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FAQs About Turtle Reproduction, Young

Related Articles: Turtles, Shell Rot in Turtles, Amphibians, Red Eared Slider Care,

http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/articles.html#breeding

http://www.kingsnake.com/forum/res

http://petshub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10729

Box Turtle Eggs 2/8/07
Hello,
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
I have a box turtle who is laying eggs and it looks like she is stepping on them. The turtles (male and female) are in a terrarium in the house. I just acquired them a few months ago and they were living in an apartment all their lives judging by their size they are probably 5 or 6 years old. I have one that's outside as well. I didn't want to take the chance of them getting sick with the cold weather. I'm going to put them outside in the spring.
<Be sure the enclosure is well secured. A fence dug deep is necessary to prevent them from escaping. Recommend 2"deep & turned in 8". Same for the walls--they can climb, so turn in the top of the walls 8" also. Chicken wire works well.>
I found the first egg Thursday evening on the 1st of Feb., the second on Tues. the 6th an another one yesterday. I have them separated in the vermiculite, moist like all the site say. The moisture level is at 80. I check it regularly. It's after she has it before I see it when she steps on it. Maybe she's not stepping on it but that's what it looks like. It's right in the middle of the egg. Is there a chance that they are ok? The first one was fine.
<I have seen eggs with a side that is concave. Should be alright with some moisture. Keep them moist but not wet. Box turtle eggs are temperature-dependent. The incubation temperature should be 84°-86°F if female offspring are desired, keeping the temperature around 72°F will produce males. Lower 80s might produce some of both. To tell if the eggs are fertile, within a few days the yolk should settle to the bottom part of the egg. Within 10 days to 2 weeks you should see veining in the eggs if you candle them with a pen light or flashlight in a dark room. If everything works out you'll have young'uns in about 60 days. Once hatched, the hatchlings will require the same care as the parents except for feeding. They will need a higher proportion of insects and other carnivorous foods in their diet. It is best not to house the parents with the hatchlings.>
How long will she lay eggs? I thought I read 24-48 hours? Can you give me more info? I've never done this before.
<For more info: http://turtle_tails.tripod.com/raisingbabyturtles/tour8.htm
Good luck with your turtle breeding. Baby box turtles are the cutest!!! ~PP>
Thanks for you help, Jennifer Wollard

Eastern painted turtles repro, behaviour - 1/31/08
I have two eastern painted turtles in a 20 gallon tank with all the necessary apparatus. They are definitely opposite sex. The female is approximately four years old and the male is three years old. The female is about 4" and the male is half that size. Problem: They have been together about three years. In the last year or so when I go to feed them the male becomes aggressive, attacking the female and biting her head, pulling her under water. Once he sees the food floating on the top he leaves her alone and begins to eat. He does not do this to her any other time but feeding time. Should I separate them? Do turtles prefer to be with others or along?
If it ok to keep them together how should I set it up for them to reproduce this spring? Thanks for your help
Carol
<Carol, unfortunately it is quite common for male turtles/terrapins to become snappy towards one another and towards females. There's no real fix as such. About the best you can do is put them in an enclosure that has two (rather than one) islands so that they can rest and bask separately. Turtles are not really social animals, and they can be kept perfectly well on their own. In fact in a vivarium as small as 20 gallon (far too small for them, really) I don't think you will be able to keep more than one specimen permanently. If you want to breed these animals, you will need something bigger than a 20 gallon tank. At the ages your turtles are, they are both sexually mature, and will breed readily given the chance. A big problem with females is egg-binding, which happens when the female cannot drop her eggs. Precisely why this happens is a complex issue, but you should be aware that a sexually mature female that is trying to dig or climb out of the tank is likely wanting to lay eggs, especially is she looks swollen. Egg-binding is an issue that needs vet help. Anyway, mating is obvious, with the male mounting the female and (simply put) seeming to scratch her eyes out with his front flippers. Eggs are laid a few weeks later. The female will lay the eggs in a fairly deep pit of some sort containing a mix of sand and coconut fibre. Incubating the eggs requires that they be kept warm (around 25 C) and very, VERY still. Hatching takes a couple of months. Few people breed turtles in captivity, but it is certainly do-able. Cheers, Neale.>

Pregnant Turtle?? 8/20/07
I have 4 turtles currently living together...3 yellow bellied sliders and 1 red-eared slider. I have raised them all since they were the size of a quarter! I have 2 males and 2 females. They have been doing courtship behaviors for years, but I have never once seen an egg. They are all in a 55 gallon aquarium with mega filtering, and heating. I know its small but, its temporary. They have all been living comfortably for years, so I do not understand what is wrong.
<UM, if they've been living comfortable for "years" then ... what is your definition of "temporary"?>
About a week ago, my largest female yellow bellied slider and my largest male yellow bellied slider, both nearing 5 years of age, began mating behaviors. Now, my female slider is acting sluggish. She sleeps for long periods of time as if she is hibernating. She keeps her tail tightly tucked in, and sometimes shields it with her feet. The male turtle is constantly bugging her and continues to swim on top of her, biting her on the neck or feet when she comes up for air. She still has an appetite, but stays away from the other turtles until dinner time. She does not seem sick. Her eyes are clear, her breathing is normal, and she is very active around dinner time. But, she seems so tired and sluggish that I am afraid she is sick.
<She's probably not sick, she's depressed. Male sliders (in fact, all the Pseudemys) reach sexual maturity many years before the females because it's based their size and it's not uncommon at all for the females to be bugged and harassed by the males. When the females can't get far enough away, they can begin to act as you are describing.>
I thought she was pregnant so I separated her from the other turtles and put her in a nice little environment but nothing happened. She just crawled around for a little while and slept the rest of the time. Now I put her in there to give her a break from the harassment of the other turtles. Also, the male turtles both have actually been seen dropping their you know what's!
<You're doing the right thing -- a 55 gallon tank simply isn't enough room for that many ... um .... active turtles. My suggestion is to put the MALES in another enclosure temporarily, maybe putting them back in just for feeding, and give her a couple of weeks to come out of her shell (to make a pun!)>
The only turtle acting normally is my younger female yellow bellied slider. What is wrong with my turtles!?

A Turtle gave us some eggs! – 5/25/07
Hi,
<hi>
I live in Louisiana, last night a turtle laid eggs in our back yard.
<that's a neat thing to witness, isn't it?>
She covered them and left. Will she return?
<No, Michelle, she's done her job. Normally Nature would take it's course from here on>
Do the eggs need care? It's very warm here but I am concerned that they will get enough moisture or be harmed. Please help.
<There are three choices, Michelle. (1) Do nothing and let nature take it's course, knowing that not all egg clutches hatch and even then not all babies dig their way out (2) Take some hardware cloth or chicken wire and make a cylinder (and top) around the egg site to protect them from predators like raccoons, possums, dogs, cats & kids and then wait until nature takes it's course. (3) Dig the eggs up and incubate them. Steps 1 and 2 are self explained, so here goes number 3:
Buy a bag of Vermiculite from your local home supply store and a small plastic container (like Tupperware) about as big as a shoebox. Poke some holes in the too of the container -- use a screwdriver or scissors -- about 6 holes will do. Mix the vermiculite 1/2 and 1/2 with slightly warm water. This means 1/2 and 1/2 by weight, not by volume. We don't want MUD ... just moist potting soil. Place about a 1 or 1 1/2 inch layer in the bottom of the plastic container. Now comes the fun part -- dig the eggs up. You have to be REALLY careful doing this for two reasons -- first, you can break the eggs -- so after you dig down a little bit you need to use something like a brush to wipe away the dirt or use your fingers really carefully (this is a lot like dinosaur fossil hunting like in Jurassic Park: careful, careful, careful!). Second, unlike bird eggs, once a reptile lays the eggs, you have to keep the UP end facing UP -- never rotate them. Some people put a pencil mark on the top part just as they take them out ... but I just treat each one like ... well, like an egg ... and I never take my eyes off of it from the time I take it out of the hole until I place it in the plastic container ... always keeping the end that was UP ... up! Place them gently in the vermiculite ... 1 inch apart and around 3/4 down into it. When all the eggs are in place ... put the lid on gently and place the container somewhere that will stay warm ... like your garage -- but on an out of the way shelf where they can be left alone. Try to find a place that doesn't get jarred by door slams or vibrations, all of which are bad for the eggs. Now, just wait somewhere around 90 to 120 days (depending on the temperature) and maybe you'll be a turtle mom!>
Thanks, Michelle
<lets us know how it turns out, OK>

Re: Turtle repro.... Where are the eggs? - 6/25/07
Darrel, you are such a gem.
<Yes, I am ... and you show a tremendous sense of taste and style for noticing!>
By the way, I believe that we have met once, a few years ago, at a herp convention in Valley Forge.
<There are two reasons this is unlikely. The lesser of the two is that I've never been to Valley Forge and the greater being that, for better or worse, I'm not the sort one "believes" they've met -- if we've met in person, you KNOW it .. and even with drugs and years of therapy you never forget -- just ask my ex wife!>
I'll let you know if we find anything after our second dig.
<Happy Spelunking!>
This turtle is indeed young, only about 5 years old, and she was raised in captivity (bought illegally as a baby in N.Y.C. Chinatown) and given to us a few summers ago, when she had outgrown her aquarium. Her name had been George up until we got her.
<My entire current herd of Sliders and Cooters are the progeny of tiny babies obtained essentially the same way>
Our male Red Eared Slider immediately began to court her. He didn't seem to succeed until last summer,
<Turtles generally attain sexual maturity by SIZE rather than age, so captive males often spend a few years "waiting" for their female cage mates to catch up. In slow growing species, like the pair of Map Turtles I have ... the male spends almost a decade in utter frustration while the young female seems to spend that same amount of time totally annoyed with him.>
and we began to make preparations for an expectant Georgia to lay her eggs then. I am fairly certain that this first clutch will have been fertilized.
<as we speak, I'm watching a pod of Spur Thigh Tortoises (G. sulcata) poking their heads out of eggs in my incubator -- a wonderful and fun time awaits you next year!>
Many thanks again.
Elisa
<Yer welcome, Darrel>

Re: We found the eggs! - 06/27/07
Dear Darrel!
<Yes, Ma'am?>
We found them!!
<she's talking about Red Eared Slider Eggs, folks! Amazing how DEEP they were, huh?>
See photos!
<How cool!>
I think the gentleman I met spelled his name Darryl and misspelled just about everything else, therefore, I was certainly mistaken! (He was from an old mailing list about turtles to which I no longer subscribe).
<It's OK, Elisa -- all that matters is that you have the correct "Darrel" now!>
And by the way, my husband is the one who misspelled "tutle" on the attachments.
<heh heh .... silly goose>
On to study all the internet has to offer on incubation. If you have any incubation and/or Red Eared Slider hatchling care sheets already prepared, please send.
<Why yes, I do. Get a plastic container from your local building supply or hardware store about the size of a shoe box. Buy a bag of Vermiculite at the nursery department. Mix a batch of warm water & vermiculite 50-50 BY WEIGHT (see below) and fill the shoe box container 1/2 full.
Place the eggs in the container in EXACTLY the orientation that they were when you found them (Turning reptile eggs can be deadly to the embryos - but if you didn't know that and you've already turned them, don't sweat it .. just don't add any MORE changes). After placing the eggs gently in the container, fill the rest of the container with your vermiculite & water mix until the tips of the eggs are barely sticking out. While you're doing this, Ron should poke about 6 small holes in the top of the container and have it ready to snap (gently) in place when you're done nesting.
Now .....
90 degrees for 90 days. At 80 degrees ... up to 240 days (all times approximate, your times can and will vary)
If you have an incubator that's great. If not, a high shelf in your garage where it stays kind of warm all summer will do just fine. But this is important -- vibration from slamming doors or dresser drawers can damage and destroy the embryos ... so you want some place out of the way.
That's all you "have" to do.
Now ... what *I* do?? About 45 days into the cycle, I'll prepare fresh vermiculite in another shoe box and I'll gently uncover and transplant the eggs -- making sure to preserve orientation. I do this to preserve the moisture content and that helps the eggs develop.>
A very excited Elisa and Ron
<Congratulations, Darrel>
<50-50 by weight!!! 2 cups of Vermiculite and 2 cups of water would make MUD that would drown the eggs. The easy way is to put a plastic pitcher on an electronic kitchen food scale, zero out the scale after the pitcher is in place and then fill it with vermiculite and then record the weight. After dumping that into a clean mixing pail, replace the pitcher and fill with water to the same weight.
No Scale? No problem!!!
Place a ruler flat on top of a pencil laying on the counter. Place a drinking glass filled with Vermiculite carefully on one end of the ruler and an empty (identical) drinking glass on the other end of the ruler. Make sure the pencil (the fulcrum) is centered ... then fill the empty glass with water until ... the home made scale starts to balance!
Yes, you'll have to sort of hold the glasses in place and no, your measuring won't be as accurate as a scale ... but it WILL BE more accurate than really matters .... FAR more accurate than Nature herself. Then, once you know the water level in the glass to equal one glass full of vermiculite, you can repeat this until you have a full mixing pail.>

A Mystery turtle and some turtle help, fdg. young 5/24/07
Hello, I'm Jessie.
<Nice to meet you Jessie, I'm Darrel>
Recently, my mother found a baby turtle roaming around while at work. So she brought it home (mainly because our family has a need to care for animals... and it was cute). It's a bit larger than a quarter and has intricate yellow markings. These markings include 2 swirls near the back of its shell and black spots on the underside of the shell (these are just main markings I'm trying to point out it has yellow stripes everywhere). The spots are on the underside of the rim of the shell, other than that it has an all yellow underbelly. Oh, an it has this little ridge on its back. Now I've been doing research, and I think that it is a baby River Cooter.
<That what I was thinking, too.>
She found this turtle kind of out of its area. You see, it says that this turtle lives in the northern part of Florida, but we live in Sarasota. I'd be happy to send pictures of it... when my dad comes home with the camera.
<many different cooters live in Florida, Jessie and I'd guess this one lives in your area. You don't have to send pictures>
I HAVE been trying to find out what I could about Florida turtles and about baby river cooters. Unfortunately, I find myself in a very difficult situation. 1. I don't know how old it is so I don't know if its still using the yolk for food.

2. I am lacking the foods that the sites I have visited suggest feeding to this turtle (cut up minnows or lettuce)
<a small cotter would like koi pellets that are available cheaply at your local pet store>
3. I'm not completely sure if this turtle will be a permanent pet. Seeing a show it's a baby, it's cute, we love animals, and my Dad seems to have taken an interest in it, I'm guessing it will be.
<let's hope so! They make fun and interesting pets>
Can anyone help me? And or does anyone have suggestions?
<first, make sure it has a place to get wet and a place to get dry and warm and is safe from any other animals like dogs or cats. They like sunshine, but direct Florida sunshine can get that little guy overheated quickly, so never leave him alone out under the sun. Here is a link to a care sheet that will tell you a lot more http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/redearsliders.htm Good luck to you, Jessie, and thank you for writing us!>

Tough Love Is Needed When Feeding Turtles - 04/20/07
When feeding my hatchlings in their feeding tank I put assorted food in their feeding tank (pellets, shrimp, krill, and micro size pellets for hatchlings), in the tank they live in I put red and romaine lettuce for them to munch on as well as a cucumber slice every few days which they love. The problem is that since I introduced the shrimp and krill about 4 weeks ago both hatchlings have stopped eating all the pellets and only eat the shrimp and krill. I just read on another website that this is not a healthy diet and the shrimp and krill should only be a treat - how can I get them back onto pellets? I tried today to get them to eat the pellets and they wouldn't - I weakened when they seemed to be begging for the shrimp and I gave in and gave them some! Help... how do I break the cycle and get them back on a healthy cycle? I'm also afraid I am overfeeding my larger turtle's shell is definitely pyramiding and the smaller one's shell is starting to pyramid - I want to stop it now before I cause too much damage.Thanks Jen
<Your turtles have you well trained. Larger turtles need more vegetable matter in their diet. Too much protein makes their shells very hard and thick. As the turtle grows the shells stops growing and the turtles are trapped in their own straight jacket. I have seen turtles suffer this slow death before. Once you see it you never forget it. Hatchlings really need a varied diet to get all the vitamins and minerals they need. They can get imprinted on shrimp and never eat anything else again. Do not feed your turtles anything for three days. Offer the hatchling turtle food for 5 minutes. Remove any food after 5 minutes. Next day do the same thing. Eventually they will start to eat the pellets. Feed the pellets for a week before offering anything else.-Chuck>

Turtle Laying Eggs – 4/13/07
I have read some of the cached links. But I still need much more info, please. How does one create a sand laying area in a tank?
< Divide the tank, place a combination of 50% sand and 50% peat moss in the dry area.>
Or if I am able to create an area in the yard this summer then how do I transition them back to an aquarium for winter if this is what is to be done?
< When the air temp highs get below 65 F then bring them back inside for the winter.>
And what do I do IF I am able to see the eggs in the water before they are eaten?
<They are probably no good and need to be discarded.>
Please tell me or refer me to a site that tells me what the outside area should be like and what I do with the eggs in the water?
< Do a Google search on the California Turtle and Tortoise Club Website for the info you need.>
I have raised my 2 females and 1 male since they were half dollar size and the girls are now 10" long and 9" wide, weighing about 2 lbs each, my male is half their size. I use a Cascade 1000 canister filter and considering putting the in-tank pump back in also. The turtles are in a 55 gal wide with 1 large Zoomed basking platform. Which only holds 1 girl and the male on top. There is about 40 gal of water. They have lived here since babies and eat feeder fish, turtle pellets, crickets, and
large worms. For the last week they have not had a light coz the clip lamp wore out and I couldn't find one with a goose neck strong enough to not fall in the water. So I went to the pet store and spent the money for one there but it really is not strong enough either. I see in this time one of my girls has acquired a yellowish rough spot on her neck skin. Could you give me some info on this too?
< Could be shedding, if not a bacterial infection.>
It was not there a week ago. They are both growing again. Well the shells are losing scutes this time. I love my turtles and want to make their living quarters as desirable as possible for all seasons. Do you think I might have enough room in the tank for a second basking platform?
< Conditions are tight any additional room would be a benefit.>
Should I put a sulfa block in the tank?
< With the irritation and temporary lack of proper lighting the Sulpha Block may be a good idea.>
Thank you for listening this is the first place I have found that I was actually able to write to someone for help. I have had concerns for some time but not able to find the info I want. Please don't hesitate to email me. If you don't email directly with the info
where do I find your response?
< On the WWM website for all to see.-Chuck> I am very very excited to get some info. Thank you again in advance for your response. Dee

Keeping, Feeding, Sexing Map Turtles – 3/28/07
Hi there. We have two Mississippi Map Turtles that we bought as hatchlings in November of last year (2006). My first question relates to how much we should be feeding them. We have two different types of pellets but haven't managed to get a definitive answer of roughly how many we should be feeding them so we have no idea if we are massively over/under feeding them. At the moment we feed them every day and give them approx. 8 pellets each - they gobble these down in a few seconds which makes us think they need more but I'm sure I remember being told that they should only have a few each? I'm very worried as I read somewhere that if you over-feed them, their shells can crack which we obviously don't want to risk happening.
The pot says to feed them as many as they will eat in five min.s but with our two that would be LOADS - is that right?! We have tried them with other food as well as the pellets but they don't seem to be very interested - they will occasionally eat freeze dried shrimp but won't touch live river shrimp or most other things.
< Feed your turtles three to four times a week. Keep feeding them until their appetite starts to slow down indicating that they are getting full. Then remove all the uneaten food. When they are hungry again they will be very active and searching for food. this is a sign that they are hungry and can now be fed again. try the new foods after not feeding them for a few days. Hungry turtles will try anything. Hatchling turtle food is best with treats of washed earthworms and insects.>
My second question relates to the sex of the two turtles. At what age should we be able to tell what sex they are?
< At about 4 inches you should be able to se some of the different sexual characteristics.>
I know the females will eventually be bigger but when would we notice a big difference between
them if they were different sexes? One has always been larger than the other but we don't know if that is just "one of those things". Also, please could you tell me any other signs that will enable us to tell them apart and at what age we should be able to notice them?
Many thanks. Adele Davis
<When two turtles are kept together one always seems to be dominant and get most of the food. This dominant turtle always seems to grow faster regardless of the sex. This can make determining of the sexes difficult for a while, but eventually the female will grow larger that the male.-Chuck>

Different Species Of Turtles Trying To Mate 3/27/07
Hello !I am hoping you can help me. 2 years ago I found a painted turtle and have been taking care of him with no problems. My daughter thought it might be nice to get him a "friend" so we picked up a baby map turtle. We have had them together for about 5 months now and they seem to be ok together...I do however feel they get a little rough once in a while. Anyway, my question is this... He seems to be trying to mate with the new turtle a lot . How do I know if she has become pregnant?? and is it dangerous if I don't know that she is and do nothing?? What do I do for her once I know that she is? I have a 30 gallon tank with a basking rock and gravel . and some plants but nothing else.....am I doing anything wrong ?? please help thanks Susan
< Your situation is a standard case for people who try to get their turtle "friends". In the wild turtles look upon other turtles as competition and try to chase them away from their territory. You have now two different species that don't get along. Now that it is spring the hormones are raging and the male turtles are trying to breed. It may be breeding or it just may be a territorial situation. I doubt a female would allow a different species to mate with her despite the male's advances. The new turtle may still be gravid from a previous mating in the wild and have nothing to do with this situation. If the female is pregnant then in a few weeks she will be digging a nest in the sand/gravel to lay her eggs. Unless you plan on getting an incubator I would recommend that you throw the eggs away before they rot.-Chuck>

Crossing Turtles - 03/02/07
Hi there! I have a yellow-belly slider about 4” long in an outdoor FL pond – 125 gal, though the center is taken up by a huge basking rock. There’s also a couple feet of fenced area around 2 sides of the pond for them (dug down about a foot & curves inward a few inches at the bottom).
I was given a RES today that’s only slightly smaller than my yellow – about 3.5” - and as his tail & claws are MUCH larger than my yellow I’m assuming the yellow is a female & the RES is a male. (I can’t really tell by the bottom shell – the RES may be slightly concave or just my imagination…they yellow looks flat or even bowed out a bit by the tail) If so, is it possible these 2 will produce hatchlings? If they do, what would the babies be called – slider mixes?
< It is possible for your turtles to cross. Not sure what the baby turtles would be called.>
I know color fades with age & this RES is much paler than other young, smaller ones I’ve seen – kinda a drab olive color - does that mean he’s near adult or adult sized?
< Older turtles are usually more drab than the brightly colored hatchlings.>
How big would a female need to be to breed?
< Around 4 inches.>
I have no idea how old she is – bought her several months ago & she’s grown fairly quickly since then.
Last question: the area around the pond is sandy, pebbly soil covered with a couple inches of topsoil. The topsoil tends to become quite firm and it seems it would be hard for the female to dig a nest in it. Do you think I’d have to change it for a successful nest?
< Sandy soils are best for incubating eggs. The sandier the soil the better the chances of hatching. Your soil does not sound very good.>
Would I still be able to water the plants in the turtle run if there is a nest?
< Excess water can drown turtle eggs. A light watering every day would be better than a deep soaking once a week.-Chuck>
Thanks in advance for the great site & helpful info!
Tamara

Sexing Yellow Bellied Sliders – 2/25/07
Hi. I recently purchased a yellow-bellied slider. I'm not really sure how old it is, but it's about 2-3 inches. I am looking to determine the sex of the turtle. I've read that you said males will have longer claws and tails, while females' will be shorter. But, I have only one turtle so I can't compare a male and a female. So is there another way I can determine the sex of the turtle? -Thanks
< Males may have very long front claws. Almost to the point to where they look like they will get in the way. The females nails are usually in the same proportion to the claws as the younger turtles. A male will have a very long tail. Once again the tail will grow out of proportion to the rest of the turtle while a female turtle's tail will seem the same as a young turtle.-Chuck>

Turtles Mating 12/9/06
My son has two painted turtles in a 55 gallon tank. We have proper filtration and UV lighting. The larger one has a shell length of around 4", the smaller one around 3.5". I believe they are both female since they both have flat bottoms. We have had them for over two years and they seem to get along well. They both share the basking area at times comically with one on top of the other. I started noticing that the larger one sometimes approaches the smaller one and extends her front legs and shakes them at the smaller one. In fact I believe she injured the smaller one's eye with her claws. I placed the injured turtle in a separate tank with a sulfa block, then treated the eye with Terramycin. They were separated about two weeks. I just placed the smaller one back in the tank and the larger one immediately started up with the leg shaking. But now the smaller one seems to be the aggressor and is going for the larger one. The smaller one looks as it is trying to mate with the larger one because it keeps coming around the other one's back and trying to climb on it. Currently the tank has no land area except for the basking spots which are just piles of slate. Any ideas on what is going on and more importantly what should I do. Thanks
< Male turtles tend to be smaller and have longer front claws and a longer tail. It is possible that you have a pair and they are now getting old enough to breed. Painted turtles are not as aggressive as red eared sliders so I would let the water cool down and the aggression should cool down too. If you want to breed them then in a few weeks you will need an area with damp sand for the female to come out of the water and lay her eggs.-Chuck>

Turtle nipping other turtle feet, Turtles Trying To Mate 12/3/06
Okay, here is the scenario, we have 4 turtles in a 125 gal. tank with all the proper set up, (i.e. UV basking lamp & dock, Fluval 404,heater,etc.).1 musk or mud turtle,1 yellow belly NW pond turtle, 1 painted, and 1 Red-eared slider who is presumably female and larger than all the others. They are all healthy, eat well, etc. until recently the painted and NW pond have begun relentlessly pursuing the RES and nipping at her rear feet. They have even made some bite marks and the RES is trying to swim around with her rear legs tucked in. She is larger than both of them, why doesn't she fight back? Is this a seasonal thing? Like maybe she is in season and they are nasty little boys looking for action? What can I do about this behavior? There is no dirt or nesting material in this set-up, so if she is in season will she need an area to lay eggs? We don't need her to reproduce, but does she need to? Do I have to separate her? If so, for how long? Should I treat the small nip wound on her, and with what? I hope that this too shall pass as this set-up is nicely done and we have hopes of building an indoor pond for them, and our hatchling size turtles when they are larger, to cohabitate with each other.
< In the wild turtles view each other as competition. They stay away from each other and only come together to mate. In the aquarium they are all forced to get along. If their is only one female then the other males in the tank will mate with whatever female is available. Try cooling the water temp down to the low to mid 60's. You may have it too warm for them. Cooling it down will slow their metabolic rate and take them out of the breeding temps.-Chuck>

Infertile Turtle Eggs - 06/07/2006
I have two red ear sliders that I have had for almost 7 years. For the past few years around this time of the year I have noticed eggs in the pond, but by the time I see them they have been eaten by my turtles and all that is left is the shells. I thought both of them were females so I don't know if the eggs are infertile or I was wrong about the sex of the turtles. Is there a way to determine if the eggs are fertile or not? Thanks, Laura
<If the eggs were fertile the female(s) would probably be laying them on land and burying them when they were done. Females have short stubby front claws and a short tail. Males have rather elongated front claws and a much longer tail. Infertile eggs go rotten pretty quickly in the summer heat but you can't really tell right after they are laid.-Chuck>

Breeding Wood Turtles - 05/22/2006
Hi. My name is Celia, I am twelve years old. On Christmas of 2003, I got a north American wood turtle and she was about 7 months old (just born the spring before). I got another turtle in 2005 for her because we wanted her to hopefully have a companion to mate with. Unfortunately the newer turtle died and we quickly got another one so that Woody (my older turtle from 2003) would not get lonely and sad. Now it is 2005, this new turtle is a year old and doing so great! We are so happy! They seemed a little annoyed with each other at first but quickly warmed up. They would get near each other and were not afraid. The younger, newer one (Corky) is about half the size of Woody though (Corky - Male Woody - Female). But Corky isn't afraid to climb on Woody and show her who is boss. Because of their extremely sweet behavior towards each other I don't know if they are gonna mate when I'm at school or asleep so I won't be prepared. The man I bought the turtles from says that they will mate in about three or four years, but from what I have read I don't think that is true for every turtle. My turtles are about the same age, maybe eight or so months apart, but they are both about two or three years old. So does the age difference or the size matter?
<The turtles actually need to be old enough. Because of food and temperatures you turtles could be considered large for their age and still not be old enough to breed.>
Would it keep them from mating if they wanted to?
< If the turtles are actually close enough in size then you may see some mating activity in the late spring and early summer. Probably in the morning after they warm up.-Chuck>
It would help very much if you could help me so that I am prepared when it happens, Thank You, Celia.

Woodland Turtle Laying Eggs 5/15/06
My daughter was given a jeweled woodland turtle for her birthday. We do not know how old this turtle is. This morning when she woke she discovered a what looks like an egg in the tank. Now do you know if this a good or bad one?
< It is probably a bad one now.>
Do I need to remove this from the tank?
< Yes or it will rot and pollute the tank.>
Any help you can give me, I would be grateful. Thanks Juli
< Woodland turtles are semi aquatic and need an area of dry land as well as water. Turtles will dig a pit in the sand and lay their eggs. The eggs will then be buried with no further care by the mother.-Chuck>

Found Turtle Eggs - 04/19/2006
Hi I was just wondering if by any chance you could send me some pictures of turtle breeds and what their eggs look like.
<Most turtle eggs look alike so a photo really would not be much help.>
See my boy friend found some eggs this weekend while we were at the river. They were in a hole in like a cliff type deal along the river. They
were about 5 feet from the rivers edge. The hole that they were in was horizontal.
They weren't fully covered and there was about 8 there from what we could tell. My boyfriend pulled out about 3 and one went further back and another was empty
on a small ledge below where the other eggs were. I've got 2 of the eggs at home in a small incubator, the heat isn't too much though. The eggs are
about an inch in length and about a 1/2 inch in width and is all white. The shell isn't too thick because when we held it up to the sun we could see straight
through it. Please help me out, I don't want to be hatching something out if it's going to be something poisonous, you know. Thank You, Sosha Marie
< The nest you describe is consistent with descriptions of a turtle nest. Snakes and lizards usually lay eggs under rocks and logs. Chances are the female was chased away while laying the eggs or else a predator uncovered the nest. Turtle eggs can be moved in the first 24 hours with out too much danger of hurting them. After that the egg yolk attaches to the side of the shell. If the egg is moved it tears the egg yolk from the shell and can kill the egg. Keep them moist between 75 and 85 F and see if they hatch after a couple of months.-Chuck>
<<Editor's note: PLEASE do not take ANYTHING from its natural habitat if you don't know how to care for it, let alone if you don't know what it even IS.... -SCF>>

Turtles Laying Eggs - 04/19/06
Is the mating season for females before or after she lays eggs? Also is it better to get just one turtle as a pet or do they want a friend
with them? Thanks, Stephanie
< Turtles actually do best by themselves and don't really get lonely. Turtles usually mate before the eggs are laid but may still breed and lay an additional clutch later if they are in good shape.-Chuck>

Turtle Eggs - 04/19/06
Hello! My house mates and I recently acquired 3 turtles. To the best of my knowledge we have a map turtle, a painted turtle and a red belly slider. They're all still pretty small. (The painted is the smallest.) I have seen the map turtle do the "mating dance" towards the RBS but have seen no interest on her part. What is the likelihood that the two of them will reproduce?
< Not likely but not impossible.>
Also, the tank they are all in does not have any sand or soft soil. There are a lot of small rocks that stay dry, would that work as an area for egg laying?
< No, the eggs require soft sand/substrate to provide a consistent damp and uniform temperature.>
And finally, what do you know about Map turtle reproductive organs? A few weeks ago while cleaning the tank I thought I saw the maps "thingy". However, I was sitting by the tank this weekend and saw the map on the bottom of the tank, head pulled in, with the most gigantic, black, spiky thing poking out of his tail. Please, tell me what in god's name that was. Thanks for what ever information you can give me. Sarah
< It could be the hemipene of a male map turtle.-Chuck>

Crossing Turtles - 04/02/06
My boyfriend and I have 3 turtles, a Red Ear Slider, Mississippi Map, and Western Painted. We have been noticing that the RES seems to be doing the "courtship jive" thing you discussed to the Mississippi Map turtle. Do you think that they are courting each other? I guess I am
just wondering if turtles that aren't the same type court and mate?
< It is spring and love is in the air. Male red eared sliders will court anything, rocks logs and other turtles. It is highly unlikely that they will mate, but in an enclosed set up any thing can happen.-Chuck>

Baby Turtles With Problems 1/7/06
Hi, I have 4 baby turtles (RES) and two of them have eye infections. I wasn't sure if I should separate the sick ones from the other
two. One of the sick turtles aren't eating for over 2 weeks and I am very concerned. How can I make him eat ? :( Thank you.
Please help .
<Keep the turtle's water clean. Make sure the basking spot gets up to at least 85 F. Use the proper lighting for vitamin development. Use Zoo Med Repti Turtle Eye Drops and feed Zoo Med Hatchling Aquatic Turtle Food. They may have a vitamin A deficiency too. Chuck>

Wood Turtle Laying eggs 12/5/05
My wood turtle finally laid eggs. Years ago I was in contact with a breeder in Port St Lucie FL. He gave me instructions to purchase some type of medium used in potting soil and place it in a Tupperware container with the eggs. I don't remember the specific instructions. Do you have any advice or who I can contact. We have had the pair for many years but this is the first time she has laid eggs. Thank you Janet
< You need the advice from an experienced turtle breeder. Go to tortoise.org and I think they will help you. The Calif. Turtle and Tortoise Club has been around for a very long time.-Chuck>

Two Different Turtle Species Mating 11/16/05
I have two turtles in a 75 gallon tank in the winter and in a 150 gallon pond in the summer. Since I have moved them to the tank for the winter, the yellow belly is doing the mating ritual. Is it possible that these two turtles will mate?
< Probably not.>
The yellow belly is a male but I am really not sure about he wood turtle. How do I tell if this is a female and should I separate them?
< The male turtle will court just about anything when conditions are right. The wood turtle may be a male if the lower shell is concave or kinda hollowed out. This is so the male turtle can mount the female during mating. Females are usually flat on the bottom. separating them may be a good idea. Wood turtles prefer a semi-aquatic set up anyway-Chuck>
Love ya, Giggles

Sexing Yellow Bellied Sliders 10/22/05
I got two yellow bellied sliders about a year ago. One is larger than the other and has longer nails. Which one is male or female?
< Usually the female is larger with shorter nails and a shorter tail.>
Also the smaller has seemed to be sleeping a lot is there an explanation for that?
< Could be sick. The larger turtle is dominating the tank and the smaller one is not getting the nutrition and care it needs.>
And last how can you tell if a yellow bellied slider is pregnant?
< Females are large, fat and have an incredible appetite. Especially in the spring time when things warm up. Though this is not always certain, adult pairs will usually produce eggs.-Chuck>

Turtle Laying Eggs 8/20/05
Hi. I have 2 large RES I put them in a large fenced pond about 3 months ago.
I noticed her laying eggs on 7/8/05 I dug them up carefully there was 5.
Then today 8/18/05 I noticed her laying more I haven't dug them up because I
wanted I know if they will lay unfertile eggs. I thought they were both female.
Then I wanted to know how often they will lay eggs. Thanks very much
Natasha
< Females that are in very good shape and well cared for will still lay and bury infertile eggs. They will not hatch and should be removed so they don't attract predators or ants. Usually turtles lay eggs when the weather starts to warm up. If they are in very good health a female may (Double-Clutch) and lay a second batch later in the year if the weather stays warm-Chuck>

Box Turtle Babies 8/16/05
I am getting Eastern Box Turtle Hatchlings from a friend. A clutch of three eggs have hatched and one more clutch of 5 eggs should hatch in the next week or so. His adults are 4 females, one male, one unknown, so I don't know if my turtles will be siblings, half siblings, etc. I have requested two hatchlings, he suggested I take three (the babies are too small to sell and he knows I will take good care of them). I am concerned that if I get three and end up with two males and a female, they will fight when they mature in five years or so. Should I be concerned?
< Worry about it in 5 years.>
He thinks most will be females because they were incubated at 88 degrees Fahrenheit. If I get a male and a female, will their offspring have problems if they are related?
< Probably not.>
Also, he is going to keep them until they absorb their yolk sacs and begin eating. After that point, is there a large mortality rate if I take proper care of them?
< Absorbing the egg sac is the critical time. After that they need to be feed well to build up fat reserves.>
(if you tell me "yes" I am more likely to take three) My friend had really good luck with last years babies. Also, at what temperature should their basking spot and the cool side of the cage be?
< 70 to 84 F>
I have heard conflicting temperatures, my book says 75-82, but I don't know if they mean the basking spot should be 82 F and the cool side should be 75???
< Box turtles are found over a wide geographical area that varies in temperature. Keeping the temps in this ball park will be fine.>
My friend keeps his outside, so they thermoregulate naturally. Thank you in advance for any help you can provide.
< Follow your friends advice. He is doing very well with his turtles and you should try a copy his success.-Chuck>

Turtle Laying Eggs? 8/11/05
I have a red eared slider, its about 4 inches big. First I know a male has
long claws and a female has short claws, should I be able to tell what my turtle
is now?
< Yes>
Second it moves the rocks in his tank around, if it is a female does
this mean she's trying to lay an infertile egg, its also moving rocks from its
basking area into the tank with its mouth, what does this mean?
<The female will use her hind legs to dig a hole for her eggs. Moving gravel with her front legs is probably searching for food.-Chuck>

Turtle Eggs 8/5/05
Hi! Recently my turtle, who I've had for eight years, has laid four eggs.
The problem is that she does not have a mate, and she has not been in
contact with any since she was about a month old. Is it normal for a
turtle to do this? Is it possible for the eggs to hatch? Thank you!
< Females turtles that are in good shape and well taken care of occasionally lay infertile eggs. They will not hatch and should be discarded.-Chuck>

Turtles Breeding 8/4/05
I have a female yellow belly turtle who I am pretty sure is pregnant by our painted turtle. Today my daughter noticed the male turtle eating something coming from the rear-end of the female turtle. She got the male turtle off and the black stuff went back into the female. I am not sure what is going on except that I told her to put the female turtle in a tank by herself and watch her. I know for a fact that they did mate. I saw it. How long are they pregnant before they hatch and then how long till the eggs hatch and how do I preserve them. I have had these turtles for 12 and 9 years so they are very well taken care of. Please help Thanks Yvonne
< If the female has eggs then she should be laying them within a couple of weeks after mating. The eggs are laid in a sandy burrow that the female excavates. Once the eggs are laid they can be moved to an incubator within 24 hours. After that they should not be moved or they will die. Water turtles take up to 6-8 weeks. Sometimes they go on for a very long time before they hatch. Keep them humid and around 80 degrees F. Keep the eggs in the same orientation in which they were laid. Keep the same side up.-Chuck>

Slider Sexing
Hello,
We are Child Development Center in Weston and we do have a red ear slider turtle who's name is Chocolate she is about 10 years old. We were actually wondering if there is a way to tell if a turtle is male or female. If you can provide us with this information we would greatly appreciate it.
Thank you,
Beginnings' kids
<Hi, the easiest way to tell is to look at the claws on their front feet, the males will have much longer claws than the females, the underside of the males will also be slightly concave. The females will usually grow larger than the males. Good luck, keep those little hands washed. Best Regards, Gage>

Red Eared Slider
My turtle has been acting up lately. When I let her out of the tank she goes to a rug and seems to be enjoying herself. Is it possible she is masturbating? Her tank has become real sudsy also? Please help!
<Hmm, I am not familiar with this behavior in turtles, you might post your question on some of the turtle discussion forums to see if anyone else has experienced something similar. Best Regards, Gage
http://forums.kingsnake.com/forum.php?catid=32
http://www.turtletimes.com/Forums/default.asp >

Red Eared Slider Eggs Under Water
hi there- I've read a lot about turtles laying eggs, and now it's happened to me. well, not me, but my turtles. She laid two eggs. what I'm concerned about is the fact that they're underwater. is that safe? also, I found them trying to clean out the tank, and I'm afraid I jostled one a little bit.
1. can they still hatch underwater (safely)
2. can they be moved around at all? how delicate are they? thank you thank you thank you thank you. -nick
<Hey Nick, sorry it took me so long to get back to you, I do not have much experience breeding sliders, but am fairly certain the eggs should be moved to an area where they can be properly incubated. Check out the link below for some more information.
http://petshub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10729
Best Regards, Gage >

Red Eared Slider Aggression
<Hi, MikeD here>
I have three red eared slider turtles and noticed that the two of them have been showing what I think are signs of aggression. They take both of their front feet and vibrate them in front of their face while at the same time, aim for one another. A friend of mine was wondering if this was a sign of courtship?<It sure is! Males have very long claws/toenails on the front feet and they "flirt" with females by placing their paws in front of their face and doing just exactly what you are describing. Males MAY do this as a sort of "hand jive" with other males as a stylized form of a dance in lieu of real and possibly fatal attacks. You might also want to consider giving the female access to some dry ground for egg laying, where they dig a pit similar to those excavated by their larger, more famous marine relatives!>
Thanks!
<You're welcome>
Slider Fanatic

Red Eared Slider Turtles
<Hi, MikeD here>
First of all, thanks for the speedy reply!<You're welcome> If it is a female and male and they are courting one another, than what do I do if I do not have a space for them so that she can lay her eggs?<That's a tough question that only you can answer. If she HAS to she may lay them on the rocks or even in the water, but there's an equal chance that she'll retain them and become egg-bound, which can be fatal. My solution, of course, is to get a larger container where you can build a dry land section to the terrarium> They are all in a 20 long tank with about eight inches of water with about 10 inches of rocks piled up so that they can get out of the water and "bask" in the heat lamp.<Nowhere near large enough. They will grow to about 10"-12" long each> Also, one of the sliders got out of the tank and fell to the floor!<Might I suggest a screen top as well?> It's shell is cracked a little bit but its been eating and swimming fine. Someone had recommended to put baby oil on the shell to promote growth.<I'd use a good antibiotic ointment for a day or so, then superglue along the crack, depending on the size of course> The other two have been digging in the rocks quite a bit.<They'll likely injure themselves soon if you don't fix this situation as well> I don't know if they are looking for a place to build their nest, but I don't know what I will do if I have turtle eggs!<I'd be more concerned with your turtles surviving than about any eggs, which certainly won't. They can be hatched and the babies raised quite easily, but not without a well designed enclosure, which you do not have. My honest suggestion is to do some reading and consider building a terrarium for your charges where they can be healthy and you will then truly enjoy them>
Thanks!
Slider Fanatic

Slider Stuck
First of all, thanks for the speedy reply! If it is a female and male and they are courting one another, than what do I do if I do not have a space for them so that she can lay her eggs? They are all in a 20 long tank with about eight inches of water with about 10 inches of rocks piled up so that they can get out of the water and "bask" in the heat lamp. Also, one of the sliders got out of the tank and fell to the floor! It's shell is cracked a little bit but its been eating and swimming fine. Someone had recommended to put baby oil on the shell to promote growth. The other two have been digging in the rocks quite a bit. I don't know if they are looking for a place to build their nest, but I don't know what I will do if I have turtle eggs!
<I hate to say it, but if you cannot make room for them, it is in the best interest of the turtles for you to find an appropriate home for them. It is all too common for a pet store to sell young sliders with a 20long setup. Great for them, they made the sale, but what about the turtle? They need a lot more room than this. Climbing out of the tank just emphasizes the point. A cracked shell should be looked at by a vet, it is hard for us to see the extent of the damage. I recently had to find a new home for my Mexican musk "honey". Heartbreaking yes, but it was in her best interest, which is what we have to consider. We may be attached to them emotionally, but they are going to die.
If they are courting and breeding is not the plan they should be separated, there is a chance that she could become egg bound and die. There is no chance for a successful clutch without the proper conditions. Best of luck, and please consult with a quality reptile Vet for the best way to handle your current situation- Gage>
Thanks!
Slider Fanatic

Gay Turtles? 11/29/04
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
I have 2 male red ear slider turtles in a 75 gallon aquarium. One is about 5 inches long the other slightly smaller. Every once in a while they stroke each other with their front claws. But lately the smaller one has been trying to bite bigger one. They sit together on basking platform eat well like to float on weeds together but the little one seems more aggressive. The bigger one does not seemed to concerned about the little one. However I thought he might be getting stressed out with this little turtle bugging him all the time so I separated them. Well the big one started swimming back and forth along wall would not bask. Then after a week I put them together again. The big one stopped pacing wall and basked again. They got along fine then 2 weeks later I noticed little one being obnoxious to big one again. What should I do? They miss each
other when gone but bite each other when together. They are both males they have the long front claws. Thanks
<As far as I know, the claws are not how turtles are sexed. It is by their tail. The males have short, stubby tails & the females have long, fat tails. It doesn't seem that they are hurting each other. It seems more stressful to keep them separated, as the larger one stopped basking, when the smaller one was gone. There has also many instances of homosexuality in the animal world. ~PP>

Question about baby red -eared sliders
Hello,
 Hello my name is mike, I have 2 red eared sliders that I bought in may,
and they have gotten bigger since. One is about 4-5 inches and the other 4
inches. And just recently I bought two more babies (red eared sliders). I was
wondering if it is ok to put them with the bigger ones. thank you for taking my
question.
< Turtles should all be close to the same size. They are incredible eaters and the larger ones would eventually pick on the smaller ones as food items when they got hungry and you weren't around. They may not be able to kill the smaller ones but the could bite off a leg and then you will be taking care of a imperfect turtle for the next 15+ years.-Chuck>
 greatly appreciated,
 Mike D

Red eared slider baby hatchlings
I had 4 new red eared turtles and 2 of them died I
keep the water clean I have a 20 gal long
aquarium, basking ramp, light. filter .... I have well
water do turtles water need to be tested like the
water of fish and if so what are the levels I need to keep
< Water chemistry is not as critical for turtles as it is for fish. If the turtle shells are soft and mushy then the lighting is wrong. They need a bright warm full spectrum light to bask. These little turtles are usually pretty hardy under the right conditions. Hopefully you are giving them a varied diet.-Chuck>

Sexing Turtles
Hi. I have two red-eared sliders. One of them I just got, and it's bigger than the other one. I don't know what sex either of them are, but I think the smaller one is a girl, and the larger one is a male. The big one that we just got, I noticed, has recently started blowing bubbles a lot. What does that mean? Write back as soon as possible!! ~BY
<Red eared sliders are usually very easy to sex. Males are usually smaller than the females, have longer front claws and a much longer tail. The bubbles thing is normal. If they are blowing bubbles at the surface like they have a mucus then it might be signs of a respiratory infection. Simply blowing bubbles under water is not a problem.-Chuck>

Sexing Red Eared Sliders
Hi. I have two red eared slider turtles and I was wondering what age I
can tell what sex they are?- Sean age 9 me , not the turtles
< Red eared sliders sex can usually be determined when they are around four inches long. At that time the males should be developing longer front claws and have a longer tail. Females of the same age should be larger than the males. -Chuck>

New Turtle laying Eggs 6/31/05
Hi, We found a turtle about 6 weeks ago and now it has started laying eggs. It has been exposed to another turtle-the sex I am not sure of yet- What do I do? She has backed her bottom literally into a pile of dirt and will not move. Earlier today, she laid an egg out in the open. Do I remove her from her eggs after she lays them or keep her in the same aquarium? I'm trying to get in touch with a turtle rescue team near me for answers but have not heard back from them yet. I really want someone to be able to help these eggs survive if in fact they are fertile. I do not have a basking lamp. Should I get one and put it shining on the eggs? Help please. I'm very uneducated about turtles and hope to put her in safe hands after all of this. Thanks
< If this was a wild native turtle then you probably caught her moving between bodies of water and should have released her. The eggs are probably fertile. If this is a red eared slider then it is probably an escapee and the eggs may or may not be fertile. Either way, if you really want to try and hatch these eggs then here is what you need to do. Within 24 hours after the eggs are laid they can be gently transferred to an incubator. This can be any device that keeps the temperature between 75 and 80 degrees with keeping the humidity relatively high. Keep the eggs in the same position they were in when you picked them up. The embryos attach to the side of the egg shell within 24 hours. Twisting or turning the eggs can sometimes shear the embryo from the shell and kill the embryo. Direct heat from a basking light will dry the eggs out and kill them. In the wild turtles bury their eggs in the warm sand were the temperature varies little and there is always some moisture so the eggs don't dry out. I use to fill a 10 gallon aquarium with about 4 inches of water and place a submersible heater set at 78 degrees in the bottom. I would then place a brick in the center of the tank and place a Tupperware square bowl on the brick. In the bowl I would put about an inch of coarse sand place the eggs on top of the sand. In 8 to 10 weeks some would hatch. Leave her alone until she has laid all her eggs then make your move.-Chuck>

Red Ear Slider
Need info on how to distinguish a red ear slider is male or female...thanks. Jeff
<Please read here: http://www.kingsnake.com/forum/res/
Bob Fenner>

Turtle Gender
I have two turtles "red ear sliders" .How can I tell male or female? The store where I got them said they were male & female, but how can I make sure.. Thank You, Gina Lauro
<quite easily... as they mature, the males grow very long nails on the front feet while the females stay short and stubby. Males use the nails in a courtship display to stimulate females to spawn. Best regards, Anthony>

Red Ear Sliders
I have two red ear sliders. I just want to know how to tell them a part. Write Back, Gina
<Males have the long nails. -Steven Pro>

Re: eggs
wow I have 6 eggs . I have them in a small fish tank with a heat lamp the temp is between 80 and 90 I mist it about 3 times a ay to keep some moisture there . the eggs are in peat moss that I got at the pet store . I'm doing what they said but I just want to make sure I'm doing this rite. and how long are they pregnant for before they lay there eggs
<Nowhere in this email or subject line have you mentioned what kind of eggs you have. -Steven Pro> sorry about that . we have red ear sliders. and marry xmas and happy new years
<Hello, I do not have any experience breeding/incubating red eared sliders, I did find the following link which looks like it has some useful information. Best Regards, Gage
http://www.tortoise.org/archives/elegans.html>

Pregnant Turtle?
Hi a month ago a turtle wandered into our flower bed in our front yard. she's a red ear slider, and her shell length is approx. 12 ". since this is the first time I've ever had a turtle I have been on the internet almost everyday since looking for information about how I should care for her, etc. The only problem is that many of the websites say one thing, and another says something completely different.
<Everyone has their opinions, and there is more than one way to keep a turtle.>
I got a kiddie pool, left it outside next to my house, and put some bricks in so they just peeked out of the water in order for her to bask. there's no filter at this time, so I change the water every 2 or 3 days.

I read that red ear sliders mate in the spring and lay their eggs in the summer. is this true?
<From what I read, the breeding season is March-July.>
also, how do I know if she is pregnant?
<I do not have much experience in the breeding department. As far as I know, the female will start to eat less, and become very active looking for a nesting spot. I cannot find my turtle book right now.>
she's obviously mature enough to have mated in the spring. the nearest body of water to my house is 100 yards away, so she may have come to land in search of a nesting ground. if she is pregnant, I read that you should put the eggs in a container half buried in moist vermiculite. why is this?
<First you need to put in some soil for her to dig a nest and lay her eggs. Then excavate them and move them to a separate container for incubation. The moist vermiculite helps to insulate the eggs and keep them moist.>
cant I just use moist, shredded newspaper or paper towels instead?

and what temperature do the eggs have to be in?
<High 70s to mid 80s.>
none of the websites have said the same thing. It would be really really awesome if there were eggs.
<Better yet, babies. I strongly recommend a good book on slider husbandry, if she is pregnant, you have to worry about her laying the eggs and not becoming egg-bound, then if she does lay them you will have to incubate them, and if they hatch successfully, you will need to raise them. ugh, I get tired just thinking about it. I would also find a good reptile vet in the area. The link below is to a care sheet on Melissa Kaplan's site, she knows her stuff. Best of Luck, Gage http://www.anapsid.org/reslider.html >
Please help!
thank you!
-new turtle owner

Is my turtle pregnant?
ok I promise this will be the last time I ask anymore questions lol... first of all, my res has been acting very strangely over the past two days. since yesterday, she kept trying to get out of her kiddie pool. I mean, very very frantically trying to get out, like she was going to dye if she didn't. after watching her all morning, after lunch I went to a small area of my lawn that's behind my house where the grass had all died and was replaced by
dollar weeds and moss. I spent about half an hour clearing the weeds and stuff away and put them in a pile. next, I dug a few inches into the 'deweeded' area and thoroughly turned the dirt around. the dirt was mostly sand with chunks of clay mingled in. I crushed the clay, fenced off the area with some wood and bricks and whatever I could find, then put my turtle in the area. the deweeded area is 4'x5', with a few inches of weeds surrounding. I spent the whole afternoon sitting by a window overlooking the
area, but in vain, because the turtle did nothing but try to escape. of course the fence stopped her, and she flipped over on her back a few times (then got upright again by digging her head into the sand and pushing), but NO NEST DIGGING. I don't understand. the sand is moist enough to dig in, the clay is no problem at all since I crumbled it up, but no digging! so I put the turtle back in the pool after 4 hours of waiting, but then she started to frantically try to get out again. this morning I put her back in the area, misting it slightly first, but after all these hours she has done nothing but try to escape. what am I supposed to do?????? if I leave her in the kiddie pool, she tries to get out like a dog is going to maul her, but when I put her in a nesting spot, all she does is try to get away. its getting a bit frustrating, and I will be glad for ANY help or advice whatsoever.
I have tried palpating her in the area right in front of her hind legs, but feel nothing by the way, her shell isn't 12 inches long, sorry. its about 8 or 9 inches long
thank you
<Hmm. It sounds like she is either not pregnant and just acting crazy, or maybe she is not ready yet. I would try incorporate both the land and the water in her enclosure maybe with a sort of A Frame or something going over the side of the kiddy pool so the turtle can come and go as she pleases. The land area will need to be fenced in of course. Best Regards, Gage>

Slider Love
Hello I have two red-eared sliders--a male and female who have co-habited in a 75 gallon aquarium for three years with no problems. HOWEVER in the last few weeks they have become very hostile to each other--he often tries to engage her in mating but she will respond by attacking him and then he attacks her (biting mostly) to the point where I have had to pry them apart--no serious injuries have occurred and I have tried to take them each out of the tank for several hours to give them alone time....will this end? is this normal behavior? what can I do to stop it? Is buying a separate tank my only option? Thanks for your help
Louise
<Hi Louise, I have never tried breeding sliders, so I am not familiar with their breeding behavior. From what I have read it sounds like he is feeling frisky and she does not want any part of it, and this is when the aggression starts. The link below is to the first site I found that mentions breeding, the sites I check out after that all seem to have identical information.
http://reslider.free.fr/breeding.html
I would see if I could find a good discussion forum to see if anyone else has had a similar experience, chances are that many have. I found a forum on turtletimes.com
http://www.turtletimes.com/
I would start there. If the aggression gets too bad or one gets seriously wounded, I would definitely separate them. Best of luck, let us know how it turns out or if we can be of further assistance. -Gage>

Turtle Eggs
I have a question about freshwater turtle eggs. How can
you tell if the eggs the turtle lays are good or bad? And how long before the hatch? Thanks for your time.
<It depends on the turtle, I am going to assume a pond slider of sorts. If you have a male and a female who performed the mating rituals (as opposed to a lone female), chances are you have good eggs. Fuzzy eggs are bad. You will want to keep the eggs moist and warm, mid to upper 80s. Best of luck, Gage>

Side Neck Turtle Incubation
We have a side neck turtle that has laid eggs and we have put them in a Tupperware bowl with Vermiculite with a little warm water, we are going to put a light over them, but we don't know anything else......PLEASE help us, give us any source of info we can use
Thanks Kristi
<Hey Kristi, I have never incubated turtle eggs myself, I would start with the articles at the link below and see if you can pick up a book specific to Side Neck Turtles for specific information on temperature and what not. Best Regards, Gage
http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/articles.html#breeding >

How Do I Know if my Turtles Babies are Still Alive
my turtle just laid eggs and I don't know if there is some thing in there or not or if she is going to have more babies help
< Take the eggs out of the water and bury them in a potting soil vermiculite mixture and incubate them at a constant 80 degrees if you can. You will be able to tell in a couple of weeks if the eggs are good or not. Keep the soil moist but not wet and you may have baby turtles in a couple of months. -Chuck>

Determining Sex of Juvenile Turtles
Hi!<Hi, MikeD here> Today I purchased two adorable turtles, the size of a quarter<Those are newly hatched and often quite delicate>. I figure
they are Painted Turtles, because of their colors<Many little turtles offered for sale are quite colorful, with the most common being the Red-eared Slider, which is green with yellow striping on the neck and one red stripe in the middle. True Painted turtles have red edging around the shell and no "red ear", but in either case, determining the sex is done the same way.>, but how can I tell whether
they are male of female?<For now this is nearly impossible. As they get larger males will develop very long "fingernails" on the front feet, while the females will remain short, the same as on the rear feet. The males "court" underwater by placing their feet in front of their face and waving these long front claws. Another method is by "probing" to locate the hemipenises (they have two each), but this again ought to be done when they are larger and by a professional, as it entails risk of serious injury if done incorrectly> I would really like to know, please answer back.
Thank you,<You're very welcome>
Melissa C.R.

Sexing a Painted Turtle 11/22/04
Hi,
<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
I have a 21 year old painted turtle that I adopted from I friend about a year ago.
<Now that's an old reptile!>
My friend claims that some time ago should found a small egg in the turtle's aquarium and so she assumed that the turtle must be female.
<Very good guess.>
But when I held one of my female box turtles up next to the glass of the aquarium to say hi to the water turtle, the water turtle started doing that weird hand swishing mating ritual, which would suggest the turtle is a male turtle, right?
<I think the egg was the giveaway on this one. It must be a female turtle. You can also tell by it's tail. Males have tiny short tails & females have longer fat tails. My turtles do happy dances whenever I go near their tank, thinking they might be fed.>
Assuming my friend wasn't hallucinating or lying, where could an egg possibly come from? Strange question, I know.
<Unless there was another critter in the tank to lay an egg, it had to come from the turtle. ~PP>
-LG

Turtle Questions
Hi, My name is Ben I am 12 years old and I have some questions that I would please like you to help me with. I got two yellow bellied turtles for Christmas. They are now nearly 5 months old and already are showing signs of mating. The male is maneuvering in front of the female and flapping his front legs franticly. No biting occurred so maybe they were just playing. I don't know. Could you please help me?
< Five months is pretty early for mating behavior in turtle. If they are really older and you have had them for only five months then it could be a mating behavior. Females are usually larger and have shorted tails. Males are usually smaller and have longer claws and a much longer tail.>
Also I have a large enough tank to last them a while but when they grow I know you're supposed to move them out side into a pond (which I have the resources for) but I live in cold and wet Ireland and even in the summer it's not great so what should I do when the problem arises?
< There a number of things you could do. For long term housing you could get a very big aquarium, large plastic tub or any other large clean vessel that would hold water. You then need to set up and area where they can get out of the water to bask themselves. This could be a log a pile of bricks or anything else. Over the basking spot you need to give them a light source that provides heat, UVA and UVB light for up to 12 hours a day. The water can be heated to 65 degrees F using a titanium submersible aquarium heater. You really should go with the metal heater so the turtles don't break like they would a glass one. A large siphon hose could be used to change the water in the tub. Look at pond filters to keep the water clean. Basically you are making an indoor pond. Natural sunlight through a window will help but I would still recommend these other things to be sure.-Chuck>
Yours sincerely Ben P.S. I think your site

Turtle Laying Eggs
Hi, My name is Jamie. I am in need of some help. I have not been able to find anything close to my problem. My turtle came from the wild as a young turtle. I have had her (I now know she is a she) for about 7 years. We have no other turtles. She is in a 55 gal tank that has fish, snails, and a crayfish. The problem is that we have found eggs in the tank. There has never been another turtle for her to mate with. She never laid eggs in the past. I don't know if this is something that can happen or if I am mistaken all the way. I read the listed information on your site and found it very detailed on many topics. I hope that you can shed some light on this for me. Thank you in advance for your time and help. Thanks, Jamie
< Sexually mature female turtles in good shape often lay eggs in the springtime. The eggs are infertile and should be thrown away. She will need a little extra care. She will be hungry and probably need some vitamins too to regain her strength. You have been doing a good job caring for her.-Chuck>

Murtle Laid an Egg
Dear Crew: We have a 25-26 year old female painted turtle, by the name of Murtle. Murtle is healthy and happy and lives in a (3/4 full) 75 gallon aquarium complete with a heater, a dry platform, an underwater cave, a UV basking light, etc., and she has her own school of guppies to keep her tank clean. Murtle has never been ill except an ear infection when she was around 10 years old, the vet gave her antibiotic shots and she recovered rapidly.
Murtle has not been exposed to another turtle in about 10 years as she killed both of the males that we tried to acquaint her with. Every spring Murtle seems to go thru a cycle, she suddenly eats all of her guppies constantly begs for additional food and is very cantankerous for a few weeks. Then everything suddenly goes back to normal.
We have joking referred to it as her annual turtle "heat" cycle. This year was no exception, the guppies disappeared a couple of weeks ago, but today we had a surprise. Murtle laid an egg. Is this just her body trying to reproduce without a mate?
<This is an infertile egg that is occasionally laid by female turtles in captivity.>
Is she wanting to reproduce?
< This is probably less a function of what she wants and more so a function of her reproductive cycle responding to being well taken care of and spring time.>
Can this activity hurt her?
< It doesn't hurt per say but it will deplete her of vitamins and minerals. I would make sure she has a well balanced diet and include some vitamins.>
Is there any way to stop this type of activity?
< Not really, it is caused by her hormones.>
Is there anything special we should be feeding her in addition to her ReptoMin turtle floating sticks, occasional geckos, bugs and fruits?

Keeping and Breeding Sideneck Turtles
Hi there. I tried finding an answer for this on the other questioners'
queries, but their answers either weren't specific enough or didn't
exist. I am the proud owner of an African Side Neck turtle, named Elijah, whom
I've hesitantly labeled a male. Unfortunately, I'm not entirely sure of
my turtle's gender or age. When I bought him he was in a tank at Petco
with other ASN's and some RES's. However, I was not informed of his age
or gender by the shopkeeper. Is sexing in ASN's similar to sexing in RES? With long claws and long thin tails meaning it's a male (I read that that only applies after five
years old)? Or does that not apply?
< In general male turtles tend to be smaller than females of the same age and some species do have longer front claws. Look at the belly of the turtle. Males usually have and indented belly area to mount the female during mating. Females usually have a very flat belly area.>
And how might I tell my turtle's age by looking at him? He's about six and a half inches long, if that helps.
< Very difficult to determine an exact age.>
I'm asking all this, because I'm intending to breed him/her when he/she
reaches sexual maturity, so perhaps you might be able to tell me when
that might be for this breed, as well. Thanks a bunch! Stephanie
< Breeding herps is usually not too easy to do. I would recommend that you go to Kingsnake.com and get in contact with some serious turtle and tortoise clubs to see if you really want to get into this area.-Chuck>

Turtle Eggs 6.12.05
We found a turtle in our driveway that we expected was pregnant because of the season and the size. It was heading towards construction and was not
very colorful. So we put it in our old turtle tank because we didn't want it to
get hurt. (Especially if it was pregnant.) We were feeding it our aquarium
turtles` mushed worms and it was eating. While we were gone it laid eggs and we did not have time to put a nest in for them. Now she keeps running over them and we don't know if she'll try to bite us if we try to take the eggs or the mother out of the tank. Will she bite us? Do the eggs need their mother? Do you think we should put them in a butter container full of moist soil/dirt? How long till the eggs hatch? THANK-YOU!
<So far as I know a turtle will build a nest deposit the eggs and be done with it, no tending to the eggs. I am not sure where she deposited the eggs but if it is not a safe, warm, moist place they probably do not have much of a chance. The time it will take to hatch will depend on the species of turtle. Try to determine the type of turtle you have and do a search on incubating turtle eggs there is a lot of good info out there on the web. You have to be pretty slow to get bit by a turtle, when you put your hand in the tank the turtle will either run/swim the other way, ignore you, or try to sample your fingers as a possible food source (if she gets a hold of your finger pain will vary depending on species). Best Regards, Gage (who has been bitten once by a Mexican Musk Turtle)>

Breeding Turtles
Hi there.. Quite a few years ago I was young and decided I wanted 2 pet turtles, so my dad brought home 2 baby yellow belly sliders, and I'm guessing about a year ago [I was living with dad, the turtles were with mom] one of them laid eggs. We're not sure which one we still don't know if ones female, ones male, or they're both female or what], mom tried to incubate them following a book she had, but they died, it didn't work. Just tonight I noticed they were acting funny so I walk over and there's a single egg there, being messed with by one of the turtles, pretty much torn apart.
Frankly, We don't know how to deal with this, and I have some questions. Their habitat is a large tank not sure how many gallons], full of water, with a big rock in the middle they can climb on to bask and regular fish-take rocks on the bottom. There's also a heat lamp over the tank. I believe I remember being told that sand would get in their shells and irritate them, is that true?
<No.>
Don't they lay eggs in sand/dirt?
< Sand is needed for the turtles to deposit their eggs. If there is no sand then they have not place to deposit the eggs.>
How exactly can you tell when a turtle is preparing to lay eggs?
< Usually the female will excavate a pit in a sandy beach along the river or stream bank. once the eggs are laid the female buries them and takes off.>
I've seen this on some sites but they're all different, and I wonder if there's any other way of predicting it?
< Not really. If your turtles are in good shape then you can pretty much expect this sort of thing every spring.>
Do they lay eggs once a year or.. is there any usual schedule or is it just random? What does it depend on?
< Usually in the spring when the weather starts to warm up.>
If we found eggs ..not torn apart and battered around =/] in our tank, what do we do?
< If you have a pair of turtles with one being a male with longer front claws and a longer tail , then you could set up a sandy area for the female to deposit her eggs. If you have two females then the eggs are infertile and should be thrown away.>
Take them out, and what exactly do we need to set up an 'incubator' for the eggs? What sort of dirt/container/whatever do you recommend? How will we know if they are fertile?
What are your personal thoughts/opinions on this? Any tips?
ANY Help on this would be very much appreciated! -Chelsea.
< Turtle eggs can be moved in the first day and placed in a sandy type medium. They should remain moist so they don't dry out and maintained between 75 and 80 degrees. In 8 to 10 weeks the eggs should hatch. I would recommend you do a google search for breeding turtles to get some specific facts on breeding your specific species of turtle.-Chuck>

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