General Care Discussion :: Egg laying. What do I do next?

[Calypso]

We have a 5 year old female RES. She is about 7-8". I would say she is in excellent health.

The last 2 weeks she has been digging like crazy; differently than normal. She uses her back feet and almost looks constipated.

While I was out of town the last two days my wife called me to tell me there were two white things in the tank and our girl was eating them. I told her to remove the items and freeze them.

I get back this morning and sure enough they were eggs. I fear egg binding. For those of you with a single female turtle what do you do? She is in a 75 gallon tank with a haul out. I don't have a way of making a soil area adjacent to the water. Can she be placed in a container of soil? Will she constantly be laying eggs now? Is a vet check needed?

Any advice from those who have had similar issues would be greatly appreciated. My email is full_metal97@yahoo.com

Thanks in advance,
Matt

[steve]

Here are some basics for you to read up on:
www.redearslider.com/reproduction.html

If she has more eggs, then you need to set up a nesting box for her. Read that link (and the sites that are linked in there). It'll also tell you how you can feel for them. However many turtles are reluctant to use a box. Do you have access to a garden or backyard so she can dig in the dirt? If she is exhibiting that digging behavior, then thats when you should take her out.

[Calypso]

Thanks for the quick reply. I have only been home for about half an hour since she laid the first two eggs. When I get home if I see her doing the 'dance' again I will take her outside and see if she has any interest in digging. I had read that a clutch could be 20 eggs. The two she laid were quite large.

Will update later.

Matt

[industrial_girl_2000]

I agree with Steve.

Also, discard the eggs. And be patient with her when you take her outside to dig in the dirt. Turtles are very particular about where they want to lay eggs & it could take several hours over the course of the next coupla weeks to get the eggs completely out.

[Calypso]

I agree with Steve.

Also, discard the eggs. And be patient with her when you take her outside to dig in the dirt. Turtles are very particular about where they want to lay eggs & it could take several hours over the course of the next coupla weeks to get the eggs completely out.

The current two eggs are in the freezer...simply for me to indentify when I got home. I did read on one information page that they were nutritional for the mother to eat unfertilized eggs. I had no intention of leaving them in the tank.

I don't let her roam the yard. I am paranoid about the possibility of chemicals. I am unaware of any, but just never let her roam around outside...or even inside for that manner.

I will give her a shot this weekend. Though my wife said that she has not done the frantic digging since she laid the two eggs and she has also begun to eat again. Should I wait to see if she starts the digging before I give her a chance outside? Or are two eggs a definite need for outside time? She is not very large. I have never measured or weighed to know for certian her size. She is 5 years old. I know that for certain.

[industrial_girl_2000]

One way to find out if she has any more eggs inside her is to take her to the vet for an x-ray.

I have had the same female turtle for over 17 yrs and have gone thru the exact same thing you are experiencing now (many many MANY times, unfortunately, GROAN!!!!). Sheba was only about 7 inches long when she started laying eggs, and sometimes would lay up to 8 eggs over the course of a week (!), in the tank, outside the tank, whatever. I have a feeling your girl isn't done yet (sorry to be the bearer of bad news!)

Regarding digging in the yard: I would consider the risk of pesticides to be minimal compared with the idea of retaining eggs which can potentially break inside her. When an egg breaks inside the turtle, it can cause death. Or the eggs can become calcified (in other words: turn hard, like a rock which means she will never lay it at all & it just takes up space inside that already-crowded shell!) The good thing is that it is summer season right now, warm outside, so you can take her, supervise her, and make sure she lays any additional eggs she needs to. And it doesn't have to be in your yard. If you have a local farmer's field near you, you can walk around with her in the field as well. Hopefully the soft warm dirt will prompt her to dig & finish laying the rest of the eggs.

[marisa]

If she's behaving normally and is eating, I'd not give the shot (oxytocin?) and wait until she exhibits gravid behavior again, but it's good to bring her outside for sun whether or not she has eggs to lay if you can. Is this the first time or almost the first she's laid eggs? If so, she may not have many to lay this time.

You could also gently feel the space in front of the hind legs. If you feel any grape-like lumps, she'd have more eggs to lay.

[Calypso]

If she's behaving normally and is eating, I'd not give the shot (oxytocin?) and wait until she exhibits gravid behavior again, but it's good to bring her outside for sun whether or not she has eggs to lay if you can. Is this the first time or almost the first she's laid eggs? If so, she may not have many to lay this time.

You could also gently feel the space in front of the hind legs. If you feel any grape-like lumps, she'd have more eggs to lay.

Is this a shot that is administered by a vet? I have had to inject a burmese python that I used to have when she had an RI. That medication was provided by a vet.

Yes, this is the first gravid behavior she has had. I live in Florida, so taking her outside is easy to do year round. She had been really chowing down on the cuttlebone, but didn't want to eat her greens. Since laying the two eggs she has been eating her greens again.

She is fiesty out of the water. If she is in the water you can do whatever you please in the tank. Out of the water and she will bite the heck out of you...my wife knows first 'arm'! Not sure how much prodding she will tolerate...probably none!

I will provide my wife the link to this message board. You might see her posting under my name. We will get some pictures up.

Matt

[industrial_girl_2000]

Hey Matt & Matt's wife,

Welcome to the forum!

Yes, oxytocin is a shot administered by a vet. It helps induce egg-laying.

Feisty out of the water, eh? Yes, some turtles are like that, LOL! The good news is that the "prodding" that Marisa is talking about is just in front of the hind legs, far away from the "jaws-of-death". Press gently into the soft fleshy skin in front of the hind legs. If there is any resistance, then there are still eggs there. If your finger goes all the way in without any resistance, then chances are, there are no eggs.

Poke gently....most turtles do not like this. If your girl is too feisty to do this while holding her in the air, then put her down on the ground, let her run, and do it when she stops running.

I don't know how you typically hold her, but I have found thru experience that if you span your hand across the top of the shell (thumb on right side of the shell, palm of your hand on top with your pinky on left side) and put your other hand underneath & support her weight with your finger tips. This way she can't bite at you. She will kick & thrash & prolly try to snap a few times, but she won't be able to get you. This way, one person can hold the turtle while the other person checks for eggs (safely).

[Calypso]

I got home from work and she was doing her little digging dance. It was already dark outside and raining so I will have to give her a shot at laying tomorrow. I did pick her up and I don't even have to prod. I can see the eggs very easily.


EDIT: Since it was dark and rainy I put her in the bathtub with the towel I was carrying her in. After about 15 minutes she had moved and expelled a very small amount of slimey blood. Nothing that looks out of the ordinary for a reptile during egg laying. I just looked again and she has expelled three more eggs. She still has more. I am glad she enjoys laying in the bath tub. haha (oh, and the bathtub is dry...just wanted to clarify that)

[steve]

I'm not aware of any blood being normal during nesting, I hope all is good!