I have 2 Cooters and 2 Red ears that are 20 years old (I got them as hatchlings in 1984). Several years ago I had a male RES and the inevitable breeding happened and the female RES have been laying infertile eggs for the last 4-5 years. It only lasts about 6 weeks and then they are content in the pond I have. This week, one of the Cooters has started the escape tricks and goes and digs and digs all over the place (the holes are not very organized like a RES, more like 3 indentations then real egg holes). Couple of questions; do Cooters dig a different kind of hole than RES? Are turts like chickens, will they produce eggs even though they have never seen a male of their species? Last of all isn't 20 years kind of late to be entering sexual maturity?
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Eggs?
Replies (3)
I don't know about the hole digging, but almost all female reptiles will produce infertile eggs without being with a male.
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The cooters behavior is normal. They will dig dummy sites or even lay one or two eggs in these sites to throw predators off from the main nest.
If a turtle is in good condition it will most certainly lay eggs without having mated with a male. Your turtles most likely reached sexual maturity years prior to this activity but have just now starting going about the business of laying eggs. Sometimes a simple change in some environmental factor or diet or really anything will suddenly trigger laying behavior.
Thanks, I checked with a vet. She agrees with you.
