I think my red eared slider is pregnant. What can I do?

Question

I think my turtle is pregnant, because I've seen her and my other turtle doing the mating ritual (flittering of the claws) but not the actual thing. They've done that several times before but nothing seemed to change afterwards. This time, the female stays out on the rock trying to get as close to the light as possible, and she hasn't been eating.

So, I got her some sand from the pet store and put some in another tank and moistened it. After putting her in, she was immediately overactive and keeps trying to get out towards the other tank with the male (they're beside each other). Am I doing something wrong?

Also, I know that if keeping the eggs inside her may kill her, but I don't necessarily want 20+ baby turtles. What can I do about that?

Answer 1

Being overactive was probably just from having been moved, so I wouldn't worry about that by itself. Not eating and trying to get closer to the lighting seems to me to be more of a temperature problem. Was her previous tank heated and the new one not? Or might it be farther from a common heating source (indoor heat vent) or closer to an outside wall where it might be colder?

Of course, this could all be stress-related from having been removed from her "familiar" habitat. If there's enough room in the old tank, maybe you could return her and place the nesting box in that tank to see if she return to more normal behavior.

Just because you saw the courtship of fluttering the front legs, doesn't mean mating has actually taken place. But you're correct that she might be gravid, since this can happen even without the presence of a male.

About the only way you can guarantee not having baby turles to deal with is to keep yours separated permanently, or getting two males. Otherwise, the turtles will respond to their reproductive instincts.

Answer 2

seperate her and her mate. mating is not good. reptile services are already crowded with tons of unwanted turtles.

kepp providing her with a nice place to lay eggs, becuasde, even if they aren't ferilized, she will lay eggs.

if she is fertilized, i have no idea what to do. Those little turtles would be such a hassle,and whereever you put them, they probably wont get treated right.

For her nesting tank, make sure the dirt is extremely deep. mix some moss with it in order to make sure that it is more natural. also mix in a little bit of dirt. In the wild, sand would not be what a Red eared slider would lay its eggs in.

leave her in her nesting area for extenisve periods of time so that she can dig and do what she needs to do.

HOWEVER, her not eating and staying out of the water could also just be temperature problems, sicness, etc.

The only real way to know what is going on is to go to the vet.