General Care Discussion :: Turtle Laying Eggs?

[Mandyb]

My red eared slider morris seems too be digging around alot in her river rocks. Noisy for one....and orion always goes up to her face and seems like hes attempting to get some mating going and the other day he was mounting her. SOOOOOO it makes me wonder what they do when im at work so i was just wondering what shes doing if shes trying to find a spot to lay her eggs....shes not excessivly basking...shes still eating well and shes about 5 months old and about 5 inches in length.....any help would be appreciated....Also...if she does have little turtles....what do i do with them?

[SpotsMama]

First of all, I'd separate them. Females that are around males usually lay more eggs than single gals. Egg laying is very stressful for the turtle and the turtle keepr. And a male that constantly harrasses a female will often wind up being attacked by the female when she gets tired of it. Since the females are big, they can do a lot of damage in a hurry.

Second, your turtle's behavior doesn't sound like a gravid turtle's. Gravid turtles lose their appetites and struggle frantically to get out of their tanks as they want to lay their eggs on dry land, not in water.

But if she's not gravid now, she will eventually need to lay eggs. Here's a link on the subject:

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

[Mandyb]

she seems like she only wants to get out of the tank when im close and when i have a jar of food in my hand....and is it necessary to seperate them, she hasnt attacked him yet and they've lived together almost two months now. He doesn't overly get in her face from what i've watched and considering they are in my bedroom i watch them alot. Also should i only seperate her while she has eggs or should i seperate them always? And if shes not gravid...why so much digging?

[TheComputerGremlin]

You say she's 5 months old and 5 inches?? How big was she when you got her? Have you had her for 5 months and got her when she was 4"? If she grew 5" in 5 months, you need to post pictures because that is WAY TOO FAST.

If you don't separate her, you risk aggression towards the (soon to be) smaller male, you risk actual babies being made and you having to either abort them or let them come to term (which is another 100 gallons for each one), and animals secrete chemicals, so when a male and female are together, it's likely that the female is receiving a chemical telling her to be fertile more frequently. And just because you don't see the aggression doesn't mean it's not happening.

Check the area between her back legs and tail. Does it feel like there are grapes in there? If not, she's not got eggs, if yes, you need to provide a nesting area for her.

There are some ideas on here that feature larger tanks with a middle panel to separate the turtles but allow water to flow freely. Otherwise, you may consider finding a family member or friend to take one of your turtles.

It's not the answer that you want, I know, it never is, but it's an unfortunate outcome of owning multiple turtles.

[Mandyb]

she was about the size of a toonie when i got her?....and the male is older than her....he is a year old and was a rescue and i asked a turtle breeder who told me it was fine to but the two of them together and i have been keeping an eye on the male to make sure that hes not getting hurt. I'm trying to get a good picture of her and some ACTUAL mesurments. 5 inches was a guess but she is pretty big. And i mean once she lays the eggs, cant i just get rid of them? I know that sounds very cruel. Plus going into that splitter idea even if there is free flowing water wont they still secreate chemicals. I looked in that area and felt but did not feel anything that felt like "grapes", but what else would cause the exsessive digging? I have a forty gallon tank setup for the two of them right now and they seem happy. he stays out of her way and she doesnt chase him or anything. How would i get a turtle aborted?:| seems kind of weird. If i would've known adding the male would've caused so many problems i would not had taken him. He was in a tiny tank and no one paid attention to him and he was going to die. I consulted a breeder asking these types of questions but he told me they'll only breed in the spring and only if they hibernated...I will have to look into a seperator i guess..

[Mandyb]

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... 125#161125


Theres some pics

[TheComputerGremlin]

To abort the eggs, you can use most any means, I'd guess the best way would be to boil them (like chicken eggs) and then crack them to make sure if anything remains, it cannot hatch.

I do not believe that spring is the only season eggs can come around and I am sure hibernation is not a qualification. If you are okay with aborting the eggs and can provide a constant nesting area and they aren't fighting, I would definitely start looking for a larger tank though.

I am concerned about the rapid growth, but she looks good. Just take a good look at how much you are feeding her now; her growth should decrease quickly now. If she was getting too much protein before, now it could start into pyramiding, which is bad. Otherwise, you have a lovely pair of turtles!

[Mandyb]

i think orion might have pyramiding his shell is not smooth like morris's . Its very bumpy. I rescued him so i have no idea if he was over fed or anything like that. Any way to get rid of that or am i pretty much stuck with him being bumpy

[TheComputerGremlin]

I think you're pretty much stuck with it, it will smooth out over a few sheds, but they shed less frequently as adults, so it takes longer. A little pyramiding won't hurt him as long as his diet has now stabilized. Major pyramiding is what's really bad.

[packfan1]

As far as aggression goes, I had to seperate two of my three turtles due to biting. Things seem go be going good now, but I still keep an eye out on my other two as it can start at any time. I cannot tell you why the one keeps digging, maybe it is trying to get further away from the other one. Look for bite marks on neck, legs and tails. As for aborting the eggs, once laid I have read that smashing them does the job. I dont know if I would boil them as Gremlin said, but I am sure that the heat would kill them as well as smashing them. When it comes to that time, just be sure that they are destroyed and cannot hatch.