return to main index

  mobile - desktop
follow us on facebook follow us on twitter follow us on YouTube link to us on LinkedIn
 
Click here for LLL Reptile & Supply
Mice, Rats, Rabbits, Chicks, Quail
Available Now at RodentPro.com!
Locate a business by name: click to list your business
search the classifieds. buy an account
events by zip code list an event
Search the forums             Search in:
News & Events: Herp Photo of the Day: Bearded Dragon . . . . . . . . . .  Tinley Reflections: An open letter from Mom . . . . . . . . . .  Greater Cincinnati Herp Society Meeting - Apr 02, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Calusa Herp Society Meeting - Apr 04, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Southwestern Herp Society Meeting - Apr 06, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Hamburg Reptile Show - Apr. 13, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  St. Louis Herpetological Society - Apr 14, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  San Diego Herp Society Meeting - Apr 16, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Suncoast Herp Society Meeting - Apr 20, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  DFW Herp Society Meeting - Apr 20, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Colorado Herp Society Meeting - Apr 20, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Chicago Herpetological Society Meeting - Apr 21, 2024 . . . . . . . . . . 
Join USARK - Fight for your rights!
full banner - advertise here .50¢/1000 views
Polar Rodents - US based provider of frozen rats and mice.
pool banner - $50 year

RE: Eggs found late Part 2

[ Login ] [ User Prefs ] [ Search Forums ] [ Back to Main Page ] [ Back to Box Turtles ] [ Reply To This Message ]
[ Register to Post ]

Posted by: StephF at Sat Aug 22 09:17:14 2009  [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by StephF ]  
   

It's really difficult to say. It seems like the turtle isn't so much having difficulty with the egg laying part of the equation, but that there is some kind of difficulty with the nest digging part of the process.

A good nesting site will be free of obstructions to digging, such as roots or larger rocks. Digging typically takes place when the soil is somewhat moist, after a rain perhaps, which allows for easier digging.

It may be that the turtle does not have access to a suitable (by her standards) nesting site, or, she may not have full range of motion with her rear legs and is physically unable to dig a proper nest.

I have a female here that laid eggs for the very first time this summer. She is an amputee, with a missing (from the knee down) hind leg, so I monitored her constantly.

Unfortunately, when she dug her nest, she encountered roots and gave up the effort. This happened several times over the course of a couple of weeks. She was finally able to dig a (mostly) complete nest, but it took her all night and she walked away from it in the morning without laying eggs. After many attempts at digging, she finally just laid eggs on the soil surface, but sheltered by a log.

When she did this I was relieved to know that she had at least gotten the eggs out. Hopefully next year she'll have more success with her nesting endeavors.


   

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Subscribe to this Thread ] [ Show Entire Thread ]


>> Next Message:  RE: Eggs found late Part 2 - Norristhenut, Sat Aug 22 10:57:40 2009

<< Previous Message:  Eggs found late Part 2 - norristhenut, Sat Aug 22 08:44:22 2009