Found: Baby Turtle and Eggs

Question
QUESTION: Hi,I had found a clutch of baby turtle eggs in the beginning of spring. I had tried to make a cage for them but the gees broke through and killed 4. Yesterday, I took the eggs in, but now I just read that I shouldn't have without putting a felt tip marker on the top. I really hope that it doesn't kill them. :( It has been about 65 days. My mom just told me to put them by the edge of the river because she thought they were duds. And when I did I might have accidently put one down to hard because it cracked and when it did I saw red veins. So, I opened it all the way and found a baby turtle inside!!! It has a very weird clear coating all around it and was still alive! it had yoke left that i put beside it but it wasn't connected to its body anymore. It is about the size of a quarter maybe a little smaller. I was wondering what I should do with the baby turtle and the un-felt tipped eggs! Please write back ASAP!

ANSWER: Hi Brianna,

No, you don't want to turn turtle eggs because they start to form their oxygen transfer system almost right away, and if you turn the eggs after about the first 24 hours, the oxygen is blocked.  So unfortunately, at this point if the eggs were turned the embryos will probably die.  The egg that was cracked wasn't fully developed--an egg that's ready to hatch doesn't have the veins anymore.  I'd guess that the embryo probably had about a week left before hatching.  It's possible it will survive, but the chances are probably slim because in that last week the embryo will absorb most of the yolk before hatching, and that's what it survives on at first.  It doesn't sound like it was able to absorb much of the yolk, so it may not be strong enough to survive.  That doesn't mean you shouldn't try to save it.

I assume you don't have an incubator, so put the baby in a small plastic container with damp paper towel so it stays clean.  Loosely cover it with a lid, but make sure air can get in.  It should be somewhere warmish (85 degrees is good)--if necessary, you can put it under a desk lamp, but make sure the paper towels stay damp so it stays hydrated.  Don't handle it if you can avoid it.  After a couple of days, if it's still alive, post back and let me know and we'll figure out what to do from there.

You can do the same thing with the eggs--put them in a container with damp paper towels and keep them somewhere warm.  As I said, they probably don't have too many more days before they hatch, and if they weren't turned, they probably will hatch.  Keep me posted on those, too.  I'd like to know how it all turns out.  And thanks for trying to help them--don't feel bad about turning them.  Most people don't know you're not supposed to do that!  

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QUESTION: I have put the eggs under a UVB light that i had. Also, I was wondering if i should try to take the gooey stuff thats around it off of him.

Answer
Does the light provide heat?  Not all UVB bulbs do, so if yours isn't a combo bulb, you can just use a regular household bulb.

I think it might be difficult to remove the goo entirely (it's basically the "white" of the egg, and you don't see much of it with full-term hatchlings), but if you can gently wipe it away from the baby's head that should make sure the airway stays clear.  How does he seem to be doing?