Question
Softshell nesting
Hi,
Just an hour ago, I have seen a softshell turtle making her nest and most likely laying her eggs and this right next to our pool which is separated with a Florida net. In other words it's right next to the pool but on the outer side.
My concern are the birds which are aggressive and tried to uncover the earth on top and get to the eggs, so I covered the nest with some palm leaves for now. Is my action correct or / should I do anything else to protect them, besides the fact that the gardeners are coming by with their lawn mowers, so I will also put a sign to make sure they will avoid the area...
AnswerHi Martin,
Probably the best thing you could do is to construct some kind of enclosure out of chicken wire or bird netting to protect the nest. I did a little research and depending on the species, softshell turtle eggs will generally hatch somewhere between 55-70 days, and the hatchlings will usually emerge around sunset. If you keep an eye on the nest in late afternoon/early evening from mid-July on, you may be able to transport the hatchlings to the nearest safe body of water to help boost their survival chances.
Thanks for caring about this turtle's nest, and it's very cool that you were able to observe her. There are no softshell turtles here on the West coast, and it's something I would love to see!
identifying a hatchling
Question
Turtle Turtle2
I found a turtle o
Box Turtle Care
QuestionTorkoal
QUESTION: I have two baby box tu
Indian roofed turtle (pangshura tecta)
QuestionQUESTION: Hi,
I have a Indian roofed turtle (Pa
cracked/injured turtle shell
Question
turtle with injured sh
My dog bite and
hi again
Questiontortuga
QUESTION: Hi i am Casey i got my
