Question: When do they lay eggs and hatch ?

Answer: Snapping turtles mate from April to November and nest from late April to October. The female snapper will build a nest which can be quite a long distance from water. They will also make 'fake' nests sometimes to fool the preditors. The spherical, hard shelled eggs are 'dropped' in the cavity of the dug up nest, covered and abandoned. The snapping turtles, and any other turtles, don't guard their nests like alligators do. Being underground assures the proper temperatures and humidity, and the small turtles hatch after usually 80 to 90 days. To find out more about snapping turtle reproduction please click here. Thanks for asking! Stan

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