Turtle Eggs

She did it again! Eleanor started digging test sites in our compost pile last Friday, and this morning, last night's test site was all covered up.  I took a peek, and here's what I found...

We can't really leave them there because there are all kinds of risks to the eggs... other turtles, bugs, potential rodents, and the fact that she lays her eggs right on top of the compost pile that we frequently turn! :) 

This is Eleanor's third year laying eggs here, and so far none of the eggs have been fertile.  We're hoping third time is a charm, and she definitely had males present all of last year, so the possibility is there!

Here they are in their new home.  I used extra coconut pellets that I had from my seed starting for the mixture and put it in these deli containers.  Each egg was marked with a marker to indicate the top (if turtle eggs are turned the embryos can drown).  They were placed in indentations in the mix, and now we wait!  (Anywhere from 45-90 days!) There is a fifth egg not shown, but that one is in its own container.

I'm really hoping to see some baby turtles this year!