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i see that most information goes by size as to when female turtles become gravid for the 1st time, but I have also seen age 3 and up. Spike will probably be at 5 inches before the year is done, do i need to worry about eggs already? I always watch for odd behavior, but can a yearling RES become gravid? I hope her growth slows down a little no wthat she's a year old, but at 4.5 inches already, I am wondering if I should be constructing a nice nesting box for above her tank sooner than later?

Yup, my girl was about 3yrs when she laid her first clutch. If Sparky has been "opportunistic", then you might have to be ready. Just keep in mind, the nesting box doesn't always work. I think there has been a low success rate with them.

what exactly is a nesting box and what does work?

I put my girl on a nice area where there used to be a garden. It open, spacious, quiet with no distractions. Both times she nested were on days after a rain storm and the dirt was softened up.

how often to girls lay eggs? once a month?

It varies with age, climate/habitat, size, and the male RES in there.

www.redearslider.com/reproduction.html

Wait, You said that nesting boxes won't work very well?! Oh no!! I won't have a garden for Serra to lay eggs in! What am I gonna do??

plant one! i made a butterfly garden, one with only plants in it that attracted butterflies because im pretty much obsessed with them. i have so many books about them...when i was little i wanted to be an entomoligist...i got over that. anyway, plant one!

lol I meant I'll be moving into an apartment soon with no garden!

Hey bubbles, when I was little I also wanted to be an entomologist (but also got over it ) I had tons of bug cages and stuff under my bed (so my mom wouldn't find them) which freaked my sister out and I would keep dozens of potato bugs with little nail polish markings on their backs and track their behavior for a couple days and let them go... what was i thinking? lol

Tenodera wrote:Wait, You said that nesting boxes won't work very well?! Oh no!! I won't have a garden for Serra to lay eggs in! What am I gonna do??

Well, you don't know if you have a girl and if Serra is a she and without a male present, you don't have to worry about it so soon. Nesting boxes do work for some people, and with the excellent way you've been taking care of Serra, I have no doubt that you would be able to create a good one for her.

If she nests in the summer, I will have a place for her to nest outside. Pretty much May-October will be fine to go outside, but what about the winter months? Um yeah. She's having no part of Sparky's advances. I think she is really uninterested in mating. Of course he's only 3.5 inches now.

I was really caught off guard... so don't count Sparky out. My RES became gravid again over the winter and did not like the 50 gallon nesting tub. There was also a freak day in December when it was 75 out, but she didn't go for it either. She eventually laid two in the water.

If the nesting area is large, and also connected to the basking area over the tank, does that improve the chances of her using it if she needs to?

Not sure, but you would think so since she can access it as she wishes and would be more familiar with the area.