Urgent Care :: need care info for eggs and new hatchlings

[Brandi235]

my husband was digging a hole to fix under ground pipes. he didnt see the eggs and broke one with his shovel and the little turtle is still alive and still has the cord under his belly. his eyes are closed but he has been alive for 2 days now.
i did not realize until this morning that my son pick up the other 2 eggs that were in the nest and now has a bucket with the mud and the eggs barried in it. the newborn is laying on top the dirt. what can we do to make sure this little one lives? what should we be keeping it in?
i would really love to keep it as a pet and raise the other 2 after they hatch too

[steve]

Hi Brandi, here are some incubation links:
http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/Incuba ... s_DMS_.htm

http://www.tortoise.org/general/eggcare.html

http://www.gctts.org/node/84a

Generally, eggs should be protected in their original location. As for the one in the damaged egg shell, I'm not sure but survival will depend on how far he was in development.

Reference sites:
http://www.turtleforum.com/forum/upload ... pic=112304
http://www.turtleforum.com/forum/upload ... opic=97329

[mysterijewel]

is there any way to tell if my turtle is having fertile or infertile eggs beyond waiting the 60+ days? I just want to know i need to throw them out right away or what.
Thanks

[wiccabrat]

You can candle them.

[marisa]

Whatever you do, don't remove the egg sac on that hatchling...

One of my Eastern painteds was the runt of the clutch (hatched on the front lawn in late September) with a carapace that was bent and a plastron that wasn't completely formed; he was alive but inactive compared to the others. I made a "nest" for him using spaghnum(?) moss that was kept moist in a small container. The container was on a flat rock in a 5-gallon aquarium that had about an inch of water on the bottom for added humidity. An infrared (heat) light was over the nest (not that close) for warmth. I kept the container half way closed and the tank was kept dark. I'd check on him periodically. After a few days, he showed some signs of movement and after about a week, he looked like he wanted out of his "nest."

He's still a runt, but he'll be 6 this fall.