How long does it take Turtle Eggs to Hatch?

Last Updated on May 22, 2021 by cmoarz

How long does it take turtle eggs to hatch? It depends on a variety of factors, including the type of turtle and how old they are. For example, red eared sliders can take anywhere from 42-90 days for their eggs to hatch. African sideneck turtles have a 60 day incubation period before their eggs begin hatching. Eastern box turtles need 55 days in order for their eggs to hatch while Mississippi map turtles typically require 75-85 days. The process is shorter with common musk turtles (stinkpots) at 50-55 days and spotted turtles needing only 24-28 days for their eggs to start hatching!

How long does it take for turtle eggs to hatch?

These are all approximates based on averages, there are large swings due to temperature values.

• Red-eared Slider: 42-90 days
• African Sideneck: 60 days
• Eastern Box Turtle: 55 days
• Mississippi Map Turtle: 75-85 Days
• Common Musk Turtle (Stinkpot): 50-55 days
• Spotted Turtles: 24-28 Days.
• Yellow-bellies slider: 70-90 Days
• Snapping turtle eggs will take approx 80-90 days to hatch.

When do turtles lay their eggs?

Most turtles will start laying around at the same time, starting around June or July. Some species may start earlier, right around the beginning of spring. A lot of their laying schedule depends on the habitat they’re kept in and the temperature and food they are getting.

How many eggs do turtles lay?

It varies from species to species but most turtles will lay between two and twelve eggs. For example, A red-eared slider can lay anywhere from three to nineteen 30.

So that make’s it fairly difficult to average out how many eggs they lay in general.

Red-eared Slider: three to 30

African sideneck: two to six per clutch

Eastern box turtle, wester painted turtle, and Mississippi map turtles all have an average of four or five eggs each

Common musk turtle (stinkpot): The common musk turtle can lay between one and nine eggs per clutch

Spotted turtle: The spotted turtles lay an average of two to four eggs each time they have a nest. They can produce up to seven clutches in one season, so it is difficult to say how many total eggs they could lay throughout the year

Yellow-bellies slider: six to 15 per clutch or about 40 if you take into account multiple clutches during that same season.