General Care Discussion :: i've noticed

[candyandlint]

that one of my RES turtles was sitting on its basking platform and one of its back legs just kept twitching.
could it be pregnant or just have a twitch?
im pretty sure they're too young to have eggs.
thier only two inches long.

[SpotsMama]

Yes they're waaay to young to have eggs. You won't have that to look forward to until your turtle, assuming it's a she, is around 5" long.

It''s not uncommon for turtles to twitch when they're basking. Sometimes they twitch rather violently. Sometimes it seems as if they are trying to rub their faces or eyes. The theory is they are trying to get rid of dead skin or they are getting too hot on their basking platform.

[marisa]

Even if your turtle were large enough to be gravid (lay eggs), twitching legs on the basking dock isn't a sign of needing to lay eggs.

Turtles usually twitch as they thermoregulate on the basking area and react to the warmth of the basking light as they heat up. My RES goes through all sorts of gyrations, it may start with a leg, and usually escalates to his neck and other extremeties. He'll change positions on the basking area and will move to different parts of it to adjust the amount of heat he's getting. Sometimes he'll go the edge of the basking area and dip his head in the water to cool off a bit. Eventually, though, he'll go back into the water to cool off.