General Care Discussion :: Determining Age/Sexual Maturity?

[pbangelo]

I recently bought 2 RES from a pet store, a male and a female, each about 5" shell length. The store did not seem to know how old they are. From reading, I know that a sexually mature female needs a nesting area. I've also read that females mature at about 4 years of age. They are in a 1200 gallon outdoor pond, with basking rocks. They cannot get out of the pond to create a nest. Is there any way to tell when the turtle is sexually mature? How do I know when to set up a nesting area? I want to be a good Turtle Mom!
Thanks, Pam

[sonyj]

Usually a female turtle will show signs of trying to escape or get out of the tank frantically. In a large pond I'm not sure how noticeable this will be to you, but she definitely needs a nesting area that she can gain access to.

[pbangelo]

I'm planning to construct an island of sorts in the pond with rocks for basking and a nesting site. Will something like a kitty litter pan filled with sand/soil be adequate?

[sonyj]

The nesting area should be at least 8-10 inches deep I believe and you want to have a mixture of 50% organic compost and 50% play sand in it. Some turtles are very picky about their nest areas so you may need something larger than a kitty litter pan but I'm not sure. You can start there and see how it works and move on to something different later if you need to.

[steve]

I agree... they can be very picky about their nesting areas. Do you have a garden or an area with dirt that they can access?