what do I do??? I found 6 small turtle eggs in my yard ????

I was digging a new perenial bed and I found 6 small eggs. One was half way open and I looked at and it;s a turtle... Then I foind 6 more... I stopped digging... what should I do??? I fell like I live at Animal Kingdon... I found a robin nest under my porch, my veggie garden had a fat frog (Mr Frog) and now the turtle eggs!!!
can I help them ?????

Hi, Kassia, and thanks for caring about the critters. You shouldn't need to do a thing for the turtle eggs; just leave them where you found them. If one was already hatching, you should be able to go back to digging your new bed in another week or two, when they've all hatched.

ok, well, I didn;t finish digging the bed, but I moved all the eggs to the middle of the plants and put a pile of dirt on them... because to be honest I found a ant farm very close by and I was afraid that the ants would eat little Mirthe (yes I have named the little thing already! ) and I prayed that they survived the cold last night... do you think I should call a wildlife place? I read last night that there are some wild turtles that are endangered in MA... I have no experience...

I am going outside to check on them... and see... I will be back with my findings!

thanks for your help! (so far)

If you have a wildlife center, network of wildlife rehabilitators, or etc. locally, it certainly wouldn't hurt to call them for advice. Since I'm not real familiar with the species and climate in your area, it's hard to give you specific advice. Did you get a close enough look at little Mirthe to tell if his/her top shell is primarily rounded or primarily flat? Noticeably rounded indicates a land turtle, relatively flat is a water turtle.

Kassia, how neat! Please keep us updated on the turtles. You sound as bad as I am - worrying over things like that. It is nice to know there are others. But then I learned that when I found Dave's Garden. Again, PLEASE keep us updated. I used to live in Florida and the sea turtles would cross the road less than a mile from where I lived. Since they were endangered the police would set up blockades but the mobs would flock down to watch. I always wanted to go but I figured the police had their hands full enough so I contented myself with watching it on the news. You KNEW the media would be there! :)

Kassia - that is too cool! Wow, I hope you call someone so you can ID the turtles, and do keep us posted

Hi,
It's the hardest thing to find a place to call that is close enough to where I live... I am surprised... anywyay I looked at the place where I put the eggs back yesterday and it looks not disturbed... but Mirtle is gone... the only thing left was the shell she was attached to with some remanings of what in my "nursing student: experience would be the placenta... and there were tons of ants eating it... I hope Mirtle made it to the water... I prayed for her and I almost went outside and put a blanket on the mound so they would not feel cold... you know, when I dig them it was sunny and warm and later the temperature went really down and yesterday it rained a lot..! but I refrained myself ... I don't really think they needed my help... what I really want is to actually see them walking around ... and live in my yard... I have Mr Frog (he is very cute and fat... and I also found a robin's nest -under my porch!!!!) I have taken a picture of the baby - there were 3 but now I only see momma bird feeding just one... I hope I see the baby fly!!!!!

I really hope they all the turtles make it... I would be devasted if they don't...

Mitle was very dark green, ans she did open her eyes and stuck her lillte neck out a little... she had some yellow lines around the neck (like stripes) and I think it was more a flat shell... and she moved all 4 extremities... which in nursing is a good sign!!!! lol

I told my neighbor that has lived on my street for about 30 years aband he told me that he never found eggs, but he has seen turtles swiming in the water behind the houses on my street... ( its a reservoir - that right now is so low and looks really bad!)

Hi everyone,
no news from the Wildlife place yet, but I came home and checked on the eggs... yes I did... so meet the almost hatched "Molly" ... A co - worker helped me and I think they are painted turtles... so here she is... ( I have no idea how to id a male from a female turtle but I am calling her Molly...

another picture

Molly other siblings

a closer look

Meet "Matty" the Robin! he is really bigger!

Glad to hear the other eggs are hatching successfully! Sounds like painted turtles, or maybe sliders; though, as I said, don't really know what species are in your area. Keep us posted!

Kassia, AAAhhhh, I think those turtles are just so neat! How do you ever get any sleep with all that going on? I am excited for you. We have box turtles and snapping turtles where I am but I usually see them crossing the road! Drivers just love me. I stop my car, get out and move them across so they won't get hit!! I did see one other motorist do that too and he apologized for holding me up! I assured him it was no problem. Well, not I have something else to look up! I know zip about turtles.

Ok guys this is the newest: I spoke with the guy from the Mass Wildlife and guess what???? I can bring the turtles inside and keep them until May - after that I can release them and they will be ok... He said that they may come back to lay eggs in my yard again! I hope so...
They are painted turtles (we thingk) and here in MA I can have 2... so I am bringing all of the eggs inside today ... he gave me instructions on how to raise them! i am so excited! Pray for Molly - he said that if the egg is already open they may not make it... well, I pray she does!!!!

Here is part of his email:
Hi Kassia;
Congratulations on your new turtles! I think they are painted
turtles, but just can't be 100% certain because the photos don't show me
enough. So, when the rest hatch, send me a top and bottom view of one of
the hatchlings and I'll let you know for sure. They will be easy to
raise: start with a flat-bottom plastic container (tupperware, glad,
sweater box, etc. and about an inch of water (enough to cover their
shells, but still allow them to stick their noses above the surface with
their feet on the bottom. They may not eat for a few weeks because they
still have yolk inside them for energy. Best commercial food is Reptomin
(available in any pet shop). You will have to break up the food sticks
with your fingernails at first, to make it small enough for them to
swallow. Note that these turtles cannot swallow unless they are in
water. Once October/November rolls around and temperatures drop, you
will have to move up to an aquarium with a heater, keeping the
temperature around 75-80. Get a submersible heater, so you can lay it on
the bottom. You will want a minimum of 3 inches of water in the
aquarium. Shortly after their environment is warmed up, the turtles will
be eating like pigs, responding to your presence, and will be happy in
4-8 inches of water. You may put something in that they can climb up on
to get out of the water, but it really isn't necessary. I suggest you
let them go around mid-May, and you will have accomplished a great deed.
Keep you eyes open and you may discover another turtle laying eggs in
late May or June. Those you can dig up immediately and hatch indoors to
start all over again.
I am sending you some magazines I think you will enjoy. If you
have any questions, let me know. Meanwhile, good luck with the turtles
and don't forget to send me more pictures when they come out.

Is this cool or what????
I will take pictures and keep you guys posted if you want!!!!

That is so neat! Talk about fun and interesting. Please keep us updated.

You need a turtle cam! : )

I showed my little one your pics, she was fascinated. Thanks for sharing.

Kassia, you should post one of the closeup pics here that you sent me today. these little guys are adorable. it's so cool that you get to be foster mama.

gram

Birth announcement : Molly - 8/29/06 at 6pm Meredith 8/29/06 11:50pm ( I am not sure they are females... just guessing... if any of you guys can tell me I would appreciate!!!!

Meredith

Molly's collage ...

today's findings!!! 3 more are coming!!!

Hi... here I come!!!!

pickabooooooo

This message was edited Aug 30, 2006 11:26 PM

Neat! is that all of them?

Well, no... I have 3 more to go... last night one more come out and she is a bit smaller than the others ones,,, nevertheless impossible to tell who is who!

How exciting and what a nice guy at Mass Wildlife to be not only informative but encouraging.

Floridian, he is really very nice to me... I am all excited, bubbly and at the same time emailing him like crazy, and he is so patient with me... I want to go and meet him at the office- specially because they have activities there for kids and I have a 5 year old nephew and he was so happy to see the turtles hatching... oh the look on his face almost made me cry... you know when a kid is amazed??? oh it was a pricessssssssssssssleeeeeeeeeesssss moment!!!!

SO far they are doing well, I have 5 on the tank swiming and exercising their little "legs" and one still halfway out taking her time to come out of the egg...

I can't say who is who anymore, so my next question will be how to I tell them apart??? should I make a color dot on their back???? hahaha

What a neat story to follow. This is the first time I have seen it, how much fun it must be for you to have this wonderful experience. You know what really made me smile, was what you said about your nephew and the look on his face. Yes I know that look well. My son (who is now 22), was about 5, was looking for our dog who was about to have puppies, and he was the first one to find her behind the couch with her puppies. I will never forget the look on surprise, and absolute amazement finding the puppies. Please keep us updated!
Candy

Yes, this has been a great, great thread to follow! And if you all start talking about kids discovering the wonders of nature, I will really lose it! Brings back too many memories of my two kids, my oldest grandson, and two more grandkids just reaching the age where they will begin seeing things! How wonderful that some of us get to experience childhood several times! Please keep this one going, Kassia

I am trying to do the same for my grandchildren, but I have not been lucky enough to find any good finds like the turtle eggs. When I first read the story, I thought uh oh, I bet she found snappers, she better be careful! We have gotten chickens (that is another story), but the kids love the experience.

Snappers are cute when they are little. Not as cute as Kassia's babies, but neat in their own way. I had one when I was I was a kid. used to feed it raw hamburger and bugs.

Your turtles are really neat! I actually went to a turtle rescue seminar a few months ago, and got a lot of really interesting turtle info (aparently the way to sex a turtle is by the location of the vent on the tail-the female vent opening is along the shell margin while the male is farther back towards the tip of the tail. Also female turtles have a thick short tail and flat plaston /bottom of shell/ while males have longer thicker tails and a concave plastron-prob difficult to tell on your little ones till they get a little bigger!)) Check out http://www.turtlehomes.org/usa/orgs.shtml for additional info on care of turtles. The woman who gave our lecture was a turtle rescue person/rehabber from southern NJ, but she had all kinds of great info and encouraged us to email her with any questions about turtle rescue- you can scroll down to her email address under Turtle rescue of NJ -Harriet Forester, and I'm sure she'd be able to answer many of your questions.

Some other info from my notes that might be helpful are follows:

Housing for general aquatics- water temp 72-78 degrees F, ambient air temp should not be much diff from water temp. basking spot 88 degrees

Make sure there is a place for them to hide, ie log or plants

Nutrition for aquatics- fish, thawed mice, worms, crickets, snails, crabs, crayfish, clams, freshwater mussels, shrimp +/- trout chow or reptomin, Do not use large amounts of frozen fish which can lead to hypovitaminosis B, Also offer aquatic plants, chopped fruits, vegetables and greens. Aquatics will only eat in the water. Offer a large variety to expose the turtles to different foods that they will need to recognise in the wild (we were told that its better to release the turtles at a couple days old rather than wait till they are bigger because they have to use that time to recognise food in the wild and have a better chance of survival on there own)

Hope some of this info will be helpful!



This message was edited Sep 1, 2006 9:30 PM

This message was edited Sep 1, 2006 10:06 PM

Thanks everyone... It has been a blast... today turtle #6 was born... she is so cute, more orange than yellow... she took her time... but once she come out she was very quick, wanted to get out of the box at all cost... very cute...
are the pictures:

just look at that face:

I spoke with my mom yesterday and she is so excited about the turtles... my sister Karla and my nephew Victor are coming soon and they are all so excited...

coordenated swiming!!!

Please feel free to look at my blog... I have more pictures there...

http://ninoandlilly.blogspot.com/

Kat7 , I am going to look at the site you suggested. I will be honest, I don't want to let them go yet... I am so thankful that my dogs are fixed... I would never be able to give away their litter... just kidding!!! all one has to see is the vet's bill to change one's mind in a second!!!!

The guy from the Ma Wildlife told me that if I release them by mid may, they have more chances to make it... he has mailed me some magazines and articles about caring for painted turtles...

I have a friend that wants to take 2 to her son's special school. She is the one that has told me about this site... and the person that has given me my first hostas, datura, a baby wisteria, and so much great advice... she is a master gardener and she very encouraging. I think that it will be great for the kids (it;s a special needs school) will have fun doing this. But I need to speak with Pete first ( Ma wildlife guy) I made a promise to care for them until mid may and release 4 of them. In Ma I am allowed to keep 2 if I want... and he told me that more turtles will come back next year - probably ... I hope so... I am not sure but I think 2 of then are orange, not yellow stripes... and one of then is "speedy Gonzalez" she doesn't rest, she just run... step on her sisters and fall flat on the rback and cant get up... she scared me today, because I came home and she was belly up... the moment I fliped her, she runned liike crazy, so she is the pyschic....

My mother, sister and 3 year old nephew are coming soon and they are also excited about the turtles,,, it's so cute... and I am being a kid again... I had forgotten how fun is to be happy about this things... how good it really is!!!

I will keep you guys posted...

thanks for your support and encouraging words...

one more pict: I have about 100 already...

Hi everyone, another chapter on the turtles saga...

The smallest one died "Speedy "... she was a little strange... she could not flip herself up, and part of the yolk was still attached to her... so sad... I buried her next to my morning glories...
The other ones are doing ok so far... I got then here in my bedroom window so they can enjoy some light and boy, they all want to get out of the box... it's so cute... they get all worked up stand up and fall ... what a cute little thing... they keep going and going... right now they are sleeping so cute lillte things... just like my cutest dog (Lilly)... she was jealous that I was looking at the turtles so I showed her the turtles... she just sniffed them and was not interested... and the turtles just stuck their little necks out ...
Here goes new pictures!

inside their new clean home...