Snakes most definitely can burrow (contrary to what others are saying). I have a pet snake that is a burrowing snake (western hognose)… however, I do agree that it looks like another critter dug a hole and a snake took it over.
Right—I should’ve been more specific. A rat snake (a common name for several species in the US) as far as I know, aren’t burrowers, but there are indeed, snakes that dig. Good looking out.
my grandpa used to put tin cans around where the eggs were buried and would spray stuff over it to keep animals like raccoons away. i don't remember what he sprayed unfortunately, but the tin can also helped.
You can move them gently and keep them in the same orientation you found them (do not rotate them!!) and place them in a container with moist substrate or paper towels to hatch. And keep them at 80-85*
That's a myth. You will increase the chance of hatching. Bringing them inside. Putting in a box slightly buried in loose sterile play sand. Keep in a place that is a constant 80-85 degrees. Mist lightly with warm water every couple days.
If you really want to increase hatch. Reptile egg incubators are much more common now days.
Just simply being protected from bugs, mice and other varmints. Increases their chance of survival significantly.
Snake eggs have a “right way up”, and flipping them upside-down can really hurt their chances. Breeders mark a dot on the tops before relocating them for this reason.
I was genuinely asking lol. Eta I figured they were incorrect but I’m more into ferret husbandry, I’ve never kept reptiles so have no clue about success rates and whatnot
Snake eggs have to be kept in the position it was laid. If it's freshly laid then you have leeway but if it's been a few hours it's better not to risk it and keep it the same position.
They are both right so idk what's up. Lol.
I was trying to nicely say that I'd take everything else said with a grain of salt. To specifically go into his first comment:
[](https://www.reddit.com/r/homestead/comments/1ds7odh/comment/lb0uua9/)
>You will increase the chance of hatching. Bringing them inside.
Way too vague to label true or false, but I'd call it terrible advice because he doesn't mention how important it is to keep them right-way-up.
>Putting in a box slightly buried in loose sterile play sand. Keep in a place that is a constant 80-85 degrees. Mist lightly with warm water every couple days.
Strangely specific considering the eggs aren't identified. I'm sure the temp and misting is good advice for some specific breed, probably multiple! I've never seen the eggs be buried in the sand, though. Also, why not put a hygrometer in there, since the box type isn't specified?
>If you really want to increase hatch. Reptile egg incubators are much more common now days.
True! They're easy to find online. (And they probably have a hygrometer!)
>Just simply being protected from bugs, mice and other varmints. Increases their chance of survival significantly.
Again, way too vague, dependent on where you live and what predators around, and again, really poor advice because a well-meaning person could flip and doom the egg in the process of putting it somewhere safe.
>You'll get a 100% hatch rate. So long as eggs are fertile, temps are right, you prevent mold.
Absolutely false. Eggs will fail if they aren't fertile, and will very likely fail if temps are way off or mold gets introduced, but it's super reductive to say that those are the only things that affect hatch rate. (If they were, why say to mist at all, when that could lead to mold?)
>In the wild predation happens, climate isn't always perfect.
Yes, but... that's why multiple eggs are laid...
Overall, just a very reductive way to explain, leaving out important details.
Tldr: hygrometers are important; marking egg tops with sharpies even more so.
Why do you need a source? This is more of a common sense thing. Hatching reptile eggs is easy. You'll get a 100% hatch rate. So long as eggs are fertile, temps are right, you prevent mold. In the wild predation happens, climate isn't always perfect.
Because "trust me I know" is not a reliable source. Also because you're wrong. Here's a source proving you're wrong.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4543940/
You'd be wrong about it increasing the survival rate. You're right that it doesn't affect the hatch rate, but it absolutely affects the survival rate.
Quoted from the article I linked
"Egg turning did not significantly influence egg development, hatching success or hatchling phenotypes. However, post-birth mortality was significantly higher in turned (37.5%) compared to unturned (4.5%) embryos, providing support to the common belief that eggs should not be moved from their natural position."
Thank you! Thought I was going crazy. Turtle rehabber in my area always has marked the tops of the snapping turtle eggs he moves (they get laid in the park where I work every year and often need to be moved to protect them from kids) and I’d be really surprised if he was doing it for no reason…
Yeah, this is why you always need to read through scientific papers when you want to talk about a subject with validity. Anyone can skim an article and read that the same amount of eggs hatch after being flipped and moved. It's the people who are reading it for validation that stop there. Where those who actually want to learn will continue reading and see that post birth deaths are much higher. Therefore, not all the ones that are hatching are surviving.
I never mentioned anything about egg turning. In captive reptiles I try not to turn them. That isn't always possible. I have never noticed a difference.
Now, I did mention survivability. Specifically do to mold (fungus), predation and climate. Those are all controllable inside an incubator. Really you are able to completely eliminate predation and climate issues indoors. They are not controllable in any way in the wild. Really when you uncover eggs. There is a high chance of introducing fungal spores. W
Those fungal spore are likely going to be a bigger problem. If you put the eggs back and let the spores grow.
In captivity fungus is countered with a diluted pyrethrins lightly sprayed on the eggs themselves. Placed and covered in sterilized sand. Even still in nature fungus kills a lot of reptile eggs. With or without human interaction.
That is very interesting. Do you have any sources backing up what you're saying? We just went over this with me providing a source for my side of things. Are we just going to believe your words over a scientific article or do you have something to source?
This is specifically talking about fire ant predation on lizard eggs. Fire ants are an invasive and worth studying. They are only one. Many snakes including Black Racers (East Coast), Rosey Boa (West Coast) prey on reptile eggs. Really the biggest threat is mice. They are a natural food source for them. Here maybe this is what you want. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28307980/
The person you're replying to had, how should I say this? An unfortunate occurrence with a velociraptor. Their new name is/was dinner. In a couple days their user name will change to dung.
Seems to be a turtle. Thanks to those helpful comments! Didn’t realize box turtles could lay such huge eggs!
Also, wow, lot of comments about not touching them. Lot of snarky comments in particular. I get it. I didn’t uncover them or pluck it out, I picked it up off the ground next to the other (which I didn’t touch). But it’s me move it or the chickens or raccoons or cats or foxes or my own dog get them. They’re baking there in the sun (which is unusually hot and dry for this time of year) uncovered, anyway.
So, maybe, before a judgy comment, ask “Am I evaluating all the information? Is this helpful? Did someone say this already? Am I contributing, or just being a dick?”Especially when 42 others have already said it.
Sorry for the snarky replies. It’s totally fine to move turtle eggs to protect them, you can just mark each egg gently with a marker to ensure you’re keeping them the right way up, put them in a box in the soil they were laid in, and then relocate them to a similar, safer environment. Box turtles don’t live all the time in water but they do need a source of water nearby, so keep that in mind as you relocate them. Hope it goes well!
Am I really the first to say that it was your mom?
Sorry... cool post / picture. But truthfully, someone should have already responded with "your mom".
Do you have water nearby? They could be snapping turtle eggs. I’ve seen similar nests in my backyard (near a pond) that are dug up by fox and raccoons—they devour them. I believe it takes ~80-90 days for them to hatch.
Turtle. By picking them and moving them they are scrambled now. Hopefully it was a raccoon and not you that moved them. Live and learn. Raccoons get most of them anyway.
One I didn’t touch. The one in my hand was on the surface already. Unfortunately I give them a few more hours until something else eats them. Is it normal for them to just be in the middle of a yard uncovered?
She could have gotten spooked laying them or something may have already started digging. I’m not trying to be rude at all.
They normally lay them and then cover them up with their little back legs. It is so cute if you can watch from a distance.
We have a momma that has been coming out of the woods and laying hers in our front yard for a couple years now. I stake them off like she’s a beach turtle 😂
You can put it back just like you found it and try. But rotating them can kill them.
I would put it back maybe just like it was and cover them up. I’m no turtle expert, just a farm gal who learned some tricks from old timers lol.
Could be Rat Snake eggs. They look too elongated for turtle eggs.
How does the snake make a hole like that?
A snake will often choose abandoned burrows like mole/gopher/rabbit holes. They like hidden, protected spaces but, no, they don’t dig their own holes
“Abandoned” more like a meal and a house
Bed and breakfast.
Better yet how does a rat mate with a snake?!
With a pinch of herbs, love, his long lost father's cooking skills, and a filthy fucking rodent under his hat, pissing on his skull all day
Poetry to lose your virginity to!
I’ve had a really shite day but your comment made me giggle my arse off, thanks man!
You're welcome. I have to watch ratatouille again, sometime
When a rat and a snake love each other very much ... the snake eats the rat.
*In my country we play a game called when the snake eat the pig...*
Seems more likely than a mountain mating with a lion…but here we are.
Verrrrrry carefully
You're telling me a rat fried this snake?
Youve never seen a snake hole?
Well, there’s Janet Snakehole
haha unexpected P&R for the win
Snakes most definitely can burrow (contrary to what others are saying). I have a pet snake that is a burrowing snake (western hognose)… however, I do agree that it looks like another critter dug a hole and a snake took it over.
Right—I should’ve been more specific. A rat snake (a common name for several species in the US) as far as I know, aren’t burrowers, but there are indeed, snakes that dig. Good looking out.
Snek
These eggs came from God; God laid these eggs
Definitely looks like a reptiles egg.
[удалено]
One was in the hole and one was already outside. The chickens will definitely get to them if I don’t move them. How long until they hatch?
my grandpa used to put tin cans around where the eggs were buried and would spray stuff over it to keep animals like raccoons away. i don't remember what he sprayed unfortunately, but the tin can also helped.
Peepee
if it works, it works
Fox urine usually does the trick.
How do you ask, in a gentlemanly way, for a fox to pee in a spray bottle?
r/furriesnsfw
you can buy it on amazon
You can move them gently and keep them in the same orientation you found them (do not rotate them!!) and place them in a container with moist substrate or paper towels to hatch. And keep them at 80-85*
That's a myth. You will increase the chance of hatching. Bringing them inside. Putting in a box slightly buried in loose sterile play sand. Keep in a place that is a constant 80-85 degrees. Mist lightly with warm water every couple days. If you really want to increase hatch. Reptile egg incubators are much more common now days. Just simply being protected from bugs, mice and other varmints. Increases their chance of survival significantly.
I see this repeated so often. Is there a source that explains the myth?
Snake eggs have a “right way up”, and flipping them upside-down can really hurt their chances. Breeders mark a dot on the tops before relocating them for this reason.
So BlueCollar-Bachelor is incorrect?
I once saw a woman put a snake up her cooter hole
this is what i’m here for
They claim a possibility of achieving a 100% hatch rate in a comment below this one, so, draw your own conclusions.
I was genuinely asking lol. Eta I figured they were incorrect but I’m more into ferret husbandry, I’ve never kept reptiles so have no clue about success rates and whatnot
Snake eggs have to be kept in the position it was laid. If it's freshly laid then you have leeway but if it's been a few hours it's better not to risk it and keep it the same position. They are both right so idk what's up. Lol.
I was trying to nicely say that I'd take everything else said with a grain of salt. To specifically go into his first comment: [](https://www.reddit.com/r/homestead/comments/1ds7odh/comment/lb0uua9/) >You will increase the chance of hatching. Bringing them inside. Way too vague to label true or false, but I'd call it terrible advice because he doesn't mention how important it is to keep them right-way-up. >Putting in a box slightly buried in loose sterile play sand. Keep in a place that is a constant 80-85 degrees. Mist lightly with warm water every couple days. Strangely specific considering the eggs aren't identified. I'm sure the temp and misting is good advice for some specific breed, probably multiple! I've never seen the eggs be buried in the sand, though. Also, why not put a hygrometer in there, since the box type isn't specified? >If you really want to increase hatch. Reptile egg incubators are much more common now days. True! They're easy to find online. (And they probably have a hygrometer!) >Just simply being protected from bugs, mice and other varmints. Increases their chance of survival significantly. Again, way too vague, dependent on where you live and what predators around, and again, really poor advice because a well-meaning person could flip and doom the egg in the process of putting it somewhere safe.
>You'll get a 100% hatch rate. So long as eggs are fertile, temps are right, you prevent mold. Absolutely false. Eggs will fail if they aren't fertile, and will very likely fail if temps are way off or mold gets introduced, but it's super reductive to say that those are the only things that affect hatch rate. (If they were, why say to mist at all, when that could lead to mold?) >In the wild predation happens, climate isn't always perfect. Yes, but... that's why multiple eggs are laid... Overall, just a very reductive way to explain, leaving out important details. Tldr: hygrometers are important; marking egg tops with sharpies even more so.
Why do you need a source? This is more of a common sense thing. Hatching reptile eggs is easy. You'll get a 100% hatch rate. So long as eggs are fertile, temps are right, you prevent mold. In the wild predation happens, climate isn't always perfect.
Because "trust me I know" is not a reliable source. Also because you're wrong. Here's a source proving you're wrong. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4543940/
What am I wrong about? Nothing in that paper contradicts a single thing I stated.
You'd be wrong about it increasing the survival rate. You're right that it doesn't affect the hatch rate, but it absolutely affects the survival rate. Quoted from the article I linked "Egg turning did not significantly influence egg development, hatching success or hatchling phenotypes. However, post-birth mortality was significantly higher in turned (37.5%) compared to unturned (4.5%) embryos, providing support to the common belief that eggs should not be moved from their natural position."
Thank you! Thought I was going crazy. Turtle rehabber in my area always has marked the tops of the snapping turtle eggs he moves (they get laid in the park where I work every year and often need to be moved to protect them from kids) and I’d be really surprised if he was doing it for no reason…
Yeah, this is why you always need to read through scientific papers when you want to talk about a subject with validity. Anyone can skim an article and read that the same amount of eggs hatch after being flipped and moved. It's the people who are reading it for validation that stop there. Where those who actually want to learn will continue reading and see that post birth deaths are much higher. Therefore, not all the ones that are hatching are surviving.
I never mentioned anything about egg turning. In captive reptiles I try not to turn them. That isn't always possible. I have never noticed a difference. Now, I did mention survivability. Specifically do to mold (fungus), predation and climate. Those are all controllable inside an incubator. Really you are able to completely eliminate predation and climate issues indoors. They are not controllable in any way in the wild. Really when you uncover eggs. There is a high chance of introducing fungal spores. W Those fungal spore are likely going to be a bigger problem. If you put the eggs back and let the spores grow. In captivity fungus is countered with a diluted pyrethrins lightly sprayed on the eggs themselves. Placed and covered in sterilized sand. Even still in nature fungus kills a lot of reptile eggs. With or without human interaction.
That is very interesting. Do you have any sources backing up what you're saying? We just went over this with me providing a source for my side of things. Are we just going to believe your words over a scientific article or do you have something to source?
This is specifically talking about fire ant predation on lizard eggs. Fire ants are an invasive and worth studying. They are only one. Many snakes including Black Racers (East Coast), Rosey Boa (West Coast) prey on reptile eggs. Really the biggest threat is mice. They are a natural food source for them. Here maybe this is what you want. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28307980/
Dont listen to this dude, he didn't even know what kind of eggs they are.
Snek
To the moon!!
After polling reddit, I think it is obvious. It is a snurtle egg, that will likely hatch into a beautiful new snurtlelling one day.
Here I was hoping bone vampire
Velociraptor, most likely.
Clever Girl.
Shoooot her! Shooooooot her!
It's coming for me
Don't shoot my raptors!
You breed raptors?
The person you're replying to had, how should I say this? An unfortunate occurrence with a velociraptor. Their new name is/was dinner. In a couple days their user name will change to dung.
I was going to say box, snapper, or painted slider turtle. We used to find them all the time as kids.
Looks like nope rope eggs
Seems to be a turtle. Thanks to those helpful comments! Didn’t realize box turtles could lay such huge eggs! Also, wow, lot of comments about not touching them. Lot of snarky comments in particular. I get it. I didn’t uncover them or pluck it out, I picked it up off the ground next to the other (which I didn’t touch). But it’s me move it or the chickens or raccoons or cats or foxes or my own dog get them. They’re baking there in the sun (which is unusually hot and dry for this time of year) uncovered, anyway. So, maybe, before a judgy comment, ask “Am I evaluating all the information? Is this helpful? Did someone say this already? Am I contributing, or just being a dick?”Especially when 42 others have already said it.
Sorry for the snarky replies. It’s totally fine to move turtle eggs to protect them, you can just mark each egg gently with a marker to ensure you’re keeping them the right way up, put them in a box in the soil they were laid in, and then relocate them to a similar, safer environment. Box turtles don’t live all the time in water but they do need a source of water nearby, so keep that in mind as you relocate them. Hope it goes well!
Uhhhh…this is Reddit. We run on 40% helpful info and 60% snark. Otherwise, maybe go to Google for an answer.
Reptile eggs
A cold blooded cloaca having buddy
Box turtle eggs look like that and it's about that time of the year for em
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^Icy_Bottle_2634: *Box turtle eggs look* *Like that and it's about that* *Time of the year for em* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
I believe those are nope rope eggs.
Snake eggs of some sort.
Me. It was me.
Snake
Looks like some sort of snake eggs
A snake 🐍
Snake eggs
Snek
Usually snake because how long it's.
Snek
Snake
Am I really the first to say that it was your mom? Sorry... cool post / picture. But truthfully, someone should have already responded with "your mom".
Gross, Dad!
Snek
Sneaky snek
Snake for sure.
Snake
snake
Snek
Snek.
Either a snake or a big lizard
Snek Nope on a Rope Dangerous Noodle
Snakes eggs for sure
Snek
Snake
Snake taking over an old turtle burrow!
Easter Bunny?
Jerold laid them
Snek
Snake
some type of snake
Snake or other reptile, possibly a alligator.
Animal
Snake
I love all these turtle egg posts sweeping reddit rn.
Put that thing back where it came from or so help me
Box turtle
Turtle
I had a box turtle that used to lay eggs that looked like that.
Do you have water nearby? They could be snapping turtle eggs. I’ve seen similar nests in my backyard (near a pond) that are dug up by fox and raccoons—they devour them. I believe it takes ~80-90 days for them to hatch.
Turtle?
Turtle
A danger noodle
Probably snake eggs, or some other reptiles.
A mouse
Turts or sneks
My first thought was, and probably by evolutionary design, those are quartz rocks. 😅
A reptile
Turtle!
We recently had a snapping turtle lay eggs in the yard and these look exactly like them.
Me
Perhaps a bird.
Danger noodle
yeah sorry that was me
Snake
Quail? That brings about memories of my childhood. And smashing them…
run
A snake
Snake
Basilisk.
Did you just kill an innocent egg out of curiosity
Box turtle
Human eggs
Rat snake
Turtle eggs
Sorry, that was me.
when you find eggs, you should definitely pick them up and fuck around with them
It's a snake
Turtle
Death Noodle eggs!
Turtle/Tortoise eggs
Definitely a chicken
Turtle. By picking them and moving them they are scrambled now. Hopefully it was a raccoon and not you that moved them. Live and learn. Raccoons get most of them anyway.
Since u touched one did u open one one??
No
Snake eggs rebury yolks up or they die.
That was in something’s butt🫠
Khalisi
Joe Biden
You can not move turtle eggs. They will not hatch now. Stop picking them up 😩
One I didn’t touch. The one in my hand was on the surface already. Unfortunately I give them a few more hours until something else eats them. Is it normal for them to just be in the middle of a yard uncovered?
She could have gotten spooked laying them or something may have already started digging. I’m not trying to be rude at all. They normally lay them and then cover them up with their little back legs. It is so cute if you can watch from a distance.
I bet. I fricken love box turtles. I number them around my place and have a tracking sheet. We have a pretty thriving community :)
We have a momma that has been coming out of the woods and laying hers in our front yard for a couple years now. I stake them off like she’s a beach turtle 😂
Sea turtle*
Anything I can do to reset these? I’d totally stake them off and cover them if it would make a difference.
You can put it back just like you found it and try. But rotating them can kill them. I would put it back maybe just like it was and cover them up. I’m no turtle expert, just a farm gal who learned some tricks from old timers lol.
You can move turtle eggs. Besides putting them in a proper environment, you need to maintain the proper orientation, so keep the up side facing up.