What do I do with this painted turtle nest?

Question

I watched a painted turtle dig in my yard for about an hour today. Then it looked like it put dirt back in the hole. Is it a nest? If so, what should I do with it? It's in the middle of the yard. Direct sunlight, usually kind of dry. I was going to put a fence around it to keep out the other predators, but should I water it so it doesn't get too dry?

Answer 1

It may well be a turtle nest with eggs under the dirt. You describe exactly the behavior of a nesting painted turtle. You would be doing a good thing if you put some wire netting around it to protect it from being walked on and from predators. You do not need to do anything else, and you certainly should not water it. The eggs, if there are any, will hatch by the heat of the sunlight on the dirt. Once the eggs are hatched the baby turtles will start crawling till they find water. They do not require the attention of the mother. Eggs take 10 to 12 weeks to hatch.

Answer 2

Leave it all where it is. if you want to put some hardware cloth or fencing over it to keep predators out, that's fine, but make sure if you use hardware cloth that you use at least 1 inch mesh (most hatchling turtles are small enough to fit though), and rather than fencing around it, simply get enough to cover the top and stake down the corners. (this is what they do for sea turtle nests here in Florida)

Don't water it, don't mess with it other than that. She knew what she was doing digging her nest where she did. She knows the temperature and humidity range her eggs need, and the temperature and humidity range of the spot she laid them.

Keep in mind, it could very well be a false nest, but without digging it up and looking for the eggs (and likely killing them) there's no way to tell.

Answer 3

Turtles do build false nests to confuse egg predators. Don't disturb the nest. You can fence it off to keep the predators out. If the young can get out when they hatch, fine. If not, you will be able to remove the fence when you see them in 2-3 months. Probably. In the northern part of their range, painted turtles may overwinter in the nest and emerge in the spring.

Don't water the nest.

It is possible to remove the eggs to hatch indoors but it is very easy to kill them.