Rare Conjoined Turtle Twins Survive Life-Saving Surgery After Hatching

Two is better than one!

Two eastern box turtles were born as conjoined twins at the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke, where the reptiles also underwent an operation hours after birth to be surgically separated.

The animal rescue detailed the rare occurrence in a Sept. 13 Facebook post, writing that they were assisting with the hatching of three eggs laid by their rescue turtle patients when they noticed that one of them was unlike the others.

The eggs hatched one day after another, but when it came time for the third egg, a more unusual-looking egg, to hatch, the center noticed that the baby “does look awfully small compared to their siblings.” After taking a closer look, they discovered that the turtle mom had laid an egg with twins inside.

In a second post, the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke explained that the twin turtles were born with a “vascularized tissue connecting them” at the bottom of their shells. 

“For the first day, we separated them from their larger siblings so they could have space and peace to hatch on their own for 24 hours,” the center wrote, adding that the decision was made under the guidance of their vet team and reptile specialists. 

“The next afternoon, when they still had not hatched, our vet team carefully removed the twins from their shell,” the rescue continued. “A sigh of relief, two fully-formed babies, with two yolks.”

“The yolks were conjoined though, so we needed to act quickly to separate them,” the center explained. 

The two tiny hatchlings, each weighing only 3 grams, were taken into surgery and received an operation that entailed the vascular tissue being cut and the yolk sacs being sewn closed. 

“This way, both babies could keep their yolks, and the separation wound would scab over. This is the best possible outcome for the twin turtles,” the center wrote. 

The animal rescue explained that as long as the twin turtles “survive the next few weeks and begin to eat,” their chances of being released in the wild are high. “They will have the best possible care in the meantime, and we hope they will be able to close the gap in size over the coming months,” the center added. 

The Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke shared an update on Sept. 18, stating that all four hatchings, including the formerly conjoined twin, “are doing what tiny turtles do best.”

“They hide in their substrate, they grow, and they try to stay out of sight to avoid predators. All of their yolks have absorbed, and they are sharing a large naturalistic enclosure while they are small,” the animal rescue said. 

The center’s executive director, Chester Leonard, reflected on the rare birth in an interview with The Washington Post, calling it a “momentous occasion.”

“We’re thrilled,” Leonard added. “We’ve never had this before.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

According to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, the eastern box turtle is a threatened species due to pet trading and habitat destruction. Baby turtles, in particular, also face threats from other wildlife.

“Baby turtles are easy prey to all kinds of wildlife, and some estimates put the survival rate to adulthood for baby turtles at less than 0.1%,” the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke said. 

The center has about 30 to 50 of the “imperiled species” in its care at any given time.