Other Turtle Discussion :: Turtle Laying Eggs

[AlexNYC]

No cold cuts for her. The turtle does look good and seems well adjusted, though it's very unconventional.

She goes crazy when I drop small bits of bologna or hamburger into the bathtub and eats its it all like a vacuum. Sometimes I also get her large live worms from the pet store.

[Diamondbacks4Life]

She may like it, but just that its not a very healthy thing to feed it.

[ataraxiamb]

Is there a reason you keep her in the tub instead of a tank? I hope you wash out the tub before you shower/bathe. You could be soaking in salmonella.

[AlexNYC]

Is there a reason you keep her in the tub instead of a tank? I hope you wash out the tub before you shower/bathe. You could be soaking in salmonella.

She has outgrown her 15-20 gallon tank, so I decided to try her live in the tub and she got used to it I guess. The biggest concern of my is that during the winter the water don't get too cold and when I filling the tub that the water would not overflow; it happened 3 times so far, but I quickly managed to get it contained. I spray and wash the bathtub twice before I take a shower in it with "purple spray" by either Lysol or Clorox, with later one usually priced cheaper than the first one, and once a week or 2 I brush the tub with Comet powder.

Its also much more convenient to drain the tub rather than to mess around cleaning the filter.

I kinda thought that the processed meat is not healthy for the turtle, but I figured that once in a while it wouldn't hurt as a treat.

[steve]

Most filters do more than than extract solid waste - it allows beneficial bacteria to colonize, and for media like carbon to pull out chlorine and chloramines. If you're using hot water from the tap, there's an increase of lead (in older pipes) and whatever bacteria and heavy metals that are lurking in hot water tanks.

[AlexNYC]

Most filters do more than than extract solid waste - it allows beneficial bacteria to colonize, and for media like carbon to pull out chlorine and chloramines. If you're using hot water from the tap, there's an increase of lead (in older pipes) and whatever bacteria and heavy metals that are lurking in hot water tanks.

I try to use warm [about slightly higher than room temperature] water as often as possible. I think that the turtles likes fresh water everyday than the filtered water, because every time I fill the tub up, she swims around more lively and playful than the regular turtles do in a tank.

Found another mushed egg in the morning today.

[AlexNYC]

2x eggs today with 5 hours apart.

[AlexNYC]

The turtle made 6 eggs today! The most that she did before was 2 at a time. I also began feeding her Fluker's freeze-dried grasshoppers, but I remove the legs and feet, because she doesn't seem to eat them. She also seems to dislike bologna and ReptoTreat for about half a year now, but she loves those Kaytee worms.

[steve]

Wow, those are pretty big eggs! Where do you get the Kaytee worms?

[AlexNYC]

Wow, those are pretty big eggs! Where do you get the Kaytee worms?

Yes, I was pretty shocked and surprised when I came back home and found all 6 of them in the bathtub after I stepped outside for 2 hours. In the past several years it was around 20-25 eggs per season, and this year it is so far 1+1+6.

I get all my supplies on the Amazon, because in the end it comes out cheaper than any other store. I get the 7-ounce bag and it usually goes for around $8.00. But last summer they had it on sale for $4.99 shipped, so I got 8 bags. Each bag lasts for around 75-78 days. I portion the worms into the jars from ReptoTreat, and a daily dose of worms is a bit less than the yellow cap from the jar, so a jar full of worms usually lasts for 11-12 days.

[steve]

Does she exhibit any nesting behavior?

[taxman48]

We have had our slider for about 18 years now. It measures 8" from front to back of shell.. Now finding bits of white stuff and from this forum, determined it was parts of eggs. Do I just scoop the parts up? there are never whole ones just parts. This is the 2nd time we have noticed the egg pieces. Info is greatly appreciated.. thanks in advance..

[AlexNYC]

Does she exhibit any nesting behavior?

I haven't seen it, but I found the 6 eggs in 2 groups of 3 eggs, I don't know if that means anything or suggests a nesting behavior.

[steve]

@ taxman48 - She is probably eating some of it.

@ AlexNYC - I mean any behavior changes prior to the eggs?

[AlexNYC]

@ taxman48 - She is probably eating some of it.

@ AlexNYC - I mean any behavior changes prior to the eggs?

She stops eating and pooping some time [maybe couple of weeks] before she lays the eggs. And also stands on her back feet before she is "ready to drop".