Red-Eared Slider Turtle Digging a Hole

This is Nessy, who after two weeks has decided to be my pet turtle, and who today decided to dig a hole. What inspired her do to this today, in that spot, and if she is laying eggs, I have no answers for. If anyone does know however, please post! I would like to know more about my silly buddy and what to do to care for her and her potential off spring!

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• Turtle
• Red
• Eared
• Slider
• Digging
• Hole

[cryptex220]

yesterday, the big female at my pond, medusa laid eggs.. i quickly took the eggs in my incubator. but i have a WHOLE LOT of eggs! how can they fit in the incubator?

[nothing2222229]

Um, are you asking me how to cram more eggs into an incubator? Well, do you have any unused vertical space in it?

[almost819]

i have the same turtle but it lives in water does your swim in water

[nothing2222229]

Yes, my turtle swims and feeds in water, and hides in the mud at the bottom of the pond when threatened. She likes to come out of the water to sun her self and warm up, and to lay her eggs. Turtles do best when they can choose to either be in or out of water when they want to so they can thermo-regulate.

[xSleepy1]

so if my turtle just live in water wif no dirt and stuff they cant lay eggs?

[nothing2222229]

If your turlte is in water without any dirt, it will lay eggs into the water if it has to. If turltes dont lay thier eggs, they can become egg-bound, which is a medical condition that can kill them. But eggs laid in water will never grow into babies. Eggs laid in water will drown the developing cells. SO, yes, your turtle can lay eggs in the water, but the eggs will never hatch, and will have to be scooped out and thrown away before they contaminate your turtle habitat.

[Kittyfan4456]

ok....the sand part is good news but what about my turtle covering herself in the sand completly? and is there any other way to figure how ur res has eggs? reply if u can :)

[nothing2222229]

Sandy-loamy soil is the preferred nesting matierial for red eared slider turtles. My turtle Nessy likes the super compacted soil located next to either a big rock or a plant. She has laid two batches of eggs now, and those are the conditions she looks for. You can tell if your turtle is holding eggs by sticking your finger in the gap in front of one of the back legs. You can feel the eggs, they will be slightly squishy and will move. Just don't press hard enough to crack one of the eggs.

[nothing2222229]

If all you have is a standard glass aquarium, to set up a spot for the turtle to lay eggs, you would have to build a ramp that leads up out of the water and over to another enclosed box with at least 8 inches of sandy/loamy soil and a heat lamp to keep the soil warm. There is a vid on youtube of this kind of set up posted by a guy that has had his RES for about 20 years. Also, Nessy turtle really likes to dig in the hardest soil available, which might be a general nesting preferance for turtles.

[nothing2222229]

Sorry, it turns out the eggs were not fertile. The turtle laid the infertile eggs due to the stress of being moved into a new living space, so it was a stress driven behavior, not a reproduction driven behavior.

[Kittyfan4456]

does it have to be dirt! Oh man, i have this huge tank that has sand and a huge pond in it. (pond is filtered) How can u tell if ur res is holding eggs? One time my res covered herself in the sand,like completly covered herself. Reply back soon :)