Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What is the best egg laying substrate to use with aquatic turtles? I'm new at this and don't know whether to use sand or a mixture of material. Thanks for looking.

Hey Tink, I use a mixture of top soil and sand.With a layer of sand over it ,so when your turtle digs to lay eggs you'll be able to see where she dug easily.I'm no expert at all.Just got my first eggs a cpl weeks ago.She layed them in the water for some reason,and they all collapsed on me a cpl days later in the incubator.

Sorry to hear that, Dan. I was expecting a baby spotted in the mail in a few months too! Just kidding. That's curious that she laid in the water, although from what I hear, not that uncommon. Hey, did you buy that huge tank?

No worries Curtis.Next time they'll hatch and you'll get 1.I've e-mailed that guy to no end and no reply.Could swim in that with the turtles.

If you're trying to provide her a medium to nest in then I would go with a sand-peat 50/50 mix. Dan's advice with the top coat of sand seems good for locating the site. If you're planning to then remove the eggs for controlled incubation I would go with vermiculite. You can get it at a garden shop. Just mix it with equal parts water and it should hold the moisture well throughout incubation. Or you could just soak it and ring out the excess moisture. I'm no expert, but this was recommended to me and I had good (though limited) results.

Dan, were those eggs definite goners? Did you toss them out already? Disappointing. I feel for ya.

I have found that sphagnum moss is great for nesting. It what spotteds use whenever they can in the wild.

Thanks for your replies, everyone. I have a group of 5 and have found eggs in the water but I will use your recommendations and hope for future success.