General Care Discussion :: BREEDING????

[blulite]

hi guys ive just recieved a message from a freecycle group. the message was a wanted add for a bigger tank for 2 turts. the person keeps 2 sliders in a 3 foot tank and is requesting an upgrade so they can start breeding.

i mailed them and referred them to this site but weather or not they join is a different story.

i told them that if they were to start breeding they will probably need to dedicate an entire room for tanks for breeding and hatchlings. i also sent them a pic of my setup with the full length vivarium ATBA as an example of what i have for my 2 turts. which will need an upgrade later in life .

what are your views on this?

oh by the way we are both from england so its not illegal to breed.

[BullDog]

Almost all educated RES owners recommend strongly AGAINST breeding. RES are really over populated already, and shelters are full of RES. The other problem is that many people see them as a disposable pet, and when they get tired of them or the RES gets too big, they just release it into the wild.

Of course, as you say, it's not illegal to breed RES in most places, so there is no way you can stop them, other than educating them.

You did a great thing referring the person to the site and sending them pictures of your setup Hopefully, even if he doesn't join, he'll at least have some second thoughts about breeding

[blulite]

yeah i, as every member of this site, have thought about breeding at some point but it would be a huge responsability, not to memtion the health care and setup costs.

[Raphulk]

I agree with BullDog, there have been a good number of members here that had their female RES lay eggs, and they were debating whether to keep the eggs or simply destroy them

although it is tough to simply destroy living animals, the fact remains that such a high population of RES is already in circulation, and yet most of them get sold for cheap to owners that don't know what they are doing

if that person is looking towards helping the RES turtle race, the best bet would be to stand aside and just keep the two RES and let natural breeding take place elsewhere

[TheComputerGremlin]

Also remind them that when two turtles breed, they can make up to 20 babies in one clutch, and they can make 3+ clutches a year. Within 2 years, those 20+ babies will each be having 20+ babies, etc. As well, inbreeding can always be a concern. I don't know of specific problems with turtles, but inbreeding in general is a bad thing. So after the first generation, they would need further lines to keep inbreeding out.

Additionally, if they are thinking about doing this because they can then sell the babies, remind them that make $10 a turtle won't outweigh the costs of the equipment, food, etc, as well as any liability they may have if someone gets sick from one of their turtles or the government decides what they are doing is somehow illegal.

[blulite]

the person i was speaking too told me they were going to sign up and becom a member here. im not too sure if they did but i also informed them of this thread i made regarding breeding.

they told me they had just started out and havnt had their turts very long. to me it seems a huge step to try and be a breeder before experiencing the entirety of a turtles activities and life processes. besides that they have yet to experience the expence and care it takes to look after a turtle.

i for one was very supprised and out witted by the needs of a turtle. the cost constantly uns higher and higher. i would dread to seethe breeders bills...

[Rubicon]

Ok so how do you keep them from breeding? I have a male and a female and the last thing I want is more RES running around.

[Raphulk]

Ok so how do you keep them from breeding? I have a male and a female and the last thing I want is more RES running around.

separate them

[BullDog]

Ok so how do you keep them from breeding? I have a male and a female and the last thing I want is more RES running around.

separate them

Yup. Easy as that! Your turtles will be happier for it

[Dein211]

it will also keep them from trying to destroy each other.

anyway yeah i wouldnt reccomend breeding ANY kind of animal without experiancing it for at least a year. breeding is an expensive and difficult thing. anyone who does it simply for the need of more money will most likely be horribly dissapointed. anyway this goes for really any animal but turtles in specific. a good breeder will ( and this isnt everything) make sure their animals are healthy and can find new homes. can take back the animal if it is no longer wanted and have space, time, room and money for those that didnt get sold. really its more for the passion of the speices than anything but, the responisbility is enormous. and for RES in specific, they are overpopulated as well as a many other beasties.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Rubicon, the other option is destroying the eggs once they are laid. You are essentially performing an abortion, however, many of the turtle eggs don't end up viable anyways, so it's more a chance situation than a sure thing. It's a moral dilemma if you keep them together, but turtles also lay eggs like chicken's do, so even a female kept by herself will lay eggs. You never know if they've been fertilized or not. You can destroy the eggs very humanely by freezing them or boiling them, and then cracking them open on the way to the trash. This will prevent any lucky chances with fate from hatching in a garbage dump somewhere!