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I think I have some perverse female turtles. We just got back from an ou-of-town graduation, and as I was checking everything out, I noticed that there were 7 newly layed turtle eggs in one of my soil containers in the turtle enclosure. This is the second time they've laid eggs when we've been on vacation. The eggs were not buried, but are just laying on the top of the soil. Now I've got to decide how I'm going to handle them through the incubation. stay tuned. Denny

Put them in a warm spot in moist sand or in a chicken egg incubator. Probably someone has more knowledge than me but those seem like logical options.


For an incubator, a shoebox sized plastic container could serve this purpose well. With several small holes drilled in the lid for ventilation, fill the container with several inches of heavy grain vermiculite. Keep the vermiculite lightly moist and periodically check for damaged eggs. Do not touch, remove or otherwise disturb them. Temperatures need to be kept around 81°F-86°F (27.2°C-30°C). Males are produced in cooler temperature range and females in the warmer range with mixed genders produced in the transitional range. Eggs, provided they have been properly taken care of, will hatch in 60 to 80 days. Eggs in artificial incubation may hatch several days earlier. A hatchling emerges by slicing the shell with its egg tooth. The hatchling may still be absorbing nutrients of the yolk sac, which should not be removed or disturbed. It may not show immediate interest in eating.


Give it a go Denny

Turns out I actually have eight eggs. I had just set up a worm keeper using sphagnum moss, so used that as the hatching medium. The lid wasn't really tight, so it should work. It was nice to get some actual info on incubating the eggs. The one I discovered last summer ended up drying out, so hopefully I can keep these a little moister. An embryo was forming before it dried out though. I'll be posting some pictures of the eggs probably tomorrow. If they hatch, I would expect they would be normal colored Red-eared Sliders carrying the gene for albino. None of the females have been with other than albino males for about 4 years. Denny

Sure some gigolo turtle didn't make his way into your harem???

I've posted pictures of the eggs on my website if you're interested. http://dennysfishroom.com There is a write-up on the forum, and pictures in the gallery. Denny

I fixed the spelling on your link, Denny, and made it clickable.

Took the adult turtles to the outdoor stock tank today. I'm hoping they like to be outside, and possibly lay some more eggs. My albino female is getting bigger, but it will probably be another 2-3 years before she may be laying eggs. Denny

I must be doing something right. Had a friend come over to pick up some things, and while I was in the house he started looking at the turtle pond. When I came out he mentioned that I had 2 more turtle eggs next to the media container. Sure enough. After he left, I was getting all set up for the new eggs when I thought I'd check the ground around the basking area. I found 5 more eggs that that had fallen (18 inches?) to the ground. I'm about halfway through the incubation on the first batch, so I don't know for sure if I'm doing things right as far as the incubation. Denny

It would be fantastic if you could get some babies to hatch. Would be encouragement for you to be more driven in the future to hatch more babies. Can't be that difficult they lay eggs beside ponds all over the country that hatch in nature! Good luck I am very hopeful for baby turtles. Jack

I know we're excited about it, and really looking forward to the middle of July. I'm hoping they hatch without problems and without keeping us waiting. Middle of July will be 60 days, and they have a 60-90 incubation time. Denny

When I put the regular colored female Red-eared Sliders outside for the summer, I usually only see them 3-4 times before fall. They must keep busy overnight, however. I just found another 11 eggs buried in the nesting box today. They were about 3-4 inches underground, and there was no sign that the female had been digging to bury the eggs. We're getting very excited about the possibility of having baby turtles, but I won't relax until some actually hatch. Thursday this week is probably the soonest we could expect any hatchlings, but it could also drag on into the middle of August. I don't know if one female is laying all the eggs, or if the 2 females are taking turns. It is definitely exciting though. Denny

Wow! This is very exciting. I am very anxious to hear or the words turtle babies in a post.

Nothing yet, but you know it's going to be a big letdown if it doesn't happen. Denny

Looks like one of the females RES's was going to lay more eggs today. I was out checking on them when I thought I'd dig around looking for eggs. As I was starting, I noticed a hole about 3-4 inches in diameter going clear down to the bottom of the nest box. It was quite damp (wet) at the bottom, so I suspect she changed her mind until it dries out a little. Denny

Are the current eggs in a separate container, so they won't be disturbed by turtles digging to lay more?

Each batch is in a separate container inside the fishroom. It looks like they've been incubated at around 84 degrees. Denny

When I got home last night, I checked the turtle eggs, and it looked like one of them had "exploded". The shell was ripped, and I had fruit flies swarming the container. This morning I decided to open up the egg further and see what was going on. We definitely had a fully formed baby turtle, although it still had a pretty large yolk sack on it. At least now I definitely know I've got functional males and fertile females. I guess I'm just going to have to not get too far ahead of myself, and see when they will actually hatch on their own. Because of the fruit flies I had thought the egg had been rotten. I also saw that one of the females had dug another hole in the nest box. I'll try to post some pictures later today. Denny

I may have given up too soon on the "dead" turtle. Gail was eating breakfast and noticed that it was moving. I had been very careful when cutting the shell to see what was inside, and apparently hadn't damaged the turtle (the egg shell was already open when I began cutting it). He/she is moving slowly, and has an egg sack that is bigger than I was expecting. We'll have to call it Lazarus if it survives. Denny

I uploaded a few pictures to my gallery if you're interested. Jack D. - I need to have you email me - it's not delivering to the email address I have for you. Denny

Any news on my baby turtle?

She didn't make it. I suspect she was premature because none of the other eggs have hatched yet, and the yolk sac was so large. We're still hopeful that we'll end up with several live ones as they're maturing and ready to hatch. Denny

whoa! This is very exciting news. Sorry for the loss. I was wondering if you should set them outside on the hotter days in well shaded conditions to help them get the egg sack absorbed and motive them to come to life. I know they will need some sunlight once they are hatched to get and keep them healthy. Found this tonight.



Beginner Tips (for New Hatchlings)
Glossary Sitemap

Most new RES owners acquire a hatchling. If your turtle is a hatchling, then this period is very delicate and thus, more emphasis should be placed on its eating, comfort and safety levels. Hatchlings are very fragile, have a high mortality rate and many do not make it past this point. They are more susceptible to illnesses and can even die without an apparent reason - though good care will greatly increase survivability rates. A slider’s tank should be ready before it’s placed in there.

If you notice something on the turtle’s plastron, it may be the yolk sac. The hatchling may still be absorbing nutrients and it should not be removed or disturbed. Your turtle may refuse to eat during this time, although you should be prepared to offer food once the yolk sac is completely absorbed.

Remember to avoid excessively handling a new RES. They may be very cute and irresistible but they are also fragile and may feel very uncomfortable, frightened and stressed. Don’t constantly stand over them and tap on the glass to get their attention. Give them space and several days to adjust but make sure they do get food everyday and that water is clean. Water and basking temperatures need to remain consistent.

The tank or tub must not be in direct sunlight or near a window. Avoid keeping them near air conditioners and drafts. Make sure there is easy access to a basking platform and that UVA rays, UVB rays and a basking lamp are available. Temperatures, which should be slightly warmer for hatchlings, should be 80F (26.6C) for water, 90F (32.2C) for the basking area. Water should be clean as possible and should be changed every couple of days if there is no adequate filtration. The main diet should consist of a reputable brand of calcium-fortified pellets. Please refer to the New RES Guide and pricing guide for more detailed information. Remember, most illnesses and injuries are preventable with proper living conditions. As mentioned earlier, do not mix hatchlings with adults or any other turtle greater in size.

Lets home there is much more news to follow! Jack

Any updates?

It looks like I'm going to have 5 viable baby turtles. There's one egg left from the first bunch, but I don't think it's going to hatch. They are swimming around, but still have remnants of the egg sack, so I haven't seen any of them eating yet. It's been interesting, and I've learned a lot about baby turtles over the last several weeks. Gail will be taking care of them until I get back. Denny

Just had Gram look at my 5 turtle babies, and he said he had never seen a RES as light as these are. I had thought about that, but hadn't didn't have any experience that I could compare it to. Now I have to see whether I'll be thrown in jail if I try to sell them. Gail and I are still pretty excited about this. I'll be bringing them to the meeting next week so Corey can babysit them, as well as the next batch of eggs. Pretty cool. Denny

It was very cool to see the little ones. Ive seen a good few baby RES, YBS and snappers. I thought at first, maybe I've just never seen them that fresh. But it definately seems that you've lucked out with 4 pastels and 1 normal(hopefully carrying the albino gene). Really cool to see that pastel green color.

I am so excited about the babies and I too thought one of the pictures looked very light but I too have no real experience in hatching them out so was unsure. Keep me in mind if any of these light ones are going to new homes. We need the genes in the family! Keep them hatching and keep them healthy! Congratulations. Jack

These are sure cute little guys. They even eat thawed frozen brine shrimp.

sskruzr wrote:These are sure cute little guys. They even eat thawed frozen brine shrimp.

And thawed bloodworms. Gotta find out where Denny got the little redworms. I'm thinking they'd be great food for my cories.

Any turtle news?

I've been waiting for turtle eggs batch 3 to hatch, and I happened to look in to see how batch 4 was doing. That batch was supposed to hatch the second week in October. Low and behold I've got one hatchling working its way out of the shell, but no activity from batch 3??? I must have screwed up somewhere. Denny

what's new on the turtle front?

I've got 8 from 3 hatches, and Jack has 5 from the first 2 hatches. Seem like everyone is doing well. Very apparent size differences between the various hatchings. Denny

any news on their progress?

they seem to be doing well and growing. Same with Jack's turtles. I did get some stuff to incubate eggs in for Christmas, so I should be in good shape when they lay more eggs (probably starting in the spring). Probably no chance of any albinos this year (2016), but maybe in 2017 - the female albino I have may be old enough by then. Once we can sex the babies, I will have some yearlings for sale (carry the albino gene). Denny