So, after a few years [of growth], they become a big commitment. Some owners take the easy way out by releasing their red-eared sliders into the wild, helping the turtles spread to the urban ponds, streams and reservoirs of every continent save for Antarctica. In these habitats, male red-eared sliders will engage in courtship behaviors as long as it's warm enough for them to swim around. In the warmest of climates, males may reach sexual maturity at 2 year old and females 3 to 4 years old; the animals become sexually active a few years later when in colder climates.
Compared with females, male red-eared sliders have extra-long claws on their forefeet. But rather than use these claws as weapons, " Nightmare on Elm Street " style, males use their claws more like jazz hands to woo females.
When a male finds a female, he will swim up close to her, bring his forelimbs forward, and wave or rapidly vibrate his claws in front of her face. He may also use his claws to "tickle" the female's face, Pauly said. If the female is uninterested, she'll try to avoid the male and swim around him or past him. But often, she won't get very far without running into another male.
The ovaries of the female store the sperm of the male. When turtles start to mate, they show pretty interesting behavior. Before starting the mating ritual, the male will often follow the female turtle and sniff its cloaca. When its time to start the ritual, the male starts to come towards the female by back swimming through water in front of her. The male also tickles the face of the female with its claws. Turtles can do this typical behavior for other reason than mating too.
During the mating time, this ritual can go on for hours or even for days until the female gives permission to the male to get on top of her. Thus, the eggs inside the female turtle get fertilized.
When a turtle is pregnant, it is called a gravid turtle. You should feel lumps. These lumps are the eggs inside your turtle. If you find out that your turtle is having eggs, you need to separate her from other turtles and prepare a separate habitat for her with a nesting area. Also, you need to provide plenty of UVB lighting to the gravid turtle along with proper diet. When the turtle is ready to lay eggs, she will start to look for an optimum place to lay her eggs.
You can often observe the female turtle digging here and there to find the right spot for laying her eggs. When she finds the right spot, she will dig a hole almost as deep as her body. Then the turtle will start to lay her eggs. The process can take even an hour. When the turtle is finished laying her eggs, she will cover the hole with dirt and leave the spot forever. After about 60 to 90 days, depending on species, the eggs will start to hatch. It can take several days for the whole clutch of eggs to hatch.
The hatchlings will instinctively come out of the hole and go to the nearest water body. Most of us keep their turtles in an indoor setup. I have also seen turtles laying eggs in the water, which is deadly for the egg. So, if you are keeping the turtle in an indoor tank, you need to make a nesting box for her. A nesting box is a container filled with soil where your turtle can dig up the soil and lay her eggs. It is actually very easy to set up a nesting box.
All you need is a suitable container. Plastic bins are fine if they are large enough for the turtle. Now you need to fill the container with topsoil. Make sure the soil is at least inches deep. Now, when the turtle is ready to lay eggs, place her on the nesting box.
I have written a detailed blog post on nesting box for turtles here. When the turtle has finished laying eggs in the nesting box, you need to transfer the eggs in an incubator. An incubator increases the survival rate of the eggs many times.
If you want to know how to make an incubator for turtle eggs, click here. In the wild, red-eared sliders and other pond turtles have distinct breeding seasons during the months of March and June, but pet turtles kept indoors might desire to breed year-round. When a male turtle initiates courtship, he can be observed coming onto the female by swimming backwards in front of her while tickling her face with his front claws.
It should be noted, however, that both male and female turtles sometimes do this for reasons other than mating. During the mating ritual, this behavior can go on for hours or even days before the female relents and allows the male to mount her. He will stay mounted atop her shell long enough to insert his tale beneath hers and fertilize her eggs.
If you have witnessed your pet water turtles mating, you should be able to tell within two or three weeks whether the female is pregnant.
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