Can eggs be saved?

I have a friend that does animal rescue, she is the source of my first chondro and currently has several box turtles that I have a bit more than passing interest in.

She would like to keep her turtles long term.... but..... she has a male/female that are copulating regularly and has had eggs in the past from this pair. She has stated that she has no time for trying to care for the eggs and has basically trashed them in the past. Their enclosure is outdoors in the Southern CA desert area here and I am willing to work with her to try to keep the eggs viable. I'll get pix the next time over there so that I can determine which type of boxes they are if that will make a difference.

I'm wondering if these eggs might possibly have a chance of surviving if I was to acquire them within 24 hours after laying and providing an incubator for them. If it's possible I'll provide whatever is needed, if it's a lost cause let me know and I'll back off.

If the eggs are fertile to begin with,you shouldn't have any problems hatching them.I do know that box turtles will sometimes lay infertile eggs without even breeding,I've had them them do it before.If this is the case you will probably know within a couple of weeks when the eggs start to shrivel and mold.Fertile eggs will not usually mold,and you can hold them up to a light after about two weeks or so and look for blood vessels which indicate a good egg.Sometimes they are hard to see,so don't throw them out if you don't see them.If they are similar to colubrid snakes at all,you would incubate them in damp but not wet vermiculite,at a temp of around 75-80F.Sorry I can't get more specific about incubation length or temps,I haven't kept any box turtles in years,and haven't bred them..Do a few searches and you should be able to find out more,

It's very important that the eggs not be turned and kept right side up. Some people mark a small x on the top of the egg to keep from ruining the egg. Your friend might not want to go to that much trouble if she is throwing the eggs away. I have 4 eggs incubating now in a chicken egg incubator bought at a local feed store for around $49, I keep the temperature at 85 degrees and moist spagnum moss with water in the incubator. This is my first time so I'll see at the end of April. Two of the eggs had tiny splits in the outside shell but not the membrane, my vet said to put a small drop of superglue to keep the egg from dehydrating. My eggs are ornate box turtles. Most people recommend vermiculite moistened to set the eggs in. I hope you can work this out for the sake of the turtles. Good luck!

Incubation of Temperate Eggs

The above article that I wrote will help you to properly incubate the eggs -- I know that the title is Emergency Incubation Techniques but this is the method I use for all box turtle, wood turtle and northern aquatic species.

The biggest thing to remember is not to shake the eggs uf at all possible and to put them in the container position the same way you found them. Box turtle eggs can dehydrate quite easily so you need to watch for that as well.