Do male turtles eat females eggs if they are not buried?

female turtles

Our pet Red Ear Sliders often will start a nest hole & abandon it if rocks or roots make digging difficult.

Digging is done by the hind legs & our smaller turtle (6" long shell) will dig a hole 2 or 3" in diameter & 6" deep.

Our turtles will keep searching for new spots to dig for several days & we find ourselves following them for a few hours at a time. When they have a good hole, they lay 4-13 eggs, tamp them down, cover with earth & pack it carefully. They often repeat the act a week later. They choose different spots each time & vary between gravel, sand, lawn, garden, forest floor. They refuse to accept a nest box in the house.

Snapping turtles seem to prefer nest holes in gravel on the shoulder of roads. Sea turtles dig in sand beaches.