General Care Discussion :: How old do they stat to lay egg

[Boston_Zhao]

My female turt is 2 years old now, about 7inches long. How soon is she going to lay eggs? And what should I be prepared to do?
Thanks

[TheComputerGremlin]

She's about the right size/age, but be patient, they will start to lay eggs whenever they are ready.

First, you need to keep an eye out (at least daily) to make sure she isn't trying to escape from the tank. Digging around on the bottom doesn't count, this is like trying to climb out from her basking area try to escape. When that starts, she's probably ready to lay eggs.

If you have a backyard, that's the best method. Take her outside and let her roam around (this is usually best after a rain or you can water a few choice spots on the lawn). The wet soil is easier to dig in. Let her roam around and find a place she likes. They seem to gravitate towards walls, shady spots, and under bushs/trees. And keep an eye on her, she'll be faster than you think. She may lay the first day, she may need to roam around for a few hours, she may need to be taken out day after day until she lays.

If you don't have a lawn, if you have somewhere you can go (a family or friend's house, a local park), go there. Otherwise, you can try a nesting box filled with about 50:50 soil:sand mix. You can also try building a box on your tank so she can go there whenever she wants, though that takes a larger tank/space.

Any other questions?

[AllisonChains]

Izzy is only a little over 4" right now, but I was wondering how deep should the nesting box be?

We have a huge backyard, but we get the trees and shrubs all treated so that wouldn't be an option.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Generally the turtles seem to dig no more than their body length down, so if you got a deep rubbermaid box, that probably will work. However, worst case scenario, she can probably be allowed outside as long as you watch her carefully so that she doesn't eat anything and give her a good rinse when she comes back in.

[Boston_Zhao]

my lawn has no fence and she can easily run into traffic. so I guess just make a box for her. but is there any specific period of time in a year that she lays eggs? She is not gonna lay eggs everyday all year round like a hen is she? That would surely kill me

[TheComputerGremlin]

No, she shouldn't lay all the time. Is she kept with a male or even a male in the same room? If she is your only turtle, that will minimize the egg laying, since there are no pheromones (sorry if that's spelled wrong, I'm at work without my spell-checker) present to cause her to lay more often.

I think generally they will lay once a year. As to the time of the year, I think since they are captive that there is no set season (their water and room temps are consistent, so there are no seasons like spring and summer effecting them). There are some horror stories about turtles laying many many clutches, one after another, but that is definitely a rare occasion. Just be on the lookout if it happens to you.

As for the outside, as long as you keep an eye on her (which you would have to do even if you had a fence), just never let her more than a few feet away from you and she'll be fine.

[Boston_Zhao]

but as TheComputerGremlin said, it may take hours or even days for her to decide where to lay, it doesn't sound much fun to keep eyeballs on her for hours or days at the back yard. What are other options? I'd like to hear from more people, please.......

[LorJ]

Maybe you could try a playpen with a laybox inside?
I use one of my daughters (gate type) playpen to put my dragon in for sunshine.

[steve]

If she is not displaying symptoms, I'd search the forum for ideas and results. Many, many nervous female RES keeper topics

[Azfar]

Hmm.. my female turtle almost 5 inch and 2 years old.. is she also goin to lay eggs?