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reproduction

22 16:47:47

Question
Hi,am just wondering how long it takes for the eggs of a tortoise to hatch. She just lay them 2 days ago and tried to cover them but left two of the uncovered. I personally dug a hole and covered them. Was that the proper thing to do?
diane

Answer
Between 2 months and about 10 months, depending on a lot of conditions.

1. Incompletely buried eggs are usually 'practice' and infertile. I always suggest trying to incubate them anyway!

2. Turtle eggs are incredibly fragile, and if they are moved, the embryo can become detached. If you get the chance, next time mark the top of the egg with a pencil mark or a dirt smudge or something so you keep that end up.

3. In general, if you have to interfere, it is better to set up an incubator. It is really easy to incubate tortoise eggs- all you need is a container with some lightly damp sand and a way to keep it right around 85 degrees. Tortoise eggs do not need the high humidity turtle eggs do, so they are a lot easier.

If you get the chance to do it again, check sites like www.tortoise.org.

Good luck!