Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a female spotted turtle who i keep outside in my pond. I have here inside for the winter and lately she has been acting odd. The last month she has been ravenous with her appetite. She was always a healthy turtle but her appetite has become out of control. Also she has become slightly aggressive towards my juv. male spot. Also she goes in and out of the water constantly. When she gets on the land she smells the ground and walks around to many different spots doing this(similar to how land turtles forage for food, insects). Here is the deal though she hasn't been in contact with a adult male since May of last year. I know my deceased male spotter(killed by a raccoon in a freak accident) had mated with her repeatdely. My question is could she be laying eggs from that long ago. And also are these signs of a female looking for a proper area to lay her eggs? I am familar with breeding boxies and this is how my female acts when she is pregnant(very frantic and energetic), also I know boxies can hold sperm for a long time. Can spotted turtle also? Just looking for some feedback.

The hyperactivity is definitely indicative of getting ready to lay eggs, but many females actually go off their food as the clutch reaches maximum size.

It's funny you say that because for the last week she has had no desire to eat. She seems possesed constantly go on the land and back into the water. I'm 95% sure she is pregnant based on her behavior. What kind of soil do spots like to lay eggs in. A know box turtles love hard soil. Right now I have a combo of sphagnum and sand. I originally had just sand but she didn't seem like she wanted to lay them in there. Any thoughts would be helpful.

Going off food is true. Mine ornate wood did and I found the egg this AM.

And yes, the spottd could lay fertile eggs from mating that long ago. They can hold sperm for a few years even.