My pet turtle is laying eggs alone. Is this normal? What to do?

A gravid (pregnant) RES is very particular about the site she chooses to lay her clutch of eggs. Substrate, temperature, lighting and humidity all play roles in selection. Follow the link for information regarding mating, egg laying and incubation. http://www.redearslider.com/reproduction.html Gestation is about 8 weeks after mating. If it has been longer, TeTe should be examined by your herp veterinarian. An injection can be given to stimulate laying. If you are not set up for incubation or don't have buyers lined up, you can discard the eggs. RES are not endangered and are actually over populated. You can easily find yourself overwhelmed with hatchlings as a female RES can lay several clutches each season if conditions are right.

An adult sideneck female will lay clutches numbering 6 to over 40 eggs at a time. Clutch size will depend on age, size and overall health. They will retain eggs until a suitable nesting site is located. This can lead to becoming egg bound which can be life threatening. She does not need to mate in order to lay eggs. Ideally, she should be examined, and x-rayed, by your veterinarian or an experienced herp vet to confirm whether or not she is retaining eggs.

GENTLY press the soft areas near her rear legs, between the carapace and plastron. If she is gravid (pregnant), you should be able to feel a few eggs. Clutch size can range between 5 and 20 eggs. The best way is to determine if she is carrying eggs is to have her xrayed by your vet.

You should try to place the turtle in a small tub of warm water, about 10° F (18° C) warmer than the water in her usual tank, and leave her alone in there, in a room that's also warm, for a half hour or so. Sometimes that will cause her to expel her eggs. If that doesn't work, you should take her into the veterinarian for an oxytocin injection to induce her to lay her eggs. They also use this drug to induce labor in pregnant women. If your turtle is unable to lay her eggs, she can die. That is why you may need to take her into see a veterinarian if you cannot get her to lay her eggs soon. I hope this has helped. Best of luck. Thank you for using pet coach.

Most females will usually lay a clutch of eggs every year when the reach sexual maturity. Not all, however, will do this. Some females will produce eggs, go through the motion of searching for a lay spot then resorb the eggs and not lay any. If she is behaving normally, there is likely no cause for concern. When breeding season approaches, monitor her for egg formation and pro7a lay box. She may eventually lay or not.

In rare cases, a snake may lay eggs without mating. The eggs are not fertilized as there is no male present. The egg won't hatch. Just take it out of the viv and monitor her for any signs of egg-binding. ( https://www.petcoach.co/article/egg-binding-dystocia-in-reptiles-causes-signs-diagnosis-tre/ ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

She may be looking for an area to lay eggs. If she is close to laying, you can usually feel the eggs through the abdominal wall. Female beardies do not need a male in order to lay eggs. They can become gravid regardless. The only difference is she will lay infertile eggs. Provide an appropriate laybox for her. Once she is done depositing eggs, you can discard them.