Several points to note when turtle keepers collect turtle eggs

The turtle egg-laying season is from May to October each year. Turtles mostly lay eggs in the early morning, at dusk and at night, with a few also at noon, so the best time to collect eggs is after 3 pm. Before collecting eggs, first clean the egg-collecting tools, and the person collecting eggs should change into clean shoes before entering the egg-laying site. At present, it is the peak egg-laying season. If eggs are collected carelessly, problems can also arise. Turtle keepers are advised to pay attention to the following six steps:

1. “Find”: Before taking eggs, first locate the egg-laying spot based on the traces left by the turtle's claws and plastron. You can gently insert five fingers into the sand. When your hand feels something, gently push the sand aside. 2. “Mark”: After discovering eggs, do not take them immediately. A label should be inserted in the sand. Wait 30 to 48 hours after laying, when the embryo has become fixed, the boundary between the animal pole (white) and the vegetal pole (yellow) is obvious, and a small round white spot appears at one end of the animal pole, before collecting the eggs. 3. “Take”: Following the markers, use a bamboo strip to gently push the sand aside and open the hole one by one, then use bamboo tongs to take the eggs. When taking eggs, it is best to lift them gently along the arrangement of the eggs. Do not hook them up with a single finger. 4. “Place”: A bucket, basin or box can all be used to collect eggs. Generally, first spread a 2 cm thick layer of fine mud and sand on the bottom, and place the eggs flat on the sand. After collecting turtle eggs, they should be incubated promptly. Do not store them too long, and even more importantly do not expose them to the sun, and pay attention to keeping them moist. If there is a white ring in the center of the egg, it is a fertilized egg. Unfertilized eggs, poorly fertilized eggs, deformed eggs, eggs with black spots on the shell, and eggs with cracked shells should be removed. 5. “Record”: Mark the time on fertilized eggs to make it easier to calculate the turtle's hatching time later. 6. “Loosen”: After taking the eggs, loosen and level the soil in the egg-laying site. In dry weather, spray some water in an appropriate amount. First, this helps later egg-laying turtles dig egg-laying pits, and can prevent a female turtle, eager to lay eggs and unable to find a comfortable egg-laying position, from casually laying eggs in the water. Second, it helps people find eggs manually.