General Care Discussion :: Is she wanting to lay eggs?

[daredevilgirl013]

Hi everyone. Michelangelo has been acting really odd the past few days and it is driving me nuts. I've tried to do the leg test to see if she has eggs inside of her, but she won't let me do it and when I get close she attempts to bite me. Here's what's been going on.

For the past two morning I've woke up to find that she has went to one spot in the tank and literally tore it up. This spot has fake grass in it that I put rocks over to keep it in the tank and rocks around it to hold it in place. This is aquarium grass that you can get at wal-mart for your fish to hide and breed in. Well the past two mornings she's shoved all the rocks off and the rocks around it away and shoved the grass out of it's spot and it floats to the top then. When I wake up and see this, I notice that she's sitting in the exact spot where the grass goes and there is nothing around her. So I push her away so she won't bite me, and put everything back in place, and the next morning she takes everything apart again. Is this a sign that she wants to lay eggs as she has never done this before.

How big is your turtle? near 5 inches
How long have you had it? two years at the end of August

What is the water temperature? 71
Are you using a water heater? No.
How much water is in there? 45 gallons
Are you using a water conditioner? Yes, Biotize, Aquatize, Turtle Clean
Are you using any filtration? Yes, Fluval 4Plus and Tetra Whisper Filter for 30-60gallon tanks

What is the basking temperature? 89
Is there a basking light? Yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? Yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? The turtle dock you can get at the store
Is there a UVB light? Yes

What have you been trying to feed it? Hakari Turtle pellets and hen dried shrimp rarely
When was the last time your turtle ate? This morning

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 50 gallons
Is the tank near a window? to the side of one, but I have curtains closed over it
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? Not really

Have you read the Basic Care section? Yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? Yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? Besides destroying the one part of the tank constantly, she has been eating a lot lately. Before when I would give her the pellets, she wouldn't eat them in front of me, now she eats in front of me and wants food constantly.

If you can let me know if she's wanting to lay eggs I'd appreciate it. I have a big rubbermaid tank outside that I have used before as her outdoor play tank that I can use to turn into a hatching area, as tomorrow I'll be going to Lowes so if I need sand I'll go get it there. Thanks

[tauc87]

of course i'm no expert but it really sounds like she might just be ready to lay eggs
since it sounds like its just starting maybe she feels a bit weird
try the leg check thing again over and over until she lets you

[daredevilgirl013]

Well we finally got her to move her leg. She is not happy with us and would like to bite our fingers off. We had to irritate her and get her to bite on a pen (not the side that writes..the other side) and then she moved her leg enough that I started to get my finger in and then finally she shoved her leg out and I got a feel, I didn't feel anything. No feeling of grapes etc..just fat. So I'm guessing maybe she isn't going to lay eggs as like I said I felt nothing. Took us about half an hour to get her to move her leg (one person had to do the pen bit while I held her and watched her legs move)

So like I said, didn't really feel anything in front of her leg (we went on what would be the right side to feel, that was the side she gave up first and I went in like a hawk)

Let me know if you still think she's trying to lay and if not, why is she doing this. I do have Ghost Shrimp, 4 plecos, guppies, a minnow, a red swordtail, and a rosy barb in there, is she trying to go after the shrimp or the guppies that use the grass to hide in? I know the plecos chill out in their log, and she doesn't bother the other fish, so I find it out that she'd go after the shrimp and guppies in the grass when they usually hang out in the wide open.

[DavidY]

It doesn't necessarily sound like an egg laying issue to me. Turtles can be picky about their home and love to rearrange (or tear up) tank decorations that you so lovingly set up for them. It's probably best to leave her alone for a while so she can get over the leg thing ordeal.

A good indication of whether or not she is ready to lay eggs is if you see her constantly trying to dig with her back legs.

[industrial_girl_2000]

First off, get a submersible water heater so the water temp can be around 76. She'll be happier in warmer water.

I had to laugh when I read your stories about checking Michealangelo for eggs.....Sheba won't let me just pick her up to check for eggs. I have to let her walk on the floor, sneak up behind her, & check her hind legs when she stops walking.

I don't think she is gravid based on your description of tearing up the tank. A gravid turtle doesn't care about anything except getting OUT of the tank. Since your turtle is busy tearing up things at the bottom of the tank, I don't think she needs to lay eggs. If anything, I think she is doing her own version of turtle feng shui & rearranging her tank as SHE sees fit! LOL!

[marisa]

I've had my male RES spent a good part of the night in the dark rearranging his tank. He wasn't quiet about it either, and had me repeatedly turning on the light to check on him and scold him. Your turtle is not two years old yet, and is really too young to be gravid. Sometimes something just gets into their heads...Perhaps she's doing this to get your attention? My turtles' appetites have increased, and I think it's due to the warmer weather.

If your turtle is doing well with a constant water temp of 71F, there's no need to change it, especially with summer coming.

[daredevilgirl013]

Yeah everyone is doing great in there, her fish, the ghost shrimp, and algae is forming nicely. I always keep an eye on the temp and add warm water regularly (especially since this is a big sturdy rubber stock tank so it is meant to hold the temperature well) and she has been so active lately that I'm just like well ok...sure..nice to know you're still awake, cause all she does besides digging at that one spot, is go from plant to plant and watch me. I have to explain to her that tomorrow is food day or that she already had her food for the day, but she keeps wanting more. I then explain there are about 100 guppies in that tank..go eat them. But she won't

[DavidY]

*sigh* ...sometimes they just won't listen.