How to Incubate Painted Turtle Eggs at Home

Helping hatch a turtle egg can be a rewarding experience. As with hatching most animals from an egg, it is important to follow steps in an organized and careful manner. There are many things that need to be within a certain range for a turtle egg to hatch, so make sure to keep working at it.

Things You'll Need

  • Waterproof shoe box
  • Vermiculite
  • Water
  • Pencil
  • Paintbrush
  • Scissors
  • Incubator
  • Thermometer
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Instructions

    • 1

      Prepare a box to place the egg in. The box should be made out of waterproof material. Plastic shoe boxes work well for this function.

    • 2

      Place vermiculite on the bottom of the shoe box. Enough vermiculite should be placed so that half of the egg can be submerged into it.

    • 3

      Add enough water to amount to 20 percent of the vermiculite you placed in the box. After you add the water, the vermiculite should clump up and become moist.

    • 4

      Mark the top of the egg shell with a pencil or marker. Make sure to lightly mark it, as you do not want to puncture the egg. Make sure that the top of the egg is always facing up. Once the embryo begins to develop, it attaches itself to the top of the egg. If the embryo is already developing and you turn it over, it can die.

    • 5

      Remove the turtle egg from its natural habitat. Use a paintbrush to remove the dirt so that you can see the full egg before you try to extract it.

    • 6

      Push the egg halfway into the vermiculite. Make sure the top of the egg (the smaller end) is on top.

    • 7

      Poke holes into the top of the shoe box.

    • 8

      Place the top on the shoe box. Make sure the lid is not so tight as to make it difficult to take it off.

    • 9

      Place the box in the incubator. Make sure that the incubator has water in it. Because the painted turtle is naturally from the water and more tropical or humid regions, you want to make sure that there is more humidity in the incubator. If you do not have an incubator, you can incubate the eggs in room temperature, as long as the room temperature stays at about 84 degrees. If it gets any hotter than that, the egg can spoil.

    • 10

      Wait at least 45 days. Although you will need to regularly check on the egg to make sure it is not molding, at 45 days you can being to expect the egg to hatch. It may take longer, so you will need to be patient.

    • 11

      Leave the turtle alone. Once the turtle begins to hatch, it will use a tooth specifically designed to escape the shell. However, do not remove the turtle. It will still be attached to the yolk, which it will use as nourishment until it is fully used up.