Ok so this is a stab in the dark, but i have two common snappers in a livestock water trough separated by a divider. I didn't put them into hibrination over the winter. Their water temp remained consistant and their lights are on a 12 hour cycle year round. Early this spring the smaller of the two found his (i'm guessing about the sex as well... he's the smaller of the two) way onto the other side. He did it twice and then never again. I moved him back to his side as soon as i came home from work and noticed it. I was going to change the setup and put them in seperate water troughs but it never happened again. Just yesterday the larger of the two ended up out of the trough. Since its about 3' deep, i was more than slightly surprised. I put her (once again a guess) back into the trough and this evening after work she was out again. I'm assuming she's trying to find a place to lay eggs. Does that sound likely? and if that is whats going on, what should i provide for her and how should i incubate the eggs? Any advice would be VERY much appreciated. I dont want the poor girl to get eggbound. 
I feel terribly irresponsible.
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Conditions for egg laying
Replies (3)
How old and how big are they? They may not even be sexually mature. If she is gravid you should be able to feel the eggs by gently probing the areas on either side of her tail between her tail and her rear leggs. You should be able to feel the eggs through the skin. She probably won't like this so you may need to wrap her up in a towel to keep from getting bitten.
Thanks for the advice! I felt her butt and i didn't feel anything that resembled an egg. They're three years old and the shell on the larger of the two is about 9" long. When do i have to worry about them reaching sexual maturity?
And it is safest to keep them separated right? It would be lots easier to put them together but with the reputation snappers have for agressive behavior i thought it would be best to keep them separate.
They sound a little too young and small to be mature yet but they are probably getting close.
It is best to keep them separated but I know it's not always practical. I keep two together but because one is definitely dominant, they get along pretty good. I do have to keep them separate at feeding time or the dominant one would get all the food. Mine are about 7" carapace length.
