Other Turtle Discussion :: mystery white goo in tank?

[Teacher]

I have a red ear slider that I found at a dumpster about 5 years ago. It was only about the size of a quarter or half dollar then. Now its about 6 or 7 inches long. I think it may be a female as when allowed to explore outdoors she/he tries to dig a nest in the soil. One day after cleaning the tank and replacing the water, a few minutes after replacing Paco(a) in the water, I found a white gooey substance floating in the tank, several bits of it, which Paco was trying to eat! Is it possible that it was aborted egg parts? She/he has never been around another turtle but I am almost positive that this substance came from the turtle, as I had just cleaned the tank and the water completely. When rubbed between my fingers the substance was oily and partly dissolved. Does anyone know what this could have been? Thanks for any help from other turtle owners.

[missibsu]

I don't know what the substance is that you found, but your turtle can lay eggs even without a male around. Laying eggs in the tank isn't normal for them, and it isn't healthy. Read through the information on this link, and see what others have to say about the substance.

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

[sonyj]

And just so you will know for sure whether you have a girl or boy here's a link with some good pics: http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Info/info.htm . They are about half way down on the page.

Males will have extremely long front claws and longer tails than females.

[Teacher]

Thanks for the information and links. I now know that my res is a female, but I still don't exactly know what the white substance is. I took her out today and she started to dig a little, but then started to walk around, which she hadn't been doing much before the discharge of the white stuff. She is now eating like never before so I don't think she is sick. Previously she was not eating much, but was trying to get out of the tank as described in one of the links that was referred to me. She is no longer doing that. After her time outside today, when I placed her back in the tank, she discharged a little more of the white substance. I examined it more closely, and it really is more filmy than gooey. Also it does not have an odor as described in the link if it were part of the egg.
Also is it normal for res to eat their fecal droppings?
I never have any in the tank. The only reason I have to change the water every few days is the growth of green algae in the water.
I appreciate all the help you can give me, as I knew nothing about turtles when I found this one, and over the past few years, knew only the essentials. I had come to this website back then and learned the basic care procedures, but nothing more. I will definitely use this forum to find out more.

[marisa]

Yes, they'll eat their poop. I usually try to net it out if I see any.

As for the white goo---what had your turtle been eating recently?

[Teacher]

Thanks to Marisa for the info about eating the poop. I was getting worried that my
res had a deficiency to be doing that. As far as the white stuff, before it appeared she had been eating reptile pellets, flies, other insects, and occasionally a mealworm. After I did research to find out about the white substance, I realized that she should be eating more fruits and veggies. I had tried these before, and she wouldn't eat most of them, but now she loves tomatoes, cantalope, cherries, strawberries, etc. One of the links mentioned some discharge females have to wet their nest, and I'm wondering if that is what this is, although she does it in the water, not when in soil or sand. Thanks to all who have been replying to my posts.
Teacher

[missibsu]

Try to stick more to leafy greens than even the fruits. Fruits are considered treats and shouldn't be offered more than a couple times a month. If you have an older turtle who has never eaten leafy greens, getting them started can be difficult. There are tricks you can try like soaking the greens in tuna juice overnight, or mixing it with canned cat food. If the turtle still isn't interested, then it may require some 'tough love'. That means, not feeding the turtle anything else until it learns to eat it's veggies. Sounds cruel, but turtles don't eat everyday in the wild anyway.

As for the whole pregnancy thing. If you think she might be ready to lay eggs, you can feel right in front of her hind legs. If you feel something like grapes, that could mean eggs.

[Teacher]

I would like to thank everyone who has responded to my questions. I still don't know if Pacquita (which we now call the res since Paco didn't suit a female) has eggs. I felt the area in front of her back legs, and it may feel like an egg on each side, but I don't know what it is supposed to feel like, it may be her muscles. I know very little about turtles, as I found this one in a dry 10 gallon aquarium on a hot summer day next to a dumpster. Someone had apparently gotten tired of it already, (it was only about an inch long at the time). Being a teacher and an animal lover, I thought I would keep it in my classroom at school. After realizing the danger of salmonella and children, I decided to keep it at home. I may have to find a new home for her if this egg situation cannot be settled, as I do not have the time or space for a full turtle habitat. She stays in a 20 gallon aquarium with about 5 inches of water, a rock to bask, a filter and a light to keep the water warm. I tried a heater but it didn't work as she moves things like that around too much.
My new question is: If she has eggs, how long does she have to sit on her nest before laying them? Yesterday I took her outside(the only way I can provide a nesting area) and she walked around for a while, then found an area in my rose garden, dug a little, and then sat there for about an hour. I had to keep going out to make sure she didn't start moving again as she could get away and since we live in the country, I would never find her. I finally had to bring her in as a storm was starting and it began to rain. She seemed content when I replaced her in the tank, and in a few minutes stretched out and went to sleep. Is this normal behavior if she were ready to lay eggs? Thanks again. Teacher

[Amooliakin]

I want to learn more about this as well...

Our turtle is 5 years old and we had assumed it was a male, although I now realize otherwise.... My son was given the tiny RES on his 7th birthday. Now the turtle is HUGE and lives in a 20 gallon tank. But there is no nesting area and I'm sure she just laid an egg in the water.

What on earth am I supposed to do now?

[sonyj]

I want to learn more about this as well...

Our turtle is 5 years old and we had assumed it was a male, although I now realize otherwise.... My son was given the tiny RES on his 7th birthday. Now the turtle is HUGE and lives in a 20 gallon tank. But there is no nesting area and I'm sure she just laid an egg in the water.

What on earth am I supposed to do now?

How big is your turtle (shell length from tip to tip not including curve)? 20 gallons seems very small for a five year old turtle (recommened minimum habitat size is 10 gallons per inch of turtle). First thing I would do is read up on setting her up a nesting area. RES should not lay their eggs in the water and only do so as a last resort and even then they may still be holding some inside. If they become egg bound one could rupture and cause serious injury.

Please be sure to go to the link that is provided in the second post above.

[Amooliakin]

OK - I measured the turtle according to the directions and she is 7 inches. Does this mean we need a 70 gallon tank?! That would take up my son's entire room! I'm starting to get very worried here..... All this time we thought we were treating our turtle well.... Now it seems not....

And how do I provide a nesting place when the turtle is in an aquarium? Do I take her out for a while and put her in dirt? I did feel lumps on either side of her tail - but I dont' know if that is normal since I never thought to feel there before.

I'm sorry to be so ignorant. If someone like me showed up on the RMCA (rat and mouse club of America) web site they would have their head handed to them for being so stupid. I have been a member there for years and know everything about rats and mice.... but apparently nothing about this turtle.

Thanks for your patience with me...

[sonyj]

Since your RES is a female... she will eventually be between 10-12 inches in length when fully grown. This means the minimum tank size you need is a 100 gallons. Many owners of female RES suggest an outdoor pond for summer months and housing them inside over winter.

You can build a nesting area that will sit directly next to the aquarium (do not use the any of the aquarium space since she needs as much water as it will hold to swim and provide a good quality habitat). She will need to be able to gain access to the nesting area herself via a ramp etc. Or others have watched for signs that their female RES needs to lay eggs and have taken them outside while supervising them and let them dig a nest in a garden or soft soil. This may take several hours so you do not want to leave them alone.

I've also seen a nesting area set up in a kiddie pool outside used only for that purpose. Do a search for other posts about "eggs" or "nest sites" etc and there should be several older posts to reference.

I suggest that you read the basic care section on the main site to insure that other than tank size she is getting the correct care she needs. If you have any other questions please ask.

[Amooliakin]

Thanks Sonja - We live in New York City... right in the middle of town... so there is no outdoor place for her to dig. I will look at the other posts for more ideas - but do you think a few hours in a large box with soil or sand would help? And how quickly do I have to do this? I don't want her eggs to get impacted assuming there are more. This seems like something I should deal with right away!

[steve]

Amooliakin, if you felt the area between the tail and rear legs, then those are bones not eggs. Has your turtle exhibited any signs of wanting to lay eggs (restless behavior, climbing, kicking motions, digging motions)?

[Amooliakin]

Amooliakin, if you felt the area between the tail and rear legs, then those are bones not eggs. Has your turtle exhibited any signs of wanting to lay eggs (restless behavior, climbing, kicking motions, digging motions)?

Not only did she show signs of being crazy to get out of her tank.... but she did actually lay one egg in the water. That's why I think I have to act fast. I know pitifully little about turtles and should be shot at dawn for not learning more sooner. But here I am with a 7 inch, 5 year old, female turtle I had assumed was a male, who needs to nest someplace and we live in a big city.

I think I will buy a box and fill it with potting soil and let Ms. Turtle have some time there.....

Wish me luck and send any advice you can think of....

Thanks!