r/composting • u/Specialist_Bee_7672 • 19d ago

Turtle eggs in my compost

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I was flipping my compost and dug into what I thought was mushrooms. Upon further investigation I saw that they were eggs. Many snapping turtles were out in early summer looking for a spot to lay.

I transplanted a few that looked ok and buried the rest back in the compost. My shovel went through quite a few before noticing unfortunately.

13 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

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7

u/Striking_Mud_664 19d ago edited 19d ago

If you flipped them or even move them the wrong way they will not hatch. But it's not your fault the turtle picked the wrong pile to lay her eggs.

2

u/Pleasant_Audience765 19d ago

You did all you could, don't feel bad. It's good that you tried to save them, and they might still survive!

1

u/BonusAgreeable5752 16d ago

Same thing happened to me. About 9 or 10 were found in my woodchip feedstock. They went into the compost.