General Care Discussion :: Nesting Site Temperature?

[camee1991]

Cute pic! I can see the bulges in her shell. Looks also like there is a crack? She looks like Tobi! So cute!

Have u ever tried feeding them every other day, less amounts? Ive not heard of every 3rd day feedings..not saying u are wrong! But maybe they would eat less every 2 days than 3?! Just a suggestion.

Do they eat their greens in the meantime? It makes them not be soooo voracious at feedings

[Pizza]

The seeming crack is merely an aesthetic design, .

Well when I got them a year ago, they all seemed overweight. Only two of them eat greens, well the big one will feed on vegetables if there's nothing else.

Well I've tried feeding daily and every 2 days, there is no change in appetite, so might as well save a little money. Hearing from a family friend that once owned a turtle, he said that turtles (well sliders and similar species) could survive for over a month without food and he did so when he went on vacation. Even other peeps only feed their turtles once a week, so I figured that if adult turtles are recommended to be fed every 2 days, then 3 shouldn't be a biggie for overweight ones, especially if they can go on once a week, even once a month if forced (though I don't support it),

[camee1991]

Good about the crack!

And I agree about the feedings. Thats good that at least your turts EAT veggies!! lol Thats a start. Takes a loooooong while sometimes.

Sounds like you are doing good. And I pray your gravid girl will lay later today! Keep us posted!!!

[grey goose]

I've got two growing girls.....all this egg laying stuff is making me nervous.

[Pizza]

It's making me annoyed, and starting to get me a little frustrated (can't focus on my studies if I'm always tending to my turtle, :s) .

Well I just brought her back in today, I let her roam the backyard for a little over half an hour, but with no avail. She kept trying to crawl into the dirty areas (places with rotting wood, rusty nails and metal fence bits), so I had to reroute her. She also kept going onto the rocks or cement floor, so that too.

I don't know how long it takes a turtle to find a spot in a yard, but I put her back in the house after she started wheezing/sneezing a lot (about once every 1-2 minutes), hope she didn't catch a cold or anything. Whenever she stopped, I thought she found it, but everytime she stopped, she merely stopped to sneeze, so... The temperature an hour ago when I let her out was 4C/39F.

Did your turtle get cold while outside or anything? Should I have left her? Right now she's warming and cleaning herself in a tub of warm water. Hopefully she got her "walk", I'm going to try putting her in the nesting tub again after, just to check again.

[SpotsMama]

Can you warm the water she's in to 80 or 82 degrees? Sounds like she may have gotten a chill outside. A warmer temp will speed up her metabolism.

Around here we can buy squares of turf (grass) that range from 1' squares to 3' squares. They are not expensive at all. They are sold at nurseries and places like Lowes and Home Depot that have plant sections. Could you possibly find something like that to put into the nesting box?

[N4784N R4613]

It would be better to grow your own. The grass at stores is sprayed with all kinds of stuff, to keep it green, and bug free.

[Pizza]

Ummmmmmm...grass takes a while to grow from its seeds, hmm.

Anyways, I placed my turtle back into her nesting site just about half an hour ago, she's back to her old tricks, hanging around the sides of the tub trying to climb out.

[camee1991]

Pizza- I dont know about the "sneezing and wheezing part"...but when Tobi keeps taking herself to the cement areas in my yard she gets re-routed too. If there is a way to clean out the yard (like the nails and stuff that could hurt her) then let her roam everywhere, I would do that. Tobi is always sooooo particular and when I re-route her in the yard it ticks her off and she turns around and goes back where SHE WANTS TO The last time she layed, not lastnite, but before, UGH was beside a tree FULL of POOP! But I had to stay...gag...thats where she wanted to be!

But....30 minutes, a little too long in my opinion...(not to have her out, just to look for a spot). I would go out daily for about 20- 30 max minutes and just watch. If she is gonna lay in the yard, she will gravitate to a specific area more than likely and it will happen "pretty quickly", like within 10-15 minutes or sometimes less...she may have just been scoping it all out today since it is new and will be ready for later to lay!

It took Tobi 3 times in the yard to "smell and feel it out" ..(I think) before she actually found HER spot the 1st time she layed. Sooooo.....
I would say hang in there.

If your girl walked "like she was on a mission", she will find her spot soon.
Any other ?'s...just ask! I'll help if I can!

[Pizza]

I think the low temperature was one part of my vice, my turtle kept sneezing. I hope this isn't stressing her out (especially since he has eggs in her), 'cause I've been moving her around places and dipping her in water baths a lot these past few days.

Well she went one full circle around my yard once (took about half an hour) before I took her in from the cold, I might try again tomorrow (or today I should say), I hear it could get as high as 8C/46F, even 10C/50F on Friday. I guess it was a lot colder though, due to windchill (today it was very brisk and windy, so it was probably more like -2C/19F).

The grass wasn't frozen, but since it was cold out, it was pretty stiff, the ground was hard too. A question from yesterday's tips: when you said to pour warm water on the area where she's digging, do you just pour it right there while she's digging? Since you also said not to touch her once she's started, would the feel of warm water snap her our of her "trance"?

[camee1991]

Thats cool you are letting her out! I think Friday will be great even if the wind is high since she will be low to the ground...

I did EVERYTHING with Tobi the 1st time...she DID eventually lay..so dont lose hope!

Also, after Tobi found her spot in the yard and started her back leg only diggin...(I knew thats where she wanted) Yes, I just slowly poured water right under her back feet exactly where she was digging her hole. Pour right under her feet, not under her body or elsewhere. Just help soften the soil thats actually trying to be dug...since it has to go down pretty far..keep that warm water on hand in case you have to keep putting some in after a bit. It didnt seem to bother Tobi at all. Actually at that time they are not in the "trance" so far yet. She may even welcome the warmth and HELP since she may not be able to dig into the hard soil herself.

The "trance" I talk about; you may not be able to realize she is in it yourself the 1st time...I didnt. Since while in the trance they hear, smell and pay attention to almost everything and move their head in and out to loud noises etc. They just wont move if they are gonna lay. The real time you can tell is when the egg laying is over and the back legs want to knead and knead and knead....lol You can do all you want with her and she wont quit kneaded her legs unless you totally let her fill her own hole (which lasts forever and with your weather, I would suggest when she starts this behavior..wait a minute and take her back in...)

I lay her on the floor inside and put a towel under her back legs so she can finish her "thing"...lol OR if Im strapped for time and I want her NORMAL?! I put her 1st thing under the warm sink to rinse off the mud and stuff and brush her off, then put her back in the tank and she just "snaps" out of it.

It is really really cool! I hope Friday will be the DAY for you!!! Let her walk and walk!!!

[Pizza]

Well I let her out again today for about half an hour, no results. All she did was want to go onto the concrete.

I haven't seen her try to climb out of the tank or kick between her legs while basking these past 2 days, so I don't know what's happened. Everything seems to be back to normal, apart from her appetite (today she had a few pellets, probably since she hadn't eaten in nearly a week, but still not her normal amount).

I guess if she's okay, then I'll leave her be, this past week has been pretty rocky for her, what with all the handling and moving to new places.

[camee1991]

Pizza- Try to take her out again tomorrow. Tobi has done the same thing. I believe when she was acting "crazy" and didnt lay....then she calmed down; that is when the eggs were falling down into place.

Just let her rest this day and take her out again as soon as possible. And if she shows ANY signs, let her out!!! She will be ready!!!

Good luck!!!