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David Cole |
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On the 8/1/2008 I received a call from a neighbour that her chooks had dug up some eggs down near her dam. I had a suspicion they could be turtle eggs. After some advice the eggs were then delivered to my home. This is now the second admission to our trusty incubator. There were 7 eggs & did not appear to be damaged. They ranged in length of 30-35mm & weight of 6-8 gms.
The eggs were placed in damp vermiculite & put in the
incubator. Weights varied from 2.9 to 4.2 gms. The shell is very soft when first born so the decision was made to hold them in care until the shells hardened which only took a few days. The hatchlings were released back into the dam where they were found. It?s such a satisfying feeling when you attempt something you haven?t done before & it all comes together for you. Another successful incubation. |
Inquisitive chooks dig up nest
- 2008
Temperature was set to a minimum of 29C to 31.5C
max. 39 days later on 16/2/08 the first signs of slits began
to appear in the eggs. This was another first for the
reptile team with turtle eggs. I checked the incubator the
next morning to discover the first hatchling had emerged
fully from it?s egg. 6 of the 7 eggs hatched.