Information on the hatching/raising of turtles?

Question

To cut a long story short, I just robbed a bunch of turtle eggs (dogs scared off the mother before she could cover them with dirt, I felt a little responsible... and I wanted them anyway :P) -and dont know what to do with them. I know they should be underground, so they are at the moment in an icecream bucket full of dirt. I dont know how long they take to hatch, or what to do when they do hatch. Any information would be helpful.

Yes, but I mean to keep them and give them to friends - I want them as pets, hence the "raising" in there.

They are just normal turtles I found in my swamp out back (northern MN) and there are zillions of them! And the dogs that scared her off were mine. I know there is some that are endangered, but they are the huge kind right? Anyway I want to keep them - honestly they are the kind you keep as pets. The little ones!

Look I KNOW you can keep turtles as pets - I know quite a few people that either have or had turtles. Its just normal turtles. But I need to know how to take care of them when they hatch. One guy I know that has a turtle keeps his in a huge bowl with rocks in it and it has a little water in there too (it can climb off the rocks and into the water)... Is that how I should keep mine? What does it eat? How long do they take to hatch?Come on people, help me here.

They arent colorful like that describes a painted turtle. I know because I saw the mother a while back (yes I am sure, long story). I was totally not aware of the fact that they needed to be facing the same way as they were when they were laid, but I am pretty sure I got them that way anyway - they had dents in them where they were sitting on their fellow egg and I am pretty sure I left the dents on the bottom. Thanks so much for telling me to keep them moist, I just now put a little warm water on them. I am keeping them in my room (attic room) so dont worry they are pretty warm (heat rises and all that).

Answer 1

1. These will be Painted Turtles, probably Midland Painteds.

2. They will hatch about 2-3 months after they were laid... maybe...

3. Turtle eggs are very sensitive to movement. When you move a turtle egg, you should mark the top and keep it upright at all times or the developing embryo will tear off and die. Sadly, this may have already happened here.

4. The developing eggs should be kept warm and moist. Try the link below for a good way to incubate them. If they were kept too cool or dry, they may have died as well.

5. The link below is a good general care link for the eggs, babys, and adults.

I think when you research the needs of pet turtles, you will find that to care for them right is more work than you might have thought. Sadly, this is often the case- so many people think that turtles are 'easy pets' that millions of them suffer and die every year.

I hope things work well for you- good luck!

Answer 2

Depends on the type of turtle eggs. You should have left the eggs and just covered them with sand and they would have been fine on their own. The mother turtle knows the proper depth and level of moister needed to hatch out the eggs. She will not guard the eggs and once they are laid she returns to the water. If it is a logger head sea turtle. If you know the spot where they were laid take them back and if you know how deep she dug put the eggs at that depth. There is a hefty fine for removing turtle eggs from their nest they are endangered animals and if you keep them they may not survive. Contact a wildlife conservationist and tell them you rescued some turtle eggs from a stray dog and ask them what you should do. They probably won't fine you if they do not think it was intentional, but the turtles are better off staying wild.

If you like working with wildlife you should look for volunteer work. I used to volunteer at an aquarium feeding logger head sea turtles it was awesome and I loved it. I do not recommend keeping animals in captivity, because it stresses them out and they never live as long as wild animals do.

Answer 3

Look up on how lot it takes to hatch, then when it is about a day from hatching, go back to where you found them and put the eggs underground and bury them. They should be okay and once they hatch and dig themselves out, their instincts will kick in. Just make sure not to bury them to far underground nor too close to each other.
IN response to what you added: Isn't it a crime to steal eggs or something like that? you could get in serious trouble?