PDA

View Full Version : Female Peninsula Cooter~~gravid ???? Jeff???



gray cat
01-26-2010, 11:54 PM
Jeff:

A female RES or YES can be gravid without the presence of a male and the eggs will not be fertilized. :eek1::eek1::eek1:

OH NO!!! Mine is now around 15 to 18 months old. I think she will be mature somewhere between 3 to 5 years. I had no idea that I may have to be concerned about her laying eggs & egg binding.:eek1::eek1::eek1:

What are the odds of her having eggs???????:eek1::eek1::eek1:

gray cat
01-27-2010, 10:09 AM
I hope she can go all of her life and not lay eggs. I wish I had thought about this and picked out a male instead. One less thing to worry about!:eek1:

powerman
01-27-2010, 10:14 AM
how do you tell if a turtle is gravid?

gray cat
01-27-2010, 10:27 AM
Dan:

When a female is gravid, or carrying eggs, you will need to provide an appropriate nesting area so she can lay them properly. A female RES can be gravid without the presence of a male and the eggs will not be fertilized. She can still be gravid if mating was unsuccessful. You can gently feel for eggs between the carapace and in front of her rear legs. Be very gentle and careful because there is a possibility of breaking the eggs. She will instinctively want to create a nest and lay a clutch of eggs. A clutch may contain over twenty eggs for a healthy, full-grown female. If environmental conditions are right, she may lay around 3 or 4 clutches in a season.A female RES in an aquarium would show signs of wanting to nest by becoming very restless and exhibiting a lot of digging motions with her hind legs and will frantically try to get out of the tank. She may bask more during this time and additional calcium and UVB rays should be provided. A nest area is very important for her to lay her eggs naturally. If she does not lay her eggs, she might lay eggs in the water or retain them, which would cause egg binding. If the turtle has laid one or two eggs in the water, you still need to provide a nesting area. It is likely that the entire clutch was not laid and she is still gravid.
Egg binding, egg retention or dystocia occurs when eggs are abnormally held within the body. These eggs can decay, deteriorate or become calcified. They become brittle and can cause an internal injury, bacterial infection, peritonitis and death. Even a suitable nesting area does not always prevent egg binding because stress, poor diet, age, illnesses, abnormalities and personality can also cause dystocia or “difficult birth”. If a female attempts to lay eggs but cannot, then a vet visit is highly recommended to determine the cause of the obstruction or if there is an oversized or deformed egg present. Possible signs of a dystocia may be depression, breathing difficulties, prolapse and swelling around the cloaca. If the turtle produces a foul liquid, it is possible that the retained egg has fractured. Take her to a vet immediately.

A simple X-ray can determine if a RES is holding eggs. If a RES does not want to lay her eggs, a vet can inject her with Oxytocin to induce egg laying. If the eggs cannot pass naturally or by any other means, then they would have to be surgically removed. If your RES is regularly retaining her eggs, you need to review her diet and habitat. It's possible these factors are affecting her ability to properly produce and lay eggs.

This isn't something I look forward to at all. It would be hard for me to provide a nesting place for her to lay her eggs. :no:

jeffcopeland
01-27-2010, 11:39 AM
Nancy, all my aquariums and ponds have nesting areas for the turtles. Most of my turtles have been male however. I am not looking to have babies so I discourage mating situations. Baby turtles mean more turtle enclosures and I should already be commited with what I have now:D:

I wouldn't worry about it. The problem is not that common. In the future, it would be nice if you could incorporate a land/nesting area just to try to recreate a little bit what a turtle has in the wild.

I belong to turtle forum and I don't recall anyone encountering that problem over there.

powerman
01-27-2010, 12:14 PM
i don't have any turtles right now but my son has just gotten two....they aren't babies....about seven inches long or so......i believe they are res....which i am assuming means red eared sliders.....i always thought when i make a greenhouse i would like to put a turtle enclosure in there if i can make it escape proof....wouldn't want a turtle to get in the koi pond and take a bite out of a fish.... my son has his turtles in about a thirty gallon aquarium...with some water and some land...and a basking light....he probably needs to build an enclosure.....maybe something i can help him with....

gray cat
01-27-2010, 02:48 PM
Nancy, all my aquariums and ponds have nesting areas for the turtles. Most of my turtles have been male however. I am not looking to have babies so I discourage mating situations. Baby turtles mean more turtle enclosures and I should already be commited with what I have now:D:

I wouldn't worry about it. The problem is not that common. In the future, it would be nice if you could incorporate a land/nesting area just to try to recreate a little bit what a turtle has in the wild.

I belong to turtle forum and I don't recall anyone encountering that problem over there.

Jeff she has a very big floating dock that stays dry under her heat & sun lights. I really don't know how I could give her dirt? I will read & study on this so by the time she is mature I will have something just in case. I am glad to hear you say that you do not recall anyone encountering that problem on the turtle forum. I just hope that I don't in the future.:eek1:

harleighgirl
06-09-2010, 11:44 AM
Hi. I was wondering the same thing as Nancy. I over wintered my RES inside for the winter, and put (i believe its a her) her outside friday. I have noticed she does feel heavier, although i never felt for eggs, but, i was wondering, yesterday she was acting very wierd...i got her last summer, in July, she was a rescue, found in the road, i am wondering if that is how she got lost by getting out to lay eggs. Anyways, testerday she kept trying to climb out of the pond, she has never done that before, she even climbed up my waterfall, i was just wondering if this strange behavior is her getting ready to lay eggs? All around my pond is little rocks and flowers, all the dirt is under the rock. Anyone have any suggesions on what i should try to do? Thanks so much!

Cowiche Ponder
06-09-2010, 04:19 PM
i don't have any turtles right now but my son has just gotten two....they aren't babies....about seven inches long or so......i believe they are res....which i am assuming means red eared sliders.....i always thought when i make a greenhouse i would like to put a turtle enclosure in there if i can make it escape proof....wouldn't want a turtle to get in the koi pond and take a bite out of a fish.... my son has his turtles in about a thirty gallon aquarium...with some water and some land...and a basking light....he probably needs to build an enclosure.....maybe something i can help him with....

Dan that is really way way to small for 1 7" turtle bother with 2!! I have a 100 gallon tank with a crack in the side. If you want it come get it for them. The crack may be repairable, or as someone had suggested just put in another piece of glass over it and caulk it in.

gray cat
06-09-2010, 06:25 PM
Hi. I was wondering the same thing as Nancy. I over wintered my RES inside for the winter, and put (i believe its a her) her outside friday. I have noticed she does feel heavier, although i never felt for eggs, but, i was wondering, yesterday she was acting very wierd...i got her last summer, in July, she was a rescue, found in the road, i am wondering if that is how she got lost by getting out to lay eggs. Anyways, testerday she kept trying to climb out of the pond, she has never done that before, she even climbed up my waterfall, i was just wondering if this strange behavior is her getting ready to lay eggs? All around my pond is little rocks and flowers, all the dirt is under the rock. Anyone have any suggesions on what i should try to do? Thanks so much!

The info that I have read says she would show signs of wanting to nest by becoming very restless and exhibiting a lot of digging motions with her hind legs and will frantically try to get out of the tank or pond to get to dirt. She may bask more during this time too. Her strange behavior may have something to do with being gravid. Maybe try to suppy her with some dirt and see what happens.:D:

harleighgirl
06-09-2010, 08:05 PM
Thank you, i will try it and see what happens, i have just never seen her act like this..... thanks again!:D:

fairlady
06-13-2010, 12:05 PM
Just a idea....I was over visiting a friend with a RES...He put a cat litter box out with sand in it for his female to use. He said it worked great.

harleighgirl
06-13-2010, 08:31 PM
That is an excellent idea, thank you! We had almost 90 degree weather all week, and since friday, it has been in the low 60s, huge temp drop, but she is doing ok, i was a little worried about her, i havent seen her move since friday night, and today she swam a little once the sun came out!

gray cat
06-13-2010, 09:04 PM
That is an excellent idea, thank you! We had almost 90 degree weather all week, and since friday, it has been in the low 60s, huge temp drop, but she is doing ok, i was a little worried about her, i havent seen her move since friday night, and today she swam a little once the sun came out!

Keep us informed on how she is doing and if you try the sand box.:D:

harleighgirl
06-13-2010, 09:53 PM
Will do!;)