General Care Discussion :: Gravid

[fatcatsrule55]

Hey guys,

I have a girl, still kind of young. definitely has not released eggs ever. But after reading about it, I'm getting slightly paranoid about it. Whenever I see her digging in the rocks in the bottom of the tank I get nervous. Can someone give me step by step instructions on what to do if she really is about to release eggs soon?

thanks

[n00bEmpty]

Alright, feel if she has eggs then try doing this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gdIX8wIuZs to see if she has eggs. Remember to don't do it too hard or the egg will break. If you do feel the eggs then make her a place to lay her eggs, put dirt in a rubbermaid tank or anything, deep enough for her to dig and put her in it everyday for 10 or 15 minutes everyday so she will be used to it.
I'm not sure about this though, if she lays eggs then does it still hatch if it's unfertilized? I'm not sure about that, somebody enlighten me please. But if it's fertilized then incubate it and keep the the air temperature around the egg at 81-86'F. Most important fact: NEVER EVER FLIP OVER THE EGG. THE SIDE THAT SHE LAYED IT ON MUST BE KEPT THAT WAY! MARK THE TOP WITH A WATER BASED MARKET! IF IT FLIPS OVER THEN THE BABY IS DEAD!

Temperatures need to be kept around 81°F-86°F (27.2°C-30°C). Males are produced in cooler temperature range and females in the warmer range with mixed genders produced in the transitional range. Eggs, provided they have been properly taken care of, will hatch in 60 to 80 days.

Read more at this link: http://www.redearslider.com/reproduction.html

[Seroster]

Not to sound like a jerk, though it probably will, un-fertilized eggs obviously do not hatch. They're unfertalized.

Can't have a baby turtle without a baby turtle daddy.

[steve]

Well, be aware of the symptoms -- restlessness, change in appetite, trying to get out of the tank, ignoring her owner, digging with her hind feet, kicking her tail are the usual ones.

Feeling for eggs would be the next step, though small eggs and small clutches might be hard to discover.

Next would be finding an area for her to nest... please see the link above.