gestation period for turtle eggs

Question
Was given a large turtle as pet but don't know for sure if it is a red eared slider or red eye turtle, loves our large backyard pond and is quick to dive right in when startled. yesterday I discovered the turtle out of the pond and watched for 2 hours as it appeared to lay eggs in a small cleared area next to pond. When it finished it returned to pond. I marked the spot and will eventualy create a protection device over it but could you tell me what is the average gestation period for the eggs as I want to monitor and protect eggs from other wild life such as skunks, domestic chickens, other birds and domestic pets. I very much want to have these eggs  hatch. Also, the turtle eats the fish food I supply to the koi in the pond and I wander should there be more to it's diet?

Answer
Hello Jeff, it will take about 60-80 days for the eggs to hatch.

Fish food is not a healthy food item for them.

Floating turtle sticks are good along with krill, feeder fish, earthworms, collared greens, dandelion greens, (pet store) crickets, squash and other vegetables and prey.

This link should give you tons of information on feeding. Navigate through to find some healthy vegetables and other prey to feed and a bit more information on the floating turtle pellets is also in there:

http://redearslider.com/index_nutrition.html

Good luck
Yexalen