Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Turtle eggs

I just had a dinner plate size soft shell turtle lay her eggs in a sand pile I am using to mix cement. I would like know if any one has suggestions on moving them. The old gal worked really hard to find the sand, it was about 30 yards from the water and around the corner of the garage and I don't want her work to be in vain.

Or maybe how long it might take for the eggs to hatch, in case you decide to wait her out.

Rad,

I sucessfully moved and hatched some red ear turtle eggs last year. There were 10 eggs, and all 10 hatched.

If the eggs were just laid, you can move them without care. If they have been laid for 2-3 days, you must keep them oriented exactly as they are. Put a pencil mark on the top of the eggs, and transfer them, being careful not to rotate them. Note that some moisture in the soil is needed, or the eggs will die. Also, avoid direct sun. It usually takes ~60-90 days for turtle eggs to hatch, but it varies by species and conditions.

Thanks Bobad, mine are the 60 to 90 day cycle.
Theo, I am hoping that by moving them, if they hatch, that they will return to the same spot when they want to lay eggs. I will be laying in a load of sand in a pondside planter for that purpose, now that I know how to move them. The "hatchery" is now in a parking space.
I wonder how she found the sand in the first place.

I was very unhappy with the soft shell turtles in my 3 acre retention pond. Mine were so big that they would not fit in a 5 gal bucket, at about 25 lbs each. Fun to watch them sun themselves. Faster on the land & water than any other turtle I have seen. I real pain when you tried to fish. If you caught something with live bait it was probably a turtle. I can not prove it but I thought they preyed upon the nests of spawning fish. It would be fun to hatch them but I would make sure they took up residence in someone else's pond. I have moved the big ones to a different body of water. I think my pond will be better for it. I still seem to have plenty of turtles to clean up the pond but smaller & fewer. Just MHO.

J.E.,
Are turtles a regular sight at your pond?

I live in a tough neighborhood, turtles here have lots of predators, we have had two sets of eggs, not including this batch and only one turtle is still alive. Besides the dogs and feral cats, there are several birds and fish that work the hatch. I watched a bird catch a small turtle, fly up to a tree top and beat the snot out of it before eating it.