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We have a RES and have determined that she has eggs. I understand that she will leave our pond to lay them. Will she come back? Do eggs definitely produce baby turtles? Is it possible the babies might also be attracted to our pond? Is there anything else we should know? I know I'm asking a lot of questions. This turtle adopted us and we've grown fond of having her around. She used to immediately jump into the pond, so it was an adventure trying to see her before she jumped in. Lately she's been spending more time out of the pond, so we get to see her more.

Okay, here are some answers:

"I understand that she will leave our pond to lay them." - You should have a perimeter set up such that your turtle CANNOT leave the pond, other than to a land area. Beyond that, there should be a wall to keep predators out and the turtle from leaving permanently.

"Will she come back?" - Depends, though probably not likely if she leaves the yard.

"Do eggs definitely produce baby turtles?" - Only if she has had contact with a male, otherwise, they are just like chicken eggs. It is best that they are destroyed after laying, whether babies are expected or not. Rotting eggs are unpleasant.

"Is it possible the babies might also be attracted to our pond?" - Again, depends, though not likely. They may end up being eaten by local wildlife, run over in the street, die of starvation, etc.

Basically, you do not want your turtle leaving your yard. If she has had contact with a male, she may lay fertile eggs. However, RES are overpopulated, and it is suggested to destroy the eggs. Unless you can care for 20+ babies per clutch (that's 10 gallons per inch of shell, for 20 babies, that could be 2400 gallons per clutch ...), you should find the eggs and destroy them. In some states, it is illegal to allow the eggs to come to term anyways.

Could you tell us more about your turtle and setup? Oh, and we LOVE pictures!

TheComputerGremlin wrote:you should find the eggs and destroy them. In some states, it is illegal to allow the eggs to come to term anyways.

I'd rather pay a damn fine that kill some eggs, over populated or not thats just wrong.

Thanks. Our backyard is in a wooded area, which we have purposefully kept very natural. Even the pond looks like it was part of the natural environment. So setting up a perimeter is not a possibility. I guess we'll have to take her chances. She has been in our pond since spring or summer. As far as we can determine, she stays in the pond or nearby rocks, and the only other turtle she has had contact with was a different species that we only saw one day. I think the RES declared territorial rights to the pond, which is rather small, as it is our secondary pond. The bigger pond houses koi, and wouldn't be easy for a turtle to get into. I'm new here. Is there a way to post pictures if I don't have a website?

you can upload them to photobucket and then copy and paste the image code to the forum.
here is a thread that tells you how.
http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1811

MoreBloodWine - It may not be simply a fine for illegal breeding. At that point, they will have the option to take your turtles from you. So it's not just a matter of a slap on the wrist ...

slkant, I would *love* to see you yard and pond setup. It sounds amazing!

I have some pics and will try to take some more. At first we had such a hard time getting the turtle to be visible enough for a pic that we focused on her!

You can always shoot a few feet further away. Being too close makes it difficult for the auto-focus.

What makes you sure she has eggs? Leaving the pond can be a symptom, but there could be many reasons for it.

If your turtle is relatively young, I would destroy the eggs too. They will not be her best and RES are excessively overpopulated... don't feel bad about it.

The people who maintain our pond picked her up and saw 5 egg sacs. She has never strayed very far from the pond as far as we know. The one picture of her nearby is the only time we have seen her out of the pond. However, she is usually much more visible than she used to be.

Here are the pictures:

Most pictures are of the "turtle's pond."

I'd just like to say.... wow!

That's a gorgeous pond!
She'd be a wise turtle to return year after year

"I'd rather pay a damn fine that kill some eggs, over populated or not thats just wrong."

People are not understanding what an egg is.... DO you eat chicken eggs? It is NO different. Not only that, the eggs don't even begin to form an embryo for several DAYS. No one is killing anything by destroying eggs and its not a matter of opinion it is a fact.

Thanks for the compliments. We think she's pretty smart to have stumbled into such a home. We don't know where she came from, as there isn't any other water source nearby.

If I lived in that pond I would never leave.

Amazing.....