A mature Map Turtle, who has been nick-named “Legend”, came to the KTTC with a shell fracture in the spring of last year. Shortly thereafter she delivered 5 eggs into her water enclosure. Four of her oblong eggs were placed an incubator and left – untouched until the babies broke through their shells in the fall.
They remained in the incubator for approximately a week, living off their yolk sac. Once all remnants of the yolk sac were gone, they were transferred to a large water/land enclosure where they have been happily living since.
They are all thriving, and are reportedly ‘good little eaters’ – preferring live food such as crickets to commercial pellet food. They are due to be released this spring at the site where their mother Legend was injured last year. Had Legend not been brought to the KTTC for treatment these four may have never hatched or had a chance to help perpetuate the dwindling population of Map turtles in Ontario.
