General Care Discussion :: my turtle laid a egg

[wesleycars]

my turtle laid an egg once before but we didnt kno. we found it one morning and the egg was white and really small about the size of my nail on my thumb but it was cracked open so we threw it away. my mom told me the turtle was a girl and we only have one turtle n i started to think if turtles can reproduce asexually (not have sex with male). Then it layed another egg yesterday but its about the size of an easter egg and i dont know if there is a live turtle in it, the egg is light brown/tan colored, when you touch it it feels soft not hard like regular eggs people eat.I was wondering if the thing inside the egg is alive? And it was just one egg when we found it, like i read on the site and it said about 3 or 4 clutches but it was only one single egg. Also if laying an egg without a presence of a male, the egg wont be fertalized, what does that mean? And what should i do if it lays another egg in the future? If anyone knows what im talking about please reply and give me an answer, Thank you and i appriciate the help from you all.

[steve]

Females don't need males to lay eggs, like chickens. It will be infertile and just throw it away. Clutches and frequency depends on many factors, like age, size, etc. Since your girl does not have a proper nesting area, she is probably laying them because she can no longer hold them.

The color you described could mean that it is starting to calcify and possibly decaying in your turtle. This is dangerous. It becomes harder, if not impossible to pass and if ruptured, can cause serious infection.

My recommendation -- try to see if she wants to nest. Very gently feel for eggs (in front of the rear legs) and get a consultation with a vet. An X-ray is the only way to be certain there are eggs. Retained eggs is a serious issue.

[topic moved]

[camb]

i have a 4-5 inch female res (i think around 3 years old) and i was wondering if i need to put in a nesting area yet. soon when we move in early july i will be building a indoor pond with an egg laying spot/ land area and i was wondering if she will need it before then.

[steve]

That is up to you but you can't really say when or if it'll happen.

[wesleycars]

hey its me again my turtle laid more eggs today (5/13/08) but he laid 12 and now hes sittin on rock in same position moving his legs around rapidly n squeezin his nails together n tryin 2 scrath his tail and i think hes havin trouble wit tryin 2 get one out. is he havin trouble or is he just doin dat for notin?????

[TheComputerGremlin]

First, it's definitely not a he, sorry. So, she's laid 12+ already, it's possible she's got another one up there, or maybe her tail is just a little sore/itchy. Take the turtle carefully out of the water, don't stress her, and feel gently between the legs and tail. Can you feel something that feels like a grape? If so, she might have another one to lay. If you do feel something, let her go back to nest for a bit longer. If she hasn't laid the remaining egg(s) in a couple days, you NEED to get her to a vet, if the egg cracks inside her, she can die.

[Dein211]

nothing more nerve racking than a gravid female and a new time owner <-- that would be me but without the gravid female. i just know when its Rolo's time i'm going to go into panic mode