Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations are these turtle eggs

I have found a bunch of holes around the pond that have been dug up and what looks to be turtle eggs What kind of varmit goes around sniffing them out and digging them up?

Hey Trialsguy, I have found that both skunks and raccoons will sniff out and dig up turtle eggs. I found an area around a pond once that had dozens of turtle nests dug up and most had very clear raccoon tracks all around. Some had skunk tracks. Don't know how they find them but there were dozens of them dug up over about a 2 acre area.

I dont think I have see more than 2 turtles around the pond, but I bet there are at least a dozen holes dug up. Can anyone tell by looking at photo what type turtle these belong to? I would say size comparison to just a little larger than quarter.

I found a large snaping turtle laying eggs on a muddy bank of my pond about 2 weeks ago. She was about 19 lbs. Eggs were about the size you mentioned. The next day I found about 12 eggs that were dug up in good condition and about 5 shells of eggs that had been eaten. Two days before I found her laying eggs (by the way she seemed to be in a trance)I killed a 22 lb snapper. My pond was built Dec 2004 on a small stream. Must have come from an older lake about 600 yards above mine. I have the eggs in a coffee can of wet mud.

That's a nice big snapper. It must have taken him 40 years to get that big. Big ones are getting pretty scarce in some areas. It used to be nothing to find a 60 pounder around here. Now a 15 pounder is considered big.