:huh: is there a way to tell if box turtle eggs are fertile?
Once they're laid, you can't tell from the outside normally. If they are infertile and rot, they will often sink in. Otherwise, if you know the mother and know if she's mated, that would give you a clue at least. I guess you can candle turtle eggs like chicken eggs. See my chicken page under candling at
http://www.fishpondinfo.com/chicken3.htmA developing turtle egg would let less light through as it develops.
i always thought you had to be extremely careful with reptile eggs, as in not turning them over and around, i always figured candleing wouldnt be good for reptile eggs, but then again, i am no expert, i've never had any reptile eggs.
i dont know if my females ever let the male mate with them are not, maybe i should put them in some dirt and see what happens... sorry to get off topic.
i used to have some box turtles someone gave me from el paso, they were his pets and he gave them too me, a male and female, and they mated and i never saw any eggs, the male could have eaten them, this was a long time ago... sadly, i lost the male first and then the female a few years later. I think kids hopped our fence and either took them or got scared and dropped them and they got loose. They were in an enclosure with about a 3 foot high fence, and fence buried under the ground so they couldnt dig out. Unless an animal got them, but they were pretty well protected, ok, sorry to get off topic again.
sorry about your lose jarrod
Yes, it's true that reptile eggs don't get turned like chicken eggs. But, if they are moved slowly and kept in the same position, they might be safely candled. It's also important to wear disposable gloves when candling eggs to keep oils off of them.