General Care Discussion :: Is my turtle egg bound? Please HELP MY BABY....

[puiyanyan]

I'm a horrible mom.
My female RES is actually 15 years old, and she lives by herself (without a male) since 10 years old because they fight like crazy and I had to separate them.
I didn't know that there's a possibilities she can still have eggs without a male.
She's never lay eggs her whole 15 years of life, and appears to have the behaviors (restless, jumping around, basking a lot etc) for the last 2 weeks.
My set up is to place her with a basking plastic, lots of water (5 inches) and a UVB lamp, also a heater.
I have no idea how to set up a nesting area for her....can someone please help me? And do you have pictures so I can have a better idea? I tried to look at the descritpions and just don't get it.
Thank you for saving my baby...in the meantime I'm looking to bring her to a vet for xray, I am very worried about calification/egg bound!

[Zepher30]

You can try getting a rubbermaid tub (like, the storage tubs people buy) and filling it with soft dirt, and maybe a sand mixture, i've never had to do it yet, but thats what i read on here each time a 'is my turtle gravid' topic comes up.

[steve]

Here's how you can feel for eggs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gdIX8wIuZs and here's a nesting box: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQUilnB3m8g (though a natural, outdoor area would be great).

[turtleluv]

I have 2 female RES and they both lay eggs that are not fertile. I generally sense difference in their behaviour in the early spring time. They become more restless. I let them out on to the floor and often they may try to scratch at the carpet with their back legs. If the weather outside is appropriate I let them out (on at a time) in the back yard and usually with 10-20 minutes she has found a spot. This process usually takes 1 to 1 1/2 hour for her to dig a hole, lay them and cover the hole.

Try letting her outside over a few days and see what happens.

[bigG]

I have a fenced backyard with a vegetable garden. My four year old female actually prefers to dig her nest in the grassy area. She will splash, swim, do everything to get my attention. I pick her up, take her outside, and let her wonder around to find a "perfect" nesting spot. Then, I will let her dig until she's finished (about half an hour).