Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I have a mixed pond indoors for the winter and yesterday we found a broken egg in the water but cannot figure out who laid it, the turels we have in the pond are 1 female painted ( possibly a midland ) about 5 inches
2 female blandins and 1 male about 5 inches
1 female mississippi mud about 3 1/2 inches
i female northern diamond back 4 inches
one of the blandings and the painted and the mud were aquired earlier this year so i cannot say if they had ever laid eggs in the past.
any ideas who could have laid this egg ? it was 1 1/8 inches long and narrow
I have a small male diamond back ( about 2 inches) but he has always been quite sickly and has not been in with the rest for several months.

I have read many books that say blanding will not reproduce for
about 15 years of age.

I have now given them a large area with moist sand in case there are more eggs.

and info would be greatly appriciated

As you probably know, female turtles will routinely produce and lay infertile eggs without the presence of a male, so it would be hard to determine if there is a "Daddy". Eggs can be examined by shining light through them for evidence of fertility after a number of days, but mark the top with magic marker and don't rotate them at all after the first day or two.
Mud turtle eggs are relatively small, oval and quite hard shelled, if this is any help. Snappers and sortshells lay round eggs.