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Whose egg?! 🐥🐍

fizzwhizzfizzwhizz Posts: 94
in Wildlife gardening
My neighbour found an egg buried in their (very cultivated) front garden bed - we live on edge of suburbs, there is a stream and a strip of conservation area separating us and the next road around 20 yds away for their house. What do we think this egg is? It’s large (photo of egg in my neighbours hand for context, she is a petite lady about 5ft 2) in case that helps for context of hand size, we have pheasant and ducks and loads of wood pigeons about but google suggests it’s a snakes egg 
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  • fizzwhizzfizzwhizz Posts: 94

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Central Norfolk UKPosts: 82,074
    Does it have a firm shell like a hens egg or is it soft and malleable?

    is it round like a ping pong ball, or is it ‘egg shaped’?
    “I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh







  • fizzwhizzfizzwhizz Posts: 94
    It was egg shaped- I just went out and uncovered it and it feels hard like an eggshell 
  • fizzwhizzfizzwhizz Posts: 94
    Like a hens egg shell
  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,928
    Foxes will bury/cache eggs for later eating.
    Utah, USA.
  • fizzwhizzfizzwhizz Posts: 94
    Ooh maybe that’s it - there was little disturbance to the soil, no obvious digging by a creature - I think that’s why they were so surprised to find it in there. They are little perturbed by potential snake so we moved it away to the wildlife area before reading about not rotating eggs - hope we didn’t kill it ☹️
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Central Norfolk UKPosts: 82,074
    Yes ... with that info I agree ... it’s a hens egg cached by a fox. 
    “I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh







  • fizzwhizzfizzwhizz Posts: 94
    Ah that’s good, they will be relieved as tomorrow they were going to check for others 😊 I assume it won’t hatch then if it’s been moved away from it’s mum - we’ve put it under some compost but should we try to save it?
  • fizzwhizzfizzwhizz Posts: 94
    Or I guess it depends if it had a dad! 
  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,928
    No use, especially if the soil wasn't recently disturbed.. suggesting the fox put it there some while ago and never got back to it.  Maybe even last fall.  I've put eggs with a visible crack on the surface in my kitchen compost, then out into the compost pile (which I don't turn, but rather trench compost twice a year into my raised garden).. and then dug a hole for planting and stuck the still-unbroken egg with my trowel.  The smell made me evacuate the garden for a few hours, and find a different place for that particular tomato.   
    Utah, USA.
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