looking for the babies in about 60 days?

Thanks for this site.

Peggy

Had a surprise visit from a snapper yesterday in the yard. Interesting how many people have come across similar situations and end up searching for the key time frame to start watching out for the little guys/gals. I think I'll find myself keeping the grass a bit lower this summer so that I'll have a better chance of turtle spotting when I mow. The heck with the grass -- it'll grow back... ok who am I kidding... the weeds will grow back!

Thanks for the read.

Adam

Just had a mama painted turtle lay her eggs by our driveway yesterday. We put a guinea pig cage over the site & hammered it down to keep the foxes, coons, possums, turkeys and other animals at bay. The babies can get out through the wire. We'll keep watch over them and see if we can watch them hatch and will carry them down to the pond if possible. Very informative site - thanks so much!

We too just had a turtle, laying her eggs on the night of May 31st, 2005. She was right outside our daughters bedroom window and all of the kids were watchful. Came to the site to find out the gestation period. Thanks for everyones comments! Sure hope we get to see the babies.

Yesterday afternoon, June 5,2005, a box turtle emerged from the pond. We watched as it climbed up the hill, taking a break half way up the steep slope........ She then continued to one of my flower beds close to the street and about a foot from the driveway. I didn't get a chance to see her lay her eggs as I had to leave, though when I returned there the nest was.... I am very excited maybe this year I will get to see the little ones emerge. I have many turtle species in the nature preserve pond in my back yard I love watching these wonders migrate to nesting sites and laying their eggs........ Snappers should be coming up within a few weeks to lay their eggs also I shall be looking for them........ I feel blessed they chose my lawn to lay their eggs.....
Very nice site here glad I stopped in.... Thank you...

Holy shmoly as well my wife ans I just watched a painted turtle lay her eggs then I followed her 200 feet up the front lawn to make sure she got across the road. Now for the kicker,when I got back up to the flower bed where she had lain the eggs there was a 3 ft. water snake just waiting in the wings. I caught it and took it to the other side of the swamp. Anyway very cool experience watching the eggs pop out and the mother pushing them down with her legs making room for more.

A very large black turtle arrived in our garden last night - we had extremely heavy rains. Last night our new friend made a mess digging holes in the mulch about 6 large holes. Now our friend is in some dense ground cover - visible though. It's tail is about 12 inches long and the body is very large - largest turtle I have ever seen outside of captivity. A few concerns - I have dogs. Haven't let them out but they ususally have access to the area. What should I do? I won't let the dogs out without supervision but should I call someone to remove the turtle? or will he leave on his own. Any information is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Christina - Pennsylvania

I just got done building up the yard on the house side of the new driveway
yesterday. Wouldn't ya, know the next day, I'd have to make a repair on it (LOL).
This big old Snapping Turtle came in, dug a hole and deposited her eggs in
my new yard. I watched her lift her back end, drop an egg, push it in with
her back leg, and repeat the process again & again. I don't know how many
she layed, but it was many. When she was done, she covered the hole (about
8" deep and 5" in diameter). Then she headed across the driveway and through
the woods by the road, heading in the direction of the little pond, about 50
yards down the road, across the street. I did a search on the gestation
period of a Snapping Turtle. They will hatch between 9 weeks & 18 weeks from
today, depending on the weather. That should be between the end of August
and the end of October.

yea my mom said a turtle layed eggs on our beach the other day and wanted to find out when they would hatch so we could hopfully see them i found 80-85 days and 60 days im not sure what to beleive

I WATCHED A SNAPPER LAY HER EGGS IN A MOUND OF LIMESTONE ROAD REPAIR SUPPLY.
I DON'T THINK THE EGGS WILL HATCH, AS THE ROADS ARE CONTINUALLY BEING REPAIRED FROM THIS SUPPLY. I THINK I SHALL PLACE A SIGN OVER THE EGGS AND SEE OF WE HAVE ANY ACOLOGY-MINDED COUNTRY CLUB MEMBERS. THE EGGS ARE SUPPOSE TO HATCH IN ABOUT 60 DAYS FROM TODAY (6 13 05). THERE IS A LOT IN THIS BALANCE...........
KAROLYN, JUNE 13,2005

Please be careful when you interact with any kind of turtle in the wild. Try NOT to handle them and if you do, wash your hands thoroughly as many turtles, even the kind from the pet store, carry salmonella.

Snappers (Chelydra Serpintina) are NOT very social creatures and are very aggressive when out of the water. Did you know that after mating once, a female can store sperm and continue to fertilize and lay eggs for many years without mating again? Fascinating creatures.

Most snappers will lay about 80 eggs. If 1% survive it is a miracle. Around here, (near Lake Michigan in Wisconsin) the sea gulls can destroy an entire hatch in a matter of minutes.

Well today i was cleaning out the barn in the back yard with my dad and i was taking a box out to the trash, and what do you know? there was a painted turtle laying her eggs right in my yard. It was on of the coolest things i had ever seen, the mama, liek scooted forward everytime she went to lay an egg and then she pushed then down into her nest and did this im guessign around 8-10 times and then she covered them up with her hind legs, it was really cool. I being only a kid am fascinated by this process and went to look up the gestation period and came to your site, it was really helpful and i didnt realized how common this was! Thanks for all the help and if i happend to get pictures of them hatching then i redirect you guys to my site!

I was leaving the house today and noticed a box turtle in the drive way and she was digging and then I noticed the eggs she had laid and she was very professional at what she was doing, like she had done this before. Questions, I have a feral cat colony on my property and I was wondering should I dig them up and put them in an incubator or just put a wire care or something over the top of the nest to protect them? And,how can they survive under the dirt for so long without air? I,know that's a dumb ? but I just don't know and I want the little guys/gals to make it and how long is gestation period from today 6/21/2005 Thanks allot, PJ in Florida

just about 30 minutes ago a female snapping turtle laid eggs in our yard. my mother and i saw her infront of our back garage and went out to see her but she saw us and left her hole, luckly she had not laid eggs yet. then about 5 min later i watched her go under our wood pile and heard a lot of digging going on then she came out and saw me standing there. she knows i was curious and she was worried that i would disrupt them, but after reading everything on this site(very helpfull) i will not. i am worried though, see we are trying to sell our house right now and have a few lookers. so here's my question, if we move before the eggs hatch, should we let the buyer know about the eggs, or should we keep it a secret and let nature take it's cource? any information or advice would be helpfull.

~thanx- KARIE C.

p.s. thanks for all the puts on the gestation period, thats what i originaly came on to find,(i found that and a great website!!)

I'd ask your real estate agent about informing the buyer. Personally, I'd let them know after the sale goes through.

Hey Everyone! This is a fantastic site - what great info!!
I actually had a mommy painted turtle lay eggs this morning right next to my driveway. I am so worried about the darn chipmunks digging them up - does anyone have any suggestions? I've been told chicken wire - but I kno that the chips borrow easily....what can I do? I want nature to take it's course - and I want those eggs to be ok!
Thanks everone for your help - and for sharing all the wonderful stories :)

Solomon, whatever happened to the turtle eggs that were layed in your lawn? I scrolled down 60 days later and didn't see antything about it.

Ah, sorry. I should have updated this post. As far as I know, the eggs never hatched. I could have missed it, but I never saw any obvious disturbance around the area I remembered them being in. So whether they hatched and crawled off at a time I didn't see it, or were eaten without much disturbance, or they simply never hatched, I just don't know I'm sorry to say. Not a very satisfying end to the story, I know.

We did have some dry days in there, so it's possible they just fell victim to the heat. I just don't know.

Hi Solomon

What a cool sight. I have experienced box turtles and their egg laying. I have been told that the best bet is to let nature take its course. If we see the nesting here in the country we put a wire mesh around the nest to protect the eggs. Then mark the calendar. I have seen eggs take more then 100 days even though many books state 60 to 95 days.Keep up the interesting chat.

I woke up yesterday morning on (11/20/05) to see a huge turtle in my backyard. I approached the turtle to see that she was layings eggs into the hole she had dug. I witnessed ten eggs, so I don't know how manys she layed before I saw her.

I found your wonderful site looking for the gestation period for the eggs. I'm not sure what kind of turtle she is, but from comparing her to your pictures I'm sure she is not a box, snapping, alligator or gofer turtle. she had yellow lines on her neck and head only and wide back legs with huge claws. I live on a freshwater canal and she returned directly into the water after she was through laying her eggs.

I have put a fence around the nest area like your site suggested. I built on this lot 5 years ago and was the only house in this area. Now it is almost totally built up with new homes. I have seen wild turkey, a boy and girl otter that always ran the canal together, deer, owls, eagels, and something I would swear looked like a badger but I don't know if they are in our area in Florida. When it saw me it ran straight up to the top of a dead tree and stared at me.
My question is when should I start watching for the hatching? I didn't have my camera at the time she layed them but I want to be ready for the hatching and I want to help her babies if needed. I sit quietly on the ground beside her and watched her whole process. It was absolutely amazing to see.

Hey Ya'll, Well it looks like I might be the first one this year to report a turtle laying her eggs in a backyard. I just ran into the house to look up how long of a gestation period would be and I've been here reading all these great stories but now I must go back outside and finish putting up the protective screen thingy that I was working on. Wow I didn't realize how many people sincerely care about Natures precious little creatures, this gives me great hope for our own species. Thanks.

A very large yellow-eared slider laid her eggs in our large front yard today (May 20). I'll cover nesting site tomorrow with reinforced chickenwire as recommended by others on this site. OK, that means perhaps in late July-early August we'll have baby sliders? If so, and we're very lucky, I'll post baby pictures! May 20 seems a little early compared to the other reports on this site. We're in Southern Illinois. Perhaps that makes a difference?

Solomon,

On May 21st (Sunday), A painted turtle laid eggs in our backyard. Today I was checking on the gestation period and my husband called me to say something dug into the nest. We are afraid all the eggs were destroyed. We are in Arkansas, USA.

P.S. I like your site.

This is some awesome information. This morning (May 24), I had a group from my daugher's kindergarten class at the local arboretum and we happened across a mama turtle laying her eggs. We all sat behind her and watched her lay 17 eggs and very diligently cover them up. Now, we are all wondering how long until they hatch. What a wonderful unplanned educational experience for all of us. I've appreciated all the great information from this discussion too.

turtles

Last year at this time a painted turtle laid eggs in my yard. I watched from the window and made note of the exact spot. Later, as I rounded the corner of my house to take a look I found I was not the only one waiting and watching. A crow was just swallowing the last egg.

Just yesterday, a turtle laid eggs in almost the same spot. No crow this time. But I imagine it would eat the babies on their way to the lake.

WOW-last night I discovered a large painted turtle in my yard. It looked as if it had just dug a hole and I assumed was laying eggs. This morning the hole is covered and she is gone. I am going to lay the mesh and hope to protect the eggs. We are close to a creek and lots of wild spaces- We are bothered with racoons, ground hogs, deer and rabbits and tons of birds etc. I'm not sure that I can protect them but I am going to try. Fortunately my husband took pictures for the grandsons-Awesome site!!! Like everyone else I found this site after googling. Mimi

Today we were on our way to go fishing (live in maine) anyway as we were pulling down by the boat dock, we noticed a turtle in the way. I got out to move her and realized she was laying eggs. my boyfriend had the bright idea to dig one up and bring it home and try to hatch it. i am not sure that it will live. His sister says that they don't get fertalized until after they are laid, but i think she is wrong. I did read on one of the sites on here, that if they are laid later in the year, they won't hatch until the following spring fyi....great site, love the stories.

Hi Kelly,
Actually it's funny I happened upon this site in research. Today, my husband and I went fishing and saw a painter lay her eggs and brought them home. I do know that the eggs get fertilized during laying, the sperm (which can be held by the female for up to two years) actually coats and penetrates the egg in the birth canal on the way out. I do know that most people say to keep them moist in moss or soil with the top of the egg exposed for air but most importantly to make sure the egg does not dry out. Also, every site I have been to says to make sure you don't turn them actually the best thing to do would have been to mark them with a marker on top first so that they wouldn't be turned and you would know what side was up. Unfortunately you and I did not know that when we removed the eggs. I still have hope though that they will hatch. Good luck and I will check back to see if your little one ends up hatching!

hi, nice comments and pictures there. Ihave a few questions if u dont mind helpin me with..i have 4 yellow bellied terrapins and i wanted to know how i would do my tank so that they can lay eggs or whateva they have to do. at the moment my terrapins jus have a bit of wood to chill on and sand. anyone have any ideas or pics to help me

thanks jen

I last posted in this column on September 28, 2004 and told you about a painted turtle that laid eggs in our yard on 6/24/04. We were not lucky enough to witness this event in 2005, but nearly two years since those 9 babies left the nest, we have recently witnessed 3 painted turtles laying eggs in our yard. May 27, 2006 was the first, followed by another on June 13. Then June 18, on Father's Day, after all the guests left, another came outa the pond and left her eggs. I mark each location and place some wire mesh over it. One day I also noticed a hole dug in the yard, only about an inch or two deep by a few inches across, and dirt strewn everywhere. I imagine this too, was once a fresh egg laying that was dug up by a racoon or perhaps a fox. So I have marked my calendar for 60 days and will watch them closer for 40 days after that. I think I will give them more time this year, as someone earlier pointed out it could take up to 100 days. I wonder if these recent 'Moms' are babies from that first batch?

Hello,
I live on a peninsula on a lake in northern NJ. On Saturday 6/17/06 my husband saw a painted turtle digging a hole in our yard. We must have shy turtles around here, because when she noticed him, she abandoned her hole. On Sunday the 18th my son saw a turtle laying eggs in our driveway. Tonight around 6:30 there was yet another turtle laying eggs in the yard about 30ft from the lake. While she was still working I went on Yahoo to get some info on the gestational period and came across your site (love it by the way). I saw your pictures and thought that I would take some of my own. I grabbed the camera and went outside. I went the long way around her so I would not frighten her and did not get to close. She got scared anyway. When she noticed me she stopped all movement, and went inside her shell. I decided to leave her to her work. When I went inside and looked out the window, she had abandoned her hole (like I said shy). I know she has some eggs in there. I feel awful. I am just sick to my stomach. Does anyone know if she will come back to finish, or is she gone for good? Should I wait and if she doesn't come back cover the hole myself? I see from reading the comments hear that there needs to be air pockets. How in the world am I going to manage that?
Any info would be appreciated.
Thank you, Shirley

p.s. my friend has a snapper that layes eggs in almost the same exact spot in her driveway every year and when they hatch her husband and kids put them in a bucket and bring them to the swamp. They have never seen them actually crawl out of the ground, but all of a sudden they have 50 - 60 baby snappers in their yard and garage.

What a nice surprise! A community of turtle watchers like us..we live north of Troy MI on an oak opening (i.e. sandy hill) between 2 little bits of marsh & witness quite a variety of wildlife--deer, bluebirds, orioles, heron, geese, ducks, Cooper's hawk family, a fox, skunks & raccoons, snakes, salamanders and painted turtles.

Last year we spent a lot of time saving the turtles from our new coonhound. So this year seeing any turtle is a miracle.

Yesterday 6/21/06, the girls witnessed the nest building, filling & covering. Afterward, we put a live trap over the area & looked for more nests to protect.

And you know the rest, googled for the gestation & here I am. Will check in again if we have news. Good luck everyone. Thanks to Solomon, too.

I carefully dug around the spot where momma painter turtle laid her eggs...I did get to see that there appeared to be two of them, when the ground sort of opened slightly and allowed me a peek. I put this into a bucket, and I am going to baby it to death, Iwill make sure that the bucket is outside for the duration of the daytime, and bring it in at night into the garage. I will keep the soil most but not wet, and hope that I will get to see the "birth" of the turtles in a couple of months. I would not have known how long this takes, or how to care for the earth that covers the eggs had it not been for this site! I will definatley post as soon as we have the babies. thank you again!
Cindy

Today, in the late afternoon of 07.15.06, we saw our first box turtle burying her eggs. (Is it me or is there some irony there with being buried before you are born verses being buried after you’re dead.) We missed the excavation and deposit, but watched her spend about a half an hour fastidiously filling and naturalizing the underground nest. I was a little amazed at her bravery, as usually when I see them they are in the middle of a full retreat into their shell. It was interesting to watch the thoroughness that she put into dragging each little “footful” of the earthen fill over the nest and then tamping it into place with her toes.

After deciding that she was just being way to particular about the tidying up, we went inside to watch from the window. Sure enough, she'd been stalling. From the window, I (the wife and son had seen enough mulch-moving) watched her sway once more to the left and once more to the right: each time grabbing one final clump of mulch and maybe taking a final peek to ensure her audience had left. She, then, stopped, turned 180 degrees and (as has been said) began to strut the six inches back to the stone walkway that borders the yard. With each step, one leg at a time, she would lift each foot the entire inch-and-a-half to her shell and pause, ever so slightly, before returning it to the ground. Once on the walkway, she turned 90 degrees and like an old woman, out for a weird robotic-like stroll, she followed the path the six feet back to her home where she again made a 90 degree right turn into one of the clumps of monkey grass where she had been living.
Checking on her a little while latter, I found her napping half-buried under the mulch at the base of the grass. And now the wait begins…

I reported on May 21 that a yellow-eared turtle laid eggs in our Southern Illinois front lawn. I covered the nest with a milk crate and have been watching for the youngsters daily since Aug.14. Yesterday... the first hatchlings! Our yard is across the road from a pond, so today I transported all remaining youngsters to 'the other side of the road'. Here's a link to the youngster's picture! http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a342/murf69lover/DSCN0194.jpg

That is terrific. Thanks for coming back with the picture!

HELP!!!!!! PLEASE!! BIG TIME MONSTER MAMA TURTLE laid eggs in my sand pile 2 months ago that was to be used for laying patio bricks this summer. FORGET THAT PROJECT! Every turtle in the county seemed to come and lay eggs in it. The sand pile is 15 feet from my lake. Tomorrow will be October 1st. It will get to freezing tonight. We cracked open an egg last week and the shell was forming and there was LIFE! WHAT DO I DO?? I am sitting here wondering if I should run and extension cord out with a heating pad? Did toxins affect the mother and she laid them at the wrong time? HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO HATCH and let them get to the water and safety before the thermocline reverses and the ice sets in?? AAAAhhhh HELP!! Poor little things, I have kept the Skunks away...ARE THEY ALL GOING TO FREEZE TO DEATH AND DIE????

I have posted several times, and I am here to report my turtle births for the 2006 year. This year we were able to mark 3 nests in our yard that produced a total of 20 baby turtles!

My online research indicates 90 days gestation as a 'maximum', but perhaps our cool Minnesota climate warrants some extra time to develop. For this reason, we let the first nest develop 12 days longer than the 2004 nest.

We 'hatched' the first nest after waiting 106 days this time (versus 94 days two years ago). We use a plastic spoon to carefully dig around the nest, after loosening the ground around the nest with a shovel. On 9/10/2006 we had 9 babies come out of the nest. We always find them completely out of their shell just buried in the dirt. All were healthy and seemed quite energetic. We released them into a nearby stream.

We hatched the second nest on October 7, after 116 days gestation. This nest produced 5 healthy turtles. Although they seemed somewhat lethargic and slow to wake up this time, they eventually came out of it. The first turtle actually remained 'asleep' until all of the others had come out. We were concerned they were taking too long to come out of the ground (as if they would not make it out on their own). 116 days seems very long time considering 90 days is the 'maximum'. For this reason, we decided to 'hatch' the last nest on this same day.

The 3rd nest seemed like they had been at work underground moving about and creating a cavity in the dirt (it caved in slightly as we began poking around the nest). At 111 days in the ground, these guys were also somewhat lethargic, but not as bad as the last batch. We feel 94-106 days in our climate is the best time to 'hatch' them if you want to witness the hatch, and make sure they 'make it out alive'. Maybe they would make it out on their own if left to the task, but this way we know for sure they will survive. We have no pictures, but have some wonderful memories.

same happened to me in my yard about last month

We live on a canal in florida and the biggest turtle I have ever seen just laid eggs on our front yard, May 6. 2007. When will they hatch? thank you for any information. Barb

a turtle just laid 3 eggs right next to our veggie garden. She let us stay any watch everything. We are going to dig them up and put them in a safe place to keep out of the drout. we will diffently be watching between 40 and 60 days. let you know

Every year snapping turtles lay eggs on my shale bank. It faces the sun all day. So it gets sunshine from morning till night. Today I went outside and there were two females laying eggs. So I will be keeping track in the next few days to see if any more show up. I never paid attention before to see how many came here to lay eggs. I just know my bank gets torn up every summer.

Hi I stumbled upon this site, and love it. Like everyone else I witnessed a sun turtle lay her eggs in my front yard today. I watched for a while and then went inside for about 20 minutes, when I came back outside, she was gone, and if I hadn't watched her lay the eggs with my own eyes, I would have never found the nest. The area looked like there was nothing there. You couldn't even tell that she had dug it up, and to top it off Momma was no where to be found. I couldn't believe my eyes, that she finished laying the eggs , covered up the hole and was gone within the 20 to 25 minutes that I was gone. I know that most of the above stories say it takes about 60 to 90 days, is that the same for Rhode Island? I am so worried about the eggs as we have lots and lots of wildlife here. Part of me wants to dig them up and put them someplace safe, like an old fish tank with nothing but the sand/dirt that they are buried in and from what I have read, it needs to be kept moist, I am torn as what to do. Please advise, I can be reached at suzirobsgirl@cox.net
Thanks for all your help....Suzi

During the morning hours (July 18, 2007), I went down to the edge of our pond, ... to dig up a couple small tomato plants which had sprouted from seeds of rotten tomatoes that I dumped on a small compost-like pile, late last summer.

Once I came near to the area, I noticed a turtle (I believe it was a painted turtle), sitting on my compost-like pile, with her back end somewhat burrowed into the soil, & her head bobbing up & down. I assumed she was laying eggs, although I was surprised, as I had previously thought they did this in the evening or night time hours. I did not go near, as I did not want to disturb her, so I stayed back & watched her from a distance for a while.

Meanwhile I called my sister on my cell phone, to share the excitement, ... only to find out that she had a previous similar experience once with a turtle, & she mentioned that the turtle she saw seemed to be in a 'trance', paying little or no mind to her. Upon hearing that, ... I went to dig up my little tomato starts from the compost-like pile, ... & indeed, this turtle also, did seem to be in a bit of a trance ... & did not mind my presence, nor seem to notice me, yet I was only 2 feet away from her. The turtle did seem to notice heavy vibrations though, such as my son whom was occasionally riding his 3 wheeler approximately 12 feet away from the area, ... to stop & take a little peak, ... although the Mother turtle only seemed to be 'observing' the vibrations, & not fearful, as she would just raise & turn her head briefly towards the vibrations, & then get back to her egg laying business.

Later I came back to check on her, only to find she had finished her task & had completely & most professionally, covered her tracks, leaving almost no trace of her doings. I placed a small stake near the nest area, to make sure my son & friends know not to step on the nest accidentally when exploring the pond area in the future days, weeks, months, etc.. I did not want to cover the nest with mesh or a cage or anything, as this sometimes seems to actually attract our many clever bird predators, looking for an easy meal.

Hopefully we will witness the baby turtles hatching in 2-3 months.

Giggle, ... now I know why we are repeatedly finding turtles up on our driveway, ... which we keep taking back down to the pond, .... wondering if they were somehow ... rather lost. Evidently they are seeking their own special nesting spot. Next time we will return them to the compost-like area, ... which is likely, a most perfect nesting site.

Periodically I lightly water the compost/nesting area, as I had read that the eggs do need moisture to develop properly, & since we seem to be getting so little rain here.

Previous Post Correction ... was supposed to say:
(June 18th, 2007)

I have lived on the tidal creek in South Jersey for five years. The past four years turtles have laid their eggs in our yard as well as the neighbors. This year we have not seen any turtles or any evidence of turtles. Has any one else expereinced this same thing.

Hi Everyone,

I found this site searching in google to find out the gestation period of snapping turtles. On July 30th my neighbor call me over as my husband and I were leaving the house to show us an approximately 8 lb. turtle in my driveway near my lawn. We live in a totally residential area without a pond or body of water for a least 1 mile. We call 311, which only helped in giving us a phone # of a rescuer in NY. We described the turtle to her, long claws, spokes on it's tail, greenish tail and dark shell, and she identified it as a snapping turtle and told us to be careful as it would snap. And it did as my neighbor tried to pick it up.

The gal told us to use a shovel to prod it into a crate and take it to a nature preserve. The only one near us in Brooklyn, was Marine Park, about a mile away. She told us it was looking for dry land to lay its eggs.

When the turtle was in the crate I carried it to my jeep, and I was talking to it the whole time and it appeared to be calming down. When we got to the preserve, we were met with, "Why did you bring it here?" They didn't accept animals. We didn't know what to do. After an hour of waiting for somene to help us, a Ranger came out, made some calls and told us that the Rangers would take it to Prospect Park where she'll be very happy.

The Rangers, two adorable young women, were hesitant to take control of it. They told me that this is a very aggressive animal and can snap fingers off. They put heavy gloves on up to their shoulders, which made me feel like an idiot since I carried the crate bare handed! Anway they put long dowels into the crate to take it to their van and as they were walking, the turtle was extnding its head out of the handle of the crate. They told me their neck is so long they can stick it out and stretch it out to bite the person behind it.

When they got to their van, they were able to get the turtle into a carrier and locked the door. The turtle was not happy to be in there.

I was wondering how this turtle got to my house? It was a very long trip for it to take. The Ranger didn't think someone had it as a pet and discarded it because it was such an aggressive animal. He told us that this was as wild as an animal can get in Brooklyn NY.

Does anyone on this board have any idea how the turtle could have arrived? Are they known to travel long distances to lay eggs? I'll be checking in 9-18 weeks to see if we have any baby turtles. Thanks so much for any insight.
Best,
Ronnie

I don't know the answer to your question, but that's quite a story. Thanks for sharing it (and thanks for all the contributions here).

Hi Solomon,

Thanks for sending a response so quickly. I really bonded with her and named her Mrs. Snapper. I can't believe I was actually bending down to her about 4 inches away and talking to her. I guess I didn't know enough to be fearful. And she pcked up on that. It's amazing that when she was with me her claws went back into her feet and her head was close to ther shell. With the Rangers her claws were protruding and her head was begining to stretch. Her claws were as long as my iguana's Zeus, who passed a year and a half ago at nearly 11 years old.

One of my friends thinks that someone deliberately left her with us because they know we're animal lovers with a dog and 2 cats and we'd tale care of it. I really don't know, but I'll be thinking about Mrs. Snapper for a long time!

I wouldn't dig up the turtle eggs. There are probably laws in your area (federal and state) prohibiting disturbing the nests even if they are on your private property. Best to let nature take its course. I'm not sure about digging around the nest either to help them hatch and gain their freedom. Like a butterfly emerging from its caccoon they need the struggle to become strong. Just my personal opinion. But please do check out the laws in your area so you don't get into trouble with the powers that be or injure the eggs/babies.

Hi Barb,

Thanks for the advice. I won't did up or look for the eggs. I'll just watch to see if we have any turtle babies roaming around if they do hatch. Then I'll call the nature preserve to find out what to do. I would hate to see the babies die if I can do anything to help them.

Best,
Ronnie

i was wondering what is the getation period for a desert box turtle?

Hey, just found this site while looking for turtle egg incubation periods, I saw a snapper laying eggs in my gravel driveway last week. I'll be watching out for them to hatch in a couple of months. I live right on the shore of P.K. lake in Texas

Wow, what great pics!!! This just happened to me tonight 6-02-2008. I will be putting a fence up around the "turtle nursery". Thanks for the post. I am excited to see baby turtles hatch.

wahoooooo! it happened to me too. i went out this morning to water a plant in a pot, and there she was, laying eggs. i wish i could send you a picture. (i took a few pics.) i put a wire cage around the spot where she laid them. my neighbors kids will go nuts if they hatch. there is a lake across the street. i've seen them in there before, but never thought they would lay eggs in my front yard. so, so, cooooooooool.

I just saw the same thing in my back yard - a snapping turtle laying her eggs. About 10 years ago, in the fall, when I was turning over vegetable garden soil I came across some turtle eggs that were in the process of hatching, Put them on a shovel and carried them to a stream behind my house. Later found out that they were snapping turtles.

Hi This is a great site! last night while walking back from the creek in our neighbourhood I almost tripped over what I thought was a rock. Upon closer look it was a turtle laying her eggs. Unfortunately she had layed them under a public swing set in the gravel. I am at a loss as to what to do. I don't know whether to try to dig them up and bring them home to hatch, or just let them be and let nature take it's course. There are rat snakes, many water birds, racoons and all manner of wildlife. Poor thing, I wish she hadn't chosen that spot! Any ideas on what I should do? Are the eggs tough enough to be picked up? I have read every post and could bury them in my flower garden without turning them and keep them moist. As far as any "disturbance laws" go, I don't really care, I'm more concerned about the success of the babies!

hello, I have plenty of wildlife as I live in the country, and I actually watched a painted turtle lay 13 pinkish white eggs, i came back after she left so she will lay them in the same spot next year, I incubate painted turtles eggs, and it is safe to dig them up, except you should be careful because they may brake if you put too much pressure on them, the surface dirt should be the same texture as the other gravel, but do not let this fool you. About 2 inches underneath you will hit a very soft moist spot. underneath that, there is a hole, now feel around for the eggs, don't worry if you touch one and it bends inward, this is normal, and try to use one finger to dig around them, now check a couple times because they can lay anywhere from 3 to 16 eggs. You shouln't burry them in your garden because they will het dug up and if they don't they won't hatch until next year in the spring. I suggest that you get a small fish bowl and fill it with dirt and bury them loosely under the dirt about 2 or 3 inches, make sure that you keep them at atleast 21 degrees celsius. If they are not incubated then they will fail to hatch and die. so get a lamp to put over top. note* it will take 45 to 90 days for them to hatch in captivity. Good luck with your new turtles!

This morning, I, too, witnessed the joy of watching the turtle Mom lay her eggs in my Sarasota, Florida backyard, 11 all together. There seems to be a real interest in turtles. I have been enamored with the turtles who live in the pond off my back yard. I got a book out of the library on turtles and they said they like to eat bananas, which I have been feeding them == and they are loving them!! If you would like to communicate about turtles you can write me at
ka9crazy@hotmail.com
thanks for this site, it was very interesting!

We (me, my husband, and our neighbors) witnessed the same thing yesterday. But this small snapping turtle, decided to lay her eggs, approximately 10, on the edge of a ditch, by a busy road. Now that I know how long to watch for the hatching, I will try to make sure the hatchlings head back to the ditch, instead of the road.
It was quite the sight. Four adults standing by the road, mouths open in awe, and people actually slowing down (speed varies from 50 to about 90 mph down our steep hill in the country) and asking if everything is okay?!
Hope we get to see some little ones at summer's end.

It amazed me that a turtle that size could hold 11 eggs -- and good sized eggs at that! It just didn't seem possible when I counted all those eggs coming out of that small body!! My own mother gave birth to ten children, but that was over a course of 25 years!!! This poor turtle had 11 at one time!!! The difference between the turtle and my Mom was the turtle layed them, made sure the nest was safe and then she returned to her life as usual. No little screaming turtles demanding her time and attention. Nature, go figure!! It is a beautiful thing.

I saw a huge crow in my backyard yesterday from my window. It looked like there was a dead animal on the ground it was interested in. I finally went out and found a painted turtle. I moved it to a small pond thinking the crows were trying to attack it.

Today, it was back in the same spot in the middle of my back yard and I went out and watched it digging with its back legs, first one then the other. The hole did not seem big enough but she began dropping out eggs, probably around eight and, like everyone else has said, she used those back legs to push them in, then to pull grass and dirt over the hole to cover it. She then went on her way!

I am in upstate New York and I too am worried about wild life, etc., and will be keeping a close eye on the area which fortunately is right out my kitchen window!

When the turtle layed its eggs in my yard in Sarasota, Florida I call Mote Marine Aquarium and they told me to leave the nest alone, unless there is imminent danger to the nest. They said it is best to just let nature take its course.

What a wonderful experience!!!

OMG!!! I'm a big turtle fan. I live in Aus. And we don't get that amazing experience but my mumu and I saved a loggerhead turtle in shark bay. We were canoeing up a creek and found a turtle. We assumed it to be dead and my grandpa was going to chop of its head for shell! I was repulsed so my mum and i went shell hunting (sea shells not turtle shells) When I thought I saw a turtle on the beach. It had gone up the creek to lay eggs and was struggling back to sea. It kept heading in the wrong direction and was exhausted from heat and hunger. I want to be a marine biologist and if it swims I've researched it, So i knew it needed to go to sea before the tide (and the sharks) came in. We picked it up and carries it to waist hieght. Boy, turtle can bruise your hand! We then went and told the boys, It was the same turtle! The nex day we saw it swimming in the shallows. Dunno if the eggs hatched...

thats amazing!!!

at school we`re doing an opera on the turtles in greece.
i found this website because i was looking for pictures of turtle eggs for my poster!!!

Where do you live???

thnx

Some people are subscribed to this thread via email, so they also reply via email. Unfortunately, those replies only go to me, so here are a couple I received by email:

Dan L writes:

i live in largo florida, it's on the west coast of fl.
i'm afraid the moles my have gotten to the turtle eggs. lately the ground above the nest has begun to swell. and it's too early for it to be the eggs hatching. we have alot of moles around here. i hope they didn't find the nest.
see you later. dan

Mary G writes:

I live in Sarasota, Florida. An opera on turtles?? Very interesting. I have been feeding the turtles in my pond and they are loving whole wheat bread and BANANAS!! I know the bananas are good for them - but does anyone know if the bread will harm them in any way?
Can they become dependent on my feeding them? I went to a HSUS meeting here in Sarasota last week and learned about the horrible plight of the tortoises in Florida when developers come in and literally bury them alive. It is a horrible death. The HSUS is working on a bill to protect the turtles. You can view their website, just go to www.HSUS.com (I think!) They stressed how important it is to notify our state reps when an issue such as this comes up. You can get on their mailing list when you click on their website.
Good luck with your opera.....sounds very interesting!!!
Mary

Turtles are becoming more visible because of all the development that is taking away their habitat. The turtles usually lay eggs in their birth places. If one was born in your yard before it was a yard, it returns to that site. They have many preditors and few servive to make it back to water. Sea turtles are now being watched by volunteers to assure they will get back to the ocean before the birds etc.... get them. Not handled, only watched.
Moles can be controled by planting caster bean trees to deter them.

A snapping turtle is laying eggs in my yard (Hartselle, Alabama) at this moment. I didn't want to disturb her any more than I already did with the lawnmower before I saw her. So, I came inside and found this thread.

Had a somewhat different experience..... A snapping turtle climbed onto the shore, but had a larger friend following right behind. The friend did not make it up the steep slope and slid back into the water. The first turtle proceeded up the bank and started to dig. It seemingly positioned itself to lay eggs. Disturbances from the passing road and neighboring yards seem to have been a distraction, because I did not see any eggs..... the odd thing though, was that in spite of numerous reports of snapping turtles being solitary, the "friend" hung out at the waters edge the whole time. We also became aware of a third turtle resting right next to the "friend" in the water, merely a couple of inches away, and at times nose to nose. There were no signs of aggression. It almost seemed like two sister turtles were watching over their younger sister turtle and keeping watch as she dug her nest to lay her eggs. I probably watched the turtles for half an hour or so, and the three turtles were in the same proximity to each other the whole time.
Insight anyone?

WOW!!!!! that is amazing! We have a turtle in our front yard and its laying eggs! In was sooo excited i was smilng from ear to ear! We want to see the babys leave the nest, how long will it take to leave?

Hi all, just watched a very large snapping turtle lay her eggs next to my garage this morning. Wound up being late for work because she wandered around the parking lot for a while first and we didn't want her to get run over by folks leaving for work. I live in a condo complex and apparently she has been hanging around doing this for about 20 years! I saw her lay eggs under a tree by a stream about 2 years ago, and really wish she wouldn't have chosen my garage this time -- there isn't much chance of protecting the nest from wildlife or the landscapers who just don't care. It's not technically my property, so I'm not sure what I can do but hope it all works out... It was so nice to find this thread, tho, and know I'm not alone :)

PS -- I live in Rhode Island

while the eggs may hatch in the fall, the babies probably will stay put till springtime. and they do move fast. found a painted baby jogging across top of driveway in early april. since it was headed towards the garage, gave it a courtsey ride to the pond across the street from whence its family probably came from. so just because you did not see them hatch, dont assume they did not.

hi hey my grandpa hit a female box turtle with a lawnmover and she was prego and now i need to know how to hach them with out an incubator

May29,2010 must be Mothers' day for snapping turtles in the northeast part of New York State.
I was just on my way home this morning around 6:30am. I briefly noticed some dug up areas near the railroad tracks as I crossed over, but thought nothing of it at the time. I continued down the road no more than 2-300 yards when I came across a turtle on the roadside. I turned around to take a look.
When I got out of my truck, I noticed she had a rather large pile of dug up sand behind her. I immediately came to the conclusion she was laying eggs.
I've heard on documentaries that sea turtles go into a sort of "trance" while laying eggs. That is exactly how this Momma snapper was acting. I got within 2 ft of her to see if I could see any eggs, and she appeared to pay absolutely no attention to me or my presence.
Not remarkable enough...I drove another 200 yards down the road and pulled into Lake Allice State Park prking area (I fish here, and was going to check conditions).
As I walked the trail in to the "pond", I came across yet another Momma snapper. She was laying eggs in the middle of the trail, at the edge of a bridge that crosses over a run-off from the pond. Amazing!
I watched her for a couple minutes. I stood, turned around, and in front of me was a beautiful painted turtle with about a 6" shell. Incredible! She wasn't there 2 minutes earlier.
I got back in my truck, and started home. I got another 2-300 yards. As I turned onto my road, I glanced down the other way and saw a familiar shape crossing the road. I again turned around to investigate. Remarkably, it turned out to be yet another Momma snapper (all 3 Mommas were within 1/4 mile apart!). She was just crossing the road to find a nesting area.
I sped home to get my wife July (we live 2 miles down the road).
We returned to find this last turtle just settling into her hole. I brought her to the 1st turtle (who was STILL there laying). I looked down and across the road, and there was ANOTHER one!! I managed to get pictures of 3 Mommas.
The downside of the story came when I investigated the dug areas near the tracks. 3 spots were ravaged by what appeared to be a fox. All the eggs out of 3 holes were eaten + destroyed. After sorting through the shells, I noticed another site across the road. When I got there, I noticed more broken eggs; however, I saw a good one still in the hole. I carefully removed the egg (taking care not to turn) and saw there were more still in the hole! I removed them all, and ended up with 14. With any hope, after 60 days or so, I am looking forward to some little baby snappers!
This was quite an exciting morning for me as I am an animal lover, and have been for as long as I can remember,
I hope to be able to bring you all some good news in July-August.
--Tim

We watched a painted turtle lay her eggs nest to our Black top drive in sand so hard, it was like a rock. It took her several hours. And in the A.M. she was gone. We are 1/4 mi. from a small pond on our side of the road. I am wondering if I should put some chicken wire around the spot & water the spot lightly everyday ( as it is in full sunlight ) or just let it be.
I've read above and so about July 31,2010 we should get baby's. I have two great grandsons that can hardly wait to see them. Sure hope they hatch. Any info as to what to do or not to do would be appreciated.
Thanks!!
Soft hearted Granny

Today we had a female snapper dig a hole next to our drive way. We found her at 2:00pm. She sat on her nest all afternoon. We watched her most of the day and checked on her several times in hopes we would see her lay eggs. We left at 7:30 for dinner. At that time, she was still sitting on her nest with no eggs. When we returned home at 10:00 pm she was gone and there were no eggs in her nest. Has anyone seen a turtle show this behavior before? I'm not sure why she sat on her nest all day and was unable to lay her eggs. We are hoping she will return tomorrow.

we live in Ontario, Canada. a week and a half ago I captured what I think was a snapping turtle, laying her eggs. I have a lot of the process on my camera in movie mode! it was amazing. a few days ago we decided to dig up the eggs and carefully place them in a bucket with lots of sand. we are pretty sure that all other eggs have never made it because of the raccoons. we decided to try and help this time. I must say that witnessing the birth of 35 (!!!) eggs, was incredible! I read through every post here and didn't see anyone even come close to 35 eggs! I also have video of her covering the eggs up.
we are very hopeful to see the eggs hatch...it's very exciting :)

I'm grateful for this site and all the posters on it. Very interesting subject. I came across it looking for the incubation period because I watched a box turtle lay eggs and bury them in my front yard yesterday. Today I can barely see where she laid them, in fact, without knowing in advance, one would never see it. Very artistic creatures, no? I marked the date 63 days from yesterday and will try to film it when they hatch. Thanks to everyone for posting.

http://www.boxturtlesite.info/bred.html

theres a website all about turtles...tells yu everything u need 2 know!!!!