Towards the end of may our two box turtles were introduced and we watched them copulate.Now our female definitely apppears gravid. The bottom of her shell now drags the ground and she has two bulges protruding on each side of her tail.How long do you think it will be before she lays?
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Gravid female eastern box turtle.Definite signs
Sm1nts2escape
Jun 19, 2004 11:12 AM
Replies (2)
StephF
Jun 19, 2004 02:56 PM
Those bumps you see are leg bones: basically her pelvis is visible. Eggs are carried forward, under the shell, where they are not visible to the outside world.
Search the archives on this forum for instructions on palpating your turtle to determine whether or not she's gravid. Or, leave her alone, and just keep an eye on her to see where she digs a nest.
Stephanie
phil nj
Jun 20, 2004 12:40 PM
The last time I tried to palpate one of my females for eggs my finger was stuck for 10 minutes turned purple and went numb. I don't try that any more! My turtles are only active early morning until about 11:00 am. unless it rains during the day they usually are not seen much. When you see a female active late afternoon early evening she is probably looking for a nest site. I usually see mine 1 or 2 days before egg laying checking out the sites and/or digging test holes.
Phil
