Things You'll Need
- Container filled with 3 to 4 inches of sand or dirt
- Plastic spoon
- Paintbrush
- Pencil
- Plastic shoebox with lid (or a similar container)
- Damp sand mixture (1 part vermiculite, 1 part sterilized play sand, 1 part peat moss dampened with rain water or spring water)
- Styrofoam-lined box for shipping tropical fish (or a similar container such as a styrofoam cooler)
- Large glass jar
- Water
- Submersible aquarium heater
- 2 bricks
- Thermometer
Instructions
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1
Spread approximately 2 inches of perlite in the bottom of the plastic container for drainage purposes. Place approximately 4 inches of damp soil mixture on top of the perlite in an even layer. Make thumb depressions in the damp soil mixture in which to place the painted turtle eggs.
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2
Lightly mark the top part of each egg with a pencil, before you remove them from where the mother laid them, so you will know how they should be placed. Unearth the eggs with a plastic spoon, and place each egg, in its original position, into a depression in the damp soil mixture. Pack the soil mixture around each egg for stability.
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3
Transport the container with the eggs to the site where you will incubate them. Place them in a warm area while you prepare the incubator. Optimal temperature is around 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
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4
Place a submersible aquarium heater into a large glass jar filled with water. Place the glass jar into the corner of a styrofoam-lined shipping container or cooler. Fill the bottom of the styrofoam container or cooler with 3 to 4 inches of water, and place 2 bricks in the bottom, next to one another.
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5
Place the covered shoebox, containing the eggs, into the styrofoam container, on top of the bricks.
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6
Place a thermometer on top of the covered shoebox to monitor the temperature. Ideally, the temperature
should be between 80 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit. -
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Closely monitor the incubator to make sure the temperature stays between 80 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit, and that the soil mixture remains damp. Add a bit of rain water or spring water as necessary.
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8
When the painted turtles hatch, move them to another plastic shoebox with several damp paper towels in the bottom. Leave them in this enviroment, approximately 4 to 5 days, until they have exhausted their yolk sacks. Then they can be moved to a more permanent enviroment.
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