General Care Discussion :: Feeling for eggs

[ginger98]

i have a feeling that my res is gravid because she is showing signs of it but she wont let me feel under her legs for eggs. when i take her out of the water she keeps her legs in her shell and when i let her walk around, the second i get close to her legs she closes them. Please put down any ideas

[Sk8gal]

One thing i can tell you is that pulling in their legs when u touch them is a natural instinct for protection.

Sorry i can't help you with the rest

[ginger98]

I believe my turtles mated yesterday. how would she be acting if she did mate yesterday.

[steve]

Let your turtle walk around some more. Maybe let her climb on top of you (beware of peeing) and gently try to feel for it.

[SpotsMama]

She might be gravid even if she had never mated. She may already have been gravid yesterday when she mated. Has she laid eggs before?

If you think she may be gravid, treat her as if she's gravid even if you can't be sure. Do you know what to do for a gravid turtle?

[ginger98]

I think i know what to do but please explain

[marisa]

You gentlly feel in front of the hind legs (toward the stomach), not under them. If the eggs are large enough, they should feel like grapes.

If she's gravid, either make a nesting area for her or let her find a place to dig a nest (outside if it's warm enough).

[SpotsMama]

Here's a page on things you need to know:

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

Read it carefully, then look at some of the links at the bottom of the page. They have more info on nesting and how to prepare a turtle nest.

People on here with gravid turtles seem to have the best luck when their turtles can go outside to lay. They prefer somewhat softened dirt - like in a flower bed - in a somewhat sheltered location - like under some bushes. Sometimes a turtle goes through several false starts before actually laying. They'll get all restless, maybe even make some digging motions with their back legs, then seem to lose interest. The next day, they do it all over again. Finally, the day will come when they will actually lay, then you can breath a big sigh of relief.

After laying, a female will need to rest and will need extra calcium in her diet, so make sure cuttlebone is always available.

[ginger98]

what exactly is cuttle bone and should i keep my male and female seperated for now

[Caphits]

Be sure to remove the backing.

Comes from:

[SpotsMama]

That's a great photo of a cuttlebone, Caphits. And a really nice photo of a cuttlefish.

You find cuttlebones in the bird section of the pet store. They are very inexpensive. They are an excellent natural source of calcium for a turtle and also help keep the turtle's "beak" trim.

Break the cuttlebone into pieces and pry loose the translucent plastic-like backing off one side (it's indigestible and can break into sharp points). You can either let a piece float in the tank or attach it to the tank wall with a veggie clip. Turtles will munch on it when they crave calcium.

[ginger98]

thx and should i keep my turtles seperated for now

[SpotsMama]

Yes you should keep them separated.