General Care Discussion :: Male and female with no where for eggs??

[Ferd]

I have 2 RES in an indoor cage and soon plan to upgrade. I was reading about how if a female is pregnant, she can hold on to her eggs. However, she cannot hold on to them forever can she? I live in North Carolina where it gets cold often.Even if that wernt a factor, i will be leaving for college when they come of age. What should i do if she gets pregnant?

[cprcheetah]

It can be very dangerous for them to become 'egg bound'.
Quoted from the Basic Care Site:
"Egg binding can cause disease, organ damage and death" So you would not want for her to hold onto her eggs. Go read the basic care site about Eggs, and preparing a nesting spot for her.
http://www.redearslider.com/index_basic_care_3.html
I had an iguana that became egg bound, and almost died, she had to be spayed. It was very scary.

[Ferd]

That was very helpfull. I love this site! I never knew about the hibernation period. However could this stage be skipped if the water is too cold?

[cprcheetah]

I would go through and read all the stickies (top of each Subject page), and read the entire basic care pages. It has helped me out a ton. I just got my turtle on Saturday so am new to this whole Turtle thing too. So far the people on this forum have been awesome, and I have learned a ton. I have browsed several of the topics and read some past messages also that have really answered my questions or concerns. From what I've read, if the water is too cold, the turtle will not eat, and can die.

[Ferd]

well they definitly eat so that isnt a worry. I was just wonderin , since some animals are so sensitive to temperature changes that if 5 degrees change, they prepare for hibernation.

[missibsu]

In reference to your original post, females will lay eggs even if there isn't a male present. So, even if you separate your turtles, you will need a nesting area. Since you have plenty of time to read up on that, you should be prepared.

I live in Ohio and it gets cold here too. Were you concerned about outside nesting when it gets cold? Or overall tank conditions? There is a nesting period from spring through the summer. From my understandings the turtles stick to this, even though they are in an inside environment. I don't know how they know, but they do. Other than that, if you use a water heater, then outside temps shouldn't be a factor in your tank.

You shouldn't try to hibernate your turtle. Turts that hibernate in the wild do so deep in the mud. An indoor set up does not allow for this, and can lead to the death of your turtle.

[steve]

That page recommends avoiding hibernation and sliders kept indoors should not be put through hibernation. I also don't recommend hibernating RES outdoors either. The updated content, which is almost complete, contains way more information regarding all the topics.

[Ferd]

i want to prevent the hibernation from happening because i have no way of caring for the eggs, but i dont wanna kill a living thing so...

[steve]

RES don't hibernate to have eggs. Use a water heater to maintain the recommended water temperatures. A female RES can lay eggs, even without a male around. They won't be fertile (think chicken eggs) and you can throw them away.

[Ferd]

thats good to know. but am i gonna need a different cage for the male? My friends Dad added a piece of glass to cut off the water from a sand box. Should i do this? I was informed at a pet store that turtles that live together for a long time will be less likely to... ya now. Is this tue?

[missibsu]

It doesn't matter if your turtles mate or not, because you should just throw away the eggs anyway. I don't recommend breeding res because there are too many unwanted turtles already...I know several others agree with me.

I don't understand about the glass. Are you talking about dividing your tank to provide a nesting area right in the tank? If so, that isn't recommended because you are taking up valuable swimming space.

[Ferd]

I totally agree about the breeding. I got them when they were smaller than a half dollar, and they unfortuatly turned out to be male and female. About the nest and water... isnt the eggs laying more important then them swimming in 2/3 of the tank? im just wonderin...

[missibsu]

Both are important. Especially if you plan to keep the two turtles together. If you cut into their swimming room, you could cause aggression problems from not enough space. Then they would have to be separated.

It shouldn't be a choice between swimming space and nesting space. Both should be provided to meet the needs of your turtles!

[Ferd]

true. I guess i will have to find ou how to deal with that when i upgrade! Thanks for all the opinions!