Turtle Pregnancy and Egg Laying
Have you ever witnessed a sea turtle laying eggs? Do you want to know how sea turtle egg laying works?
As usual, we've done some research to help you clarify your questions. Before we get to the heart of the matter, you should know that:
Land turtles begin breeding after winter, after emerging from hibernation, around March. The female can mate with several males during the same season. She can also keep the male turtle's sperm intact within her reproductive system.
At the end of your reading you will know:
- How do female turtles behave when pregnant;
- How many eggs does a sea turtle normally lay;
- How to artificially incubate turtle eggs.
Observation of the behavior of pregnant females in captivity
Pregnant females should be removed from the male immediately, as males can be aggressive during the mating season and may even harm the pregnant female. Before laying eggs, females become restless, eat poorly, and fence off their territory. Pregnant female aquatic turtles spend a lot of time on land, warming themselves under the lamp. She may then refuse to eat. Try offering her a variety of foods with good calcium supplements. Gestation lasts about 2 months, but if the female cannot find a suitable place to lay her eggs, she can wait to be sure of finding the ideal spot before laying her eggs.
About two weeks before giving birth, you may notice the female spending more and more time on land, searching and foraging for a place to lay her eggs.
Development of spawning sites
For land turtles, it is not necessary to make a nesting site (if you have soil in the terrarium), because they often lay their eggs wherever they want and where they can. However, a tank with a bottom is necessary for aquatic turtles . The size of the tank should be at least twice as large as the turtle's. Everywhere sand or vermiculite is recommended, but sometimes they are not very practical. The depth of your land part should be 2.5-5 cm, or better, 10-30 cm. Access to dry land should be easy. The female lays eggs in a hole in the ground, which is pre-moistened with the fluid from the cloacal bladders .
Mediterranean tortoises prefer to lay their eggs on gentle slopes with sandy soil on sunny days, from midday to late afternoon. Conversely, red-footed tortoises prefer soils rich in organic matter, moist or wet mud. They lay their eggs at dusk during light rainfall.
The depth of the substrate in which the turtle will lay its eggs is important. Some turtles refuse to lay their eggs if they cannot bury them deep enough.
Laying eggs
Captive turtles rarely breed, but they sometimes lay eggs in the spring. It takes about two months for the female to hatch the eggs, the same amount of time as it takes for the eggs to incubate outside the female's body. If the ground is hard, the female's digging of a hole can take three hours or more; if the ground is soft, the job can be completed in 15-20 minutes. While digging, the turtle would turn around from time to time, eventually making a complete circle so that the hole had a regular shape. This activity can sometimes last up to several days. If the turtle encounters obstacles (pebbles, roots, etc.) while digging, it will give up and dig another hole.
Once the work is done, the turtle's hind legs remain stuck in the hole. This step is trying. After a few minutes of rest, during which the female remains perfectly still, the laying begins. As soon as an egg comes out of the cloaca , the female connects her hind legs and bends them slightly so that the egg slides gently into the hole. After a few minutes, the turtle turns around and lays the next egg. The interval between laying two eggs can be longer, up to 20 to 30 minutes. After laying the last egg, the turtle remains motionless for a while, then gently fills the dug soil with its hind legs. When the hole is filled, the female moves away from the laying site to rest in the shade. It can be observed that when she moves away, her hind legs are numb .
Eggs
Turtle eggs are white, oval-shaped, and have a hard shell. They typically measure about 30 millimeters long and 20 millimeters wide. They weigh between 12 and 20 grams. However, the size of the eggs is proportional to the mother's. The first clutch can sometimes be unsuccessful, unfortunately resulting in sterile eggs of a smaller than normal size.
How many eggs does a turtle normally lay?
Depending on the individual tortoise, a single clutch can lay between 1 and 30 eggs. Mediterranean tortoises, for example, typically lay between 5 and 6 eggs. If conditions are appropriate, it is best to leave the eggs where the female laid them rather than artificially incubating them. If your tortoise is nesting outdoors, you can build boxes and cover the nest to protect it from wildlife. If you intend to artificially incubate the eggs, you must remove them from the original nest before the embryos begin to develop. Keep in mind that tortoises may lay eggs that have not been fertilized by a male.
How to artificially incubate turtle eggs?
If you want to incubate turtle eggs at home, you'll need to carefully control the temperature and humidity levels in your home, replicating the conditions of each species' natural habitat. You can use the incubators commonly used for reptile breeding and one or two heaters to achieve the right environment. The appropriate temperature for incubating eggs depends on each turtle species.
The incubation time of turtle eggs depends on the species and the temperature of the environment. Under optimal conditions, the eggs take between 50 and 80 days to hatch, while if the climate is too cold, incubation can last up to 130 days. It can take between 8 and 24 hours for the hatchlings to fully emerge and it is very important not to interfere with this process, since during this time the small turtle will finish absorbing the nutrients from the yolk sac .
We hope you found all this information about turtle pregnancy and egg-laying helpful! If you'd like to learn more about our friends, be sure to check out our blog posts! Want to learn all the secrets behind the meaning of turtle dreams ?
