General Care Discussion :: How can my turtle have eggs??

[miskittie01]

My roommates friend is a turtle person, she has a lot at home with all these set ups and everything and she came over and saw mine, that I thought was a boy. I have had him for 5 years and he has had no contact with any other turtles. But she said that he is a she and she is ready to have eggs...how is that possible without contact with any other turtles? Should I get another opinion?

[megcornell]

Female turtles will lay eggs without ever coming into contact with a male. The eggs won't be fertilized, but she'll still need to lay them.
You'll need to set up a nesting site for her to lay the eggs in.

Here's some info on egg laying and nest sites:
http://www.redearslider.com/reproduction.html

[marisa]

Welcome to the forum. What makes your friend think your turtle is gravid? What signs is your turtle exhibiting (restlessness, lack of appetite, digging motions with the hind legs, for example)? At five years, your turtle is technically an adult, and adult females will lay eggs (infertile) whether or not they've mated.

[miskittie01]

Well she said that she can see the eggs behind her legs in the back, definitely not a lack of appetite, no digging motions and he was always a restless turtle, that is nothing new really. He has a great personality. But other then that, I have no idea, I thought it was a boy!

[marisa]

If he's a male, he would have a big, broad, thick tail with the cloaca/anal vent nearer to the tip of the tail than the shell, and the front claws would be really long and spiky looking. If you're not sure, can you post some pics of the tail (especially the underside showing the cloaca) and front claws?

If there are eggs to be laid, they would be located in the area in front of the hind legs toward the stomach. If you gently touched the area, it would feel lumpy, as if grapes were in there.

[miskittie01]

Thanks, I'll post some pictures of his tail. Maybe he is a she, he doesn't have super long front claws. What is the easiest set up for the egg laying process, I don't have the money to go out and make this elaborate set up area.

[marisa]

Try http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/Nestsites.htm

[TomGirl]

It's like she has her period.