Pet Information > ASK Experts > Exotic Pets > Turtles > is my red eared slider pregnant?!

is my red eared slider pregnant?!

22 16:02:42

Question
We have 5 red eared sliders in a large tank. we know for sure that 1 of them is a male because we have seen his "turtle parts" show from his tail. More recently our largest red eared (roughly 7-8 in in diameter) has been acting off. Last night/early this morning as I was walking past thier tank I noticed her planing her rear feet firmly on the bottom of the tank, with her front up twords the surface of the water. She then would launch herself twords the other turtles with her neck out stretched, and front legs out right next to her head shaking her 'hands or claws'-(whatever they are caleld for turtles)at the turtle she was closest to. She repeated this weird movements for as long as I was watching her but it was early in the a.m. so after about 10-15 minutes, and a failed attempt to wake my husband I went to bed. She hasnt done it yet today that I have seen but its still early...whats the possibility that she is pregnnat?
~amber

Answer
Hi Amber,

Typical signs of being gravid are restlessness (constant motion and attempts to escape from the tank) and sometimes aggression towards tank mates.  They will lose their appetite shortly before laying.  You can try providing her with a nesting box filled with packable soil at least as deep as she is long, with a basking lamp set over it, and see if she digs.  If there is no suitable place to lay, they will lay in the water.  You should also be providing extra calcium (put a cuttlebone in the water).

Since you have so many RES, your tank should be *at least* 250 gallons in size, and realistically closer to 500 gallons would be better to avoid stress, with a filtration system equal to the task of dealing with a large volume of water.  The other issue you're facing is that RES are the #1 turtle species relinquished to rescues and outright abandoned because they get large and require so much space.  Because of this, I highly recommend you don't incubate any eggs unless you're either willing to keep all the offspring for life (approx. 30 years), or make sure they all have good, forever homes.  Since RES are prolific breeders and can triple-clutch in a year, you could easily end up with 20 or more eggs just from one female.  Those hatchlings are cute, but once they hatch you're responsible for them, and it's a big responsibility.  Producing eggs is also a strain on the female's resources, and continual laying can have negative health effects especially if their diet and care isn't top notch.

You may also want to consider separating your males and females to prevent undue stress, as mature males will constantly attempt to mate and it can be very hard on the females in a confined space.

Here are some links that you can read over for more information on RES care, water quality, health, etc.

www.redearslider.com
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/caresheet-red_ear_slider.htm
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/care.htm
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/waterquality.htm
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/housing.htm
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/emergencies.htm