General Care Discussion :: 7 yr old never laid eggs.

[chirp]

our turtle is about 7 years old. we got her from a friend who couldn't care for her anymore. she has never laid eggs. the tank we got her in was WAAAY too small (55 gal and she's a full 12 inches). She didn't even have a basking lamp or a filter in her tank.

Now that I'm reading about eggs, I'm worried that because she never laid them with her other owner that there may be something wrong. She doesn't seem wigged out or anything. Is there any kind of behavior I should look for? she seems fine.

[packfan1]

Since coming froma poor enviroment, it may be a little difficult to tell on what to look for. From what I have read here, a turtle that is "gravid" or wanting to find a nesting area to lay the eggs will act like trying to escape the tank, not do a lot of basking. I guess since the prior habitat was less than ideal, she may be acting strange by getting use to the new set up. More information about the current set up or behavior you see could help. You can also check for eggs by gently feeling in front of the back legs for something around the size of a grape. There are others here that are much more knowledgable about pregnant turtles, you may want to wait for more info. There is a section I believe in the general care section here.

[megcornell]

http://www.redearslider.com/reproduction.html
That link has some info on gravid turtles and it also provides other good links.
Gravid females usually display pretty noticeable characteristics like loss of appetite and frantically trying to escape the tank to find a nest site.

How large of a tank is your turtle in now? I'd assume that her conditions in the previous home may have stunted her reproductively. How long have you had her? It may take a while to adjust to a better setting and diet... just keep your eyes out for signs that she's getting antsy. You'll also want to make sure you're supplementing her diet with lots of calcium- making egg shells takes a lot of calcium out of a turtle's system.

[chirp]

she is in a 125. she has ALWAYS been acting like she wanted to escape...that is why we got her the bigger tank. we thought it would alleviate the problem. i would hear her trying to escape in the next room and it was driving me mad (and making me sad). Now that she is in her bigger tank (125 gallon, but we did not build an overhead basking spot...it is in the tank, she has approx. 2 ft of land in it and 4 feet of water which is almost a foot deep. Her land is a combination of one large slate rock surrounded by dirt that is planted with pothos and spider plants. we used to have rocks covering this dirt. we took them out.

we bring her outside sometimes...not as often as we should.
i've read the site but it doesn't say anything about creating an optimal nesting site for our lady. it just says how to feel the eggs and blah blah blah. what kind of area should we create for her? is under the basking light too hot? when do we remove the eggs?

she basks ALL DAY LONG sometimes. She is growing like crazy. we tried not feeding her everyday but her previous owners did feed her everyday and she was just used to it. when we didn't feed her everyday she would try and bite us. She got my husband twice. He was not happy.

i've never seen her trying to dig with her back claws. she digs for food with her front claws in the few rocks we have at the bottom of her tank.

[SpotsMama]

Hi,

Take another look at the link megcornell provided. It does have info on building a nest and at the bottom of the page is a link to a site with more specific info on building a nest. Hopefully you'll find something helpful there.

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

The nest doesn't need to be under a basking light, it might get too hot and it isn't necessary. You can remove the eggs as soon as she's laid them.

Honestly, most of the females seem to prefer laying outside to laying in a man-made nest. They like a patch of dirt, perhaps something sheltered where the dirt is soft, like under a bush or in a flowerbed. Turtles can be picky about a site, so if she seems to be having difficulty making up her mind, offer her several options.

First time layers often have several false starts - they'll get very anxious and start looking for a place to lay, then the mood will pass and they'll calm down, only to get anxious again later in the day or the next day. This can go on for days.

If she's very anxious to get out, it's possible she's feeling the need to lay, especially since her body seems to be changing and growing to make up for lost time.

Basking all day isn't a problem - it's a good thing unless she's acting lethargic (tired, sleepy), which is a sign she doesn't feel good. A gravid turtle, however doesn't bask all day - too anxious.

You can feed her every day just so you don't feed her too much. A half a headful of pellets every day is the right amout. Make sure she gets lots of variety in her diet. If she does lay eggs, then be sure and provide lots of calcium afterwards (cuttlebone or phosphorus free powered supplement) as she'll be depleted.

[kikicool]

Hi, chirp! Well, (I'll be posting elsewhere wit the update but) Lilly just laid her first clutch. We've had her about 2-3 years, and she was at least 1-2 when we got her. Making her around...5? I wonder if that's too late.

I have no yard. I tried a box of dirt in the house. Nuthin. She started "digging" among the wires behind my computer. Bad. So I brought her to the neighbor's small, fenced in garden. She dug for two hours, then nuthin'. Too shallow, I read: the dirt should be at least 6-12 inches. So I brought her to my friends' house. She has friggin' wild kingdom in her yard: a man made pond, a garden, grass, tressles... there were cicadas flying around! Egads!

Anyhoo. She wandered for about 30-40 minutes, then settled in a spot and laid. I guess they DO like it outside. Talking didn't seem to bother her, but she DID mind when we moved in to watch.

[1981camaroz28]

Since you are on the subject when a turtle has the eggs do they just leave them to hatch or do they care for the babies? I just never knew anyone who made them hatch before.

[kikicool]

once the turtle lays the eggs, she's gone. No nurturing here. Another reason not to hatch them--they are tough to take care of!!

[1981camaroz28]

I was just wondering never heard nothing about it before. If my Bella had eggs with my male I would keep 1 egg I have more than enough room. I am a tank fanatic just like my father was. Every 2 weeks I take care of the tanks and I think it's relaxing.

[kikicool]

Well especially for a tank fanatic who likes taking care of his tanks--then it's not rocket science at all! I enjoy mine, too. I find the daily vacuuming very therapeutic. However, I do not have enough room for more turtles than I have now. I wouldn't be able to keep one if they hatch. Well, I could keep them for a bit, till they are a LITTLE bigger, but then I'd have to find homes. Which I already have lined up! IF they hatch... fingers crossed!