ColleenT
Well-Known Member
i live in Eastern Pa. I just went to give my 3 some earthworms, and the one female has her butt parked in a corner and it appears she might be laying eggs. Is it too late in the season for my region?
too late in summer for my girl to lay eggs?
- Thread starter ColleenT
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Do you artificially incubate them?
ColleenT
Well-Known Member
i never got any before.
I'm no box expert but I don't believe they normally lay this late. Spring and early summer would be their time. I would incubate them.
Doing a quick search on the internet, it says they can over winter in the nest and hatch in the spring. That's of course if that is correct info. Takes them 120 days in the north too hatch so that would bring them into the colder months, so they probably would over winter in the ground and hatch next year.
I would still incubate them.
I would still incubate them.
ColleenT
Well-Known Member
i wasn't asking if they would hatch, i was asking if she is actually laying eggs this late.
What are the current (recent) temperatures like up there?
For context, I'm in the Florida panhandle. I wouldn't rule out them being able to lay eggs at any time, as long as the nesting site and ground conditions were favorable. When they actually hatched would be another matter.
For context, I'm in the Florida panhandle. I wouldn't rule out them being able to lay eggs at any time, as long as the nesting site and ground conditions were favorable. When they actually hatched would be another matter.
@ColleenT This is too late for any of my turtles to lay eggs. I will occasionally get eggs as late as mid July but never any later. I also am in Central California and the season is longer. Overwintering in the nest is normally a fully formed hatchling that does not dig up out of the nest and will wait until spring heats the soil to dig out. It seems if the babies sense warmer temps above - they will dig out. If it is colder above (top of nest chamber, they will remain until it is warmer above. So the nest normally would need to be done in time for the eggs to fully develop before the cold season stops any possible development. Although some tortoise species do have a temperature dependent diapause survival mechanism that allows eggs to not start or even stop development and then begin again when conditions favor, I know of no aquatic that have this mechanism. (I do know of some turtles that have a oxygen dependent diapause where eggs are laid in flood water mud and start developing when the water recede.)
Sorry for the long and perhaps too much info reply!
With your shorter seasons there, I would expect even earlier stops to any egg laying activity for turtles there. Now in captivity when we alter photoperiods and heat cycles, there certainly COULD be exceptions, but I have never experienced any. A first time layer MAYBE could be outside the norm, but again, I have never seen this with any species i have worked with.
Let us know - were they really eggs? Did she lay?
Sorry for the long and perhaps too much info reply!
With your shorter seasons there, I would expect even earlier stops to any egg laying activity for turtles there. Now in captivity when we alter photoperiods and heat cycles, there certainly COULD be exceptions, but I have never experienced any. A first time layer MAYBE could be outside the norm, but again, I have never seen this with any species i have worked with.
Let us know - were they really eggs? Did she lay?
Oops sorry. I assumed you would already know if she was digging a hole and laying or not.
It's not normal for them too lay this late in the northern states but that's not too say some haven't.
ColleenT
Well-Known Member
Thanks everyone. She is about 22 yrs old, so i am guessing she may have laid egs before, but not that i know of. And if she did with me, i never saw them. it looked like she was digging and a hole was behind her, but i won't be able to dig there until she leaves the spot. i have had her for 2 years, but i have not found any babies at all in my enclosure. My male is suspected to be fairly old and he may be infertile. idk.
What about Kinosternon bauri, the three-striped mud turtle? I've heard that their eggs sometimes go through diapause, but that it necessary that they do so, to complete development and hatch.
ColleenT
Well-Known Member
i just went out and she was nearby, but not digging, and the hole she dug was covered, so i moved her and carefully dug down about 8 inches. i found NOTHING. Kind of bummed. Oh well.
Keep a close eye on her for the next few days or do to make sure she acts and eats normally in case she is egg bound.
Yes! - thanks for the catch. I have heard of K bauri nesting in the fall quite regularly and the eggs going through diapause with spring temps restarting development. Seems to be an adaptation of a very small size turtle with shallow nests and living in an area with very short and relatively mild winters.
One of my female box turtles deposited eggs in a nest as recently as three weeks ago, so it's not impossible to think they could lay a late clutch this time of year. She may have been digging a test hole. My turtles always dig several holes beginning as early as 10 days before actually laying eggs, so keep an eye on her.
They will indeed lay this late in the summer. I've had females lay up till september. Hatchling that hatch in the winter will stay in the nest till its ready to come up and out. Here in CA my girl lays late into the fall, think she knows though winters are pretty much mild as can be around these parts.
Kyle
