General Care Discussion :: How many eggs can they lay at a time?

[Shorty's mom]

Sorry if this is redundent! I looked around here and googled but didn't find what I was looking for. My turtle layed her eggs today in the water(yes she does have a nesting area). There apear to be 6 eggs that are all broke in some way. I was just wondering if that should be all or could I expect more? She is perfectly calm and seems just fine. Thanks!

[marisa]

A RES can lay a clutch of eggs that can be anywhere from 2 to 23 eggs, and multiple clutches can be laid in a year. If your turtle is relatively young or not that large, she's apt to lay relatively fewer eggs. Since she just laid them in the water, though, she very well could still have some in her. As a precaution, you could make a nesting area for her in case she starts displaying behavior that would indicate she still has more eggs to lay www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/Nestsites.htm

You could also take her to a herp vet. A radiograph (x-ray) would tell if there are still eggs in her.

[Shorty's mom]

Thanks Marissa. This is her first time laying eggs so it is all new to me. She is roughly 5yrs old and about 6 or 7 inches. The eggs were rather big but I will watch her. Maybe she will lay the rest(if there is any) in her nesting spot(don't know why she didn't in the first place). If she doesn't lay more by Mon I'll take her for an x-ray. Thanks again!

[steve]

Do you have a male RES with her? Do you know how the eggs were broken (were they eaten/bitten/roughed up)?

The first time my female RES laid eggs last year, there were 4 in the nest. The second time there were 2 in the nest. Over this winter there were 2 more, but laid two weeks apart and in the water.

If the eggs came out normal (the shells being flexible), then I don't think an x-ray is necessary. If the came out hard and brittle, it could be an indication that she was retaining them, in which case I think an x-ray would be a good idea.