Other Turtle Discussion :: Maybe Pregnant turtle?

[alanna338]

I have searched the forum for my question, but found nothing. Im sorry if anyone has read this before. I am not sure, but I think my turtles are mating, but the weird thing is the female is fluttering her arms towards the male. It's like she is calling him to come to her, and the weird thing is he comes right to her and they will start mating. Is this normal? I read about the males doing this so I am sort of confused. Also I read that turtles are more active and are trying to get away when they are close to laying eggs. Well the female escaped the other day out of her cage, even when we had a top over the cage. She some how pushed it away and got out. Also the two turtles have been making a nest in the gravel for the past few weeks. Could she be pregnant? and if so what do I do? Do I seperate her immediately? Please if anyone knows please write back ASAP! I am not sure what to do at all. These are my first turtles so I have no idea.

[SpotsMama]

I've got a single male turtle so can't help with a lot of your questions. Hopefully someone with more experience will respond.

However, if you haven't read this already (see link below), I'd strongly recommend you do so. Also, there are links on these pages to other pages that are extremely helpful. You might also try doing a search on this forum on subjects like "eggs" and see if anyone else has asked the same questions.

Good Luck!

http://www.redearslider.com/reproduction.html

[Tenodera]

You could build a nesting box for her from moist sand and dirt and place a warm light over it and put her in there several times a day. I'm not that sure about this, my turtle is only 1 year old...wait for a person with more knowledge to come along...lol

PS. You have gravel in your tank?? Your turtle could swallow it and that would end in injury or death. You could replace it with some large unswallowable river rocks instead

[industrial_girl_2000]

First off, get rid of the gravel. Second, read the link that SpotsMama put in her post. Third, you could gently push into the front soft area of her hind legs to see if there are any eggs inside her belly. Be careful when you do this because you don't want to break any eggs if she is pregnant ("gravid"). If your finger goes all the way in with no resistance, then there are no eggs. Of course, you can also confirm by taking her to the vet for an xray.

Also, How big is your tank? FYI, they can't lay eggs in the water so your turtle will need a nesting site. Take a day to go out to a big empty sandy warm field and walk with your turtle to encourage her to lay her eggs. You may have to be very patient when you do this though and walk behind her for a while before she finds a suitable spot. Try to find a field near a body of water. Turtles usually like to lay their eggs near a body of water. Don't worry about dehydration....turtle can be out of the water for up to 8 hours with no issues.