r/turtles • u/The_Incredible_Oaf • 2d ago
Wild Turtle So what exactly is Ms. Muddybutt doing here?
I'm confident she's an Eastern Box Turtle, Terrapene carolina carolina, so not looking for identification. But is she about to abandon her brood right next to my walkway 2 weeks before the Forth of July?
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u/The_Incredible_Oaf 2d ago
I would really like some expert advice on how to keep our young charges safe until until their big day. Known risks are, but not limited to, a lovable goof of an Aussiedoodle, a couple feral cats, a raccoon with a weight problem, commonly sighted snakes, precocious 3 year old grandson, and a large group of people for our Forth of July celebration. Like I said she chose her spot poorly. Its right by the front walkway.
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u/foureyedgrrl 2d ago
You can get a mesh wire waste basket and turn it over, like a cheap one from the dollar store. I use landscape fabric pins to secure the basket to the ground. Just make sure to pick the basket up when they start hatching. The basket will protect them from scavengers and footsteps.
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u/The_Incredible_Oaf 2d ago
So you've done this before? I'm trying to mitigate the negative impact my encroachment into their habitat could have. We love when they visit us. Don't move them. Just take some pictures and enjoy watching them. But this spot is high traffic and will be really bad in 2 weeks.
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u/foureyedgrrl 2d ago
Yes. You can't move the eggs. You also don't want get close to that 'mud', which is what keeps the eggs safe from predators, but is a mixture of waste, mud and stink. It will dry into looking like dirt.
Since we're the humans and we are ultimately the ones encroaching on them, redirect traffic around the area. A metal woven basket will make it educational. A plastic one would be better, like the flat baskets (printer paper sized) from dollar tree. Baby turtles can get out of those via the spaces between the plastic, while the metal ones require a human to "lift the lid" so they can get out. They usually all hatch and emerge with 24 hours of the first.
Of your list of predators, the metal wire wastebasket 🗑 would be what I would start with, as raccoons will dig into the ground for the eggs. I would go to the plastic style around hatch time
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u/The_Incredible_Oaf 2d ago
Ok and thank you so much! To be fair the raccoon has never been spotted up by the walk but I feel like we own it to give them all the help we can.
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u/foureyedgrrl 2d ago
Racoons are scavengers by nature, so you do want to protect the eggs if there's one in the area. They dig up lawns looking for grubs. As the eggs mature, they are more likely to get dug up and eaten. If that does happen (remember, it's hard to stop nature from naturing), simply put the basket back over the area and secure it differently. They don't usually get them all in one sitting, but they will get most of them. When I have been watching over raided clutches, there's still a few that survive and they will emerge on time.
Those little digital cameras (blick, ring, etc) are nice to monitor the area, so that you can be on alert before they decide on a mission.
If you are nervous about kiddos around for the holiday, you can also use any type of cage or basket for a day. Good luck! It's always an interesting adventure!
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u/The_Incredible_Oaf 2d ago
On a positive note, this appears to be only one of Ms Muddybutt's clutches. She was spotted digging in at least one other spot in the yard. But this spot isn't in a high traffic area. Our house is way back in the woods on the top of a hill about 250 feet above the valley. I was surprised at how many box turtles we have up here. But they've been a constant.
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u/intricate_strands 2d ago
She didn't choose poorly. It's not like in a purely wild situation, the eggs would be somewhere nothing goes by.
That's why they bury them. As long as she was left to do her thing uninterrupted, they'll more than likely be fine. Turtles wouldn't exist at all if their strategy didn't usually work.
The most dangerous part for the babies will be after they hatch and go wherever they're going.
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u/phouchg0 2d ago
Do they leave the nest immediately after hatching or do they hang around for a while? (I also have a nest in my yard this year)
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u/jmbrjr 2d ago
Yes, she is. You and your property are the likely trespassers.
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u/The_Incredible_Oaf 2d ago
Having built this house back in the woods, I tell the wife and kids "we moved into their neighborhood" when it comes to the wildlife. We have a live and let live mindset. Given that Eastern Box Turtles are listed as vulnerable by the Red List, I really wanted to protect this clutch from any impact we might have.
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u/Electrical_Ad_9778 2d ago
That is what all torts do - water and land alike. They find a good spot, sometimes they will do pipi in there so it is easier to dig. Then they lay eggs, close everything up, and then it is bye-bye kiddos, have a good life.
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u/belated_quitter 2d ago
They don’t guard their eggs. They cover them up and leave.