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My son just discovered three eggs in his RES's tank. He has 2 RES which we think are both female. The turtles are between 4 and 5 years old. Is this a natural occurance? Is it healthy for them? Is there a way to keep them from laying? I don't remember this covered in any of the books he has

Female RES will lay eggs upon reaching maturity whether a male RES is around or not. It isn't normal for them to lay them in water though. They only do this as their last resort should they not be able to reach a nesting area. Captive female RES must have an available nesting area set up for them to get to when they need to lay their eggs. If they don't they may try to retain them which can lead to severe health issues, even if they've laid some in the water already.

Here is a website link to help you and your son learn about setting up the necessary nesting area for them.

http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/Nestsites.htm

ooooo I didnt know they could without a male.... yikes!

when do they start doing this?

I have no real idea how old ours is...

I think I read that around the age of 3...give or take. Depends on the turtle too. There are signs to watch for. Check some of the recent posts on the topic and you will find more information on the signs to look for. I think Spookster started the thread.

Thank You!

My female RES is 3 years old and laid her first clutch. I do have a 3 year old male RES with her, but he is a bit small for his age. Plus, she's very uninterested in him

steve wrote:My female RES is 3 years old and laid her first clutch. I do have a 3 year old male RES with her, but he is a bit small for his age. Plus, she's very uninterested in him

haha cute.

Thanks for your help and the link sonyj. The turtle or the other has since laid another egg. I have thought that maybe they are laying them in the basking area and they are knocking them in to the water. They have out grown their living space. We hope to scrape together enough $$ for a much larger tank soon. It should also be warmed up enough outside to let them roam around the yard and 'nest', I hope.

Good luck! Have your RES shown any of the egg-laying symptoms prior to you finding the eggs?