What should I do if my terrapin lays eggs??

Question

It just laid eggs yesterday and it keeps eating them up!
What should I do to incubate the remaining eggs and is there a chance of them hatching?

Answer 1

If the eggs were laid in water, or left uncovered, they are probably not fertile or viable.

Depending on the species you have, most terrapins do not lay fertile eggs in captivity in a tank or standard hobbyist set-up.

Answer 2

terrapin eggs should be incubated in moist vermiculite at a temperature of 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit, taking care not to change the orientation or position of the eggs. Interestingly enough, the sex of diamondback terrapins can be determined by incubation temperature. Males are hatched at lower temperatures whereas females are determined at higher temperatures. Phil Allman, an environmental specialist from Collier County, FL states that "the sex determination period for eggs is during the second trimester between stages 22-28 based on Miller's (1982) 31 stages of turtle development. Time wise, this corresponds to 30 to 45 days (based on a 60 day incubation)... It is during these stages that the steroidogenic hormones are produced and it is these hormones that determine which steroids are produced, thus determining the sex."