Urgent Care :: Need instructions on constructing a nesting area asap

[kidzncatz]

I have a 6 year old female RES who I just discovered laid five eggs in the tank (in the water.) This just occurred with the last couple of hours or so.

I know that five eggs is not any where near what a "cluster" is so I want to get her a suitable area to finish laying her eggs. I have a large rubbermaid storage container handy and am thinking of using that. It says to use sand and some type of compost material but I am unsure what that means exactly. Would just sand be ok? And if so, how deep? She is about 11 inches long (shell).

Also, do I put her basking lights over the nesting area? And how long would I put her in the area without her having access to her water?

I apologize in advance if these questions are answered somewhere on the sight- I am a bit frantic and have other things to attend to (toddlers, teens and in between, it's crazy at my house right now.) So I thank you in advance for the help. Also, in hindsight, I realize she had been acting a bit... "off", digging more, etc... but I just didn't put two and two together at the time.

Thanks again

How big is your turtle? 11 inches
How long have you had it? 6 years

What is the water temperature? 78
Did you use a thermometer? yes
Are you using a water heater? yes
How much water is in there? 75 gallons
Are you using a water conditioner? yes
Are you using any filtration? yes

What is the basking temperature? not sure
Is there a basking light? yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? It's an above tank set up using a large store bought platform leading up to a ceramic tile platform (enclosed)
Is there a UVB light? yes

What have you been trying to feed it? pellets
When was the last time your turtle ate? this morning

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 75 gall tank w/above tank basking
Is the tank near a window? no
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? yes

Have you read the Basic Care section? yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? in hindsight now, yes, I see she was showing signs of being gravid

[kidzncatz]

Ok, now I'm seeing that constructing a separate nesting area is not recommended for aquatic turtles (been reading the Tortoise Trust), but if that's your only option? I do not want to cause her further stress by taking her out of her home and moving her, but I don't want her to retain any eggs either. What do I do?

[RyanJ]

http://www.redearslider.com/reproduction.html

If the weather is alright where you live, you can try taking her in the yard and supervising- several people have had their females lay their eggs in the bushes.

[SpotsMama]

Most aquatic turtles seem to prefer laying outside. They like the ground slightly softened (like in a flower bed) and somewhat sheltered (like under bushes or piles of leaves). Sometimes, however, it's just not possible to take them outside - too cold, nothing but concrete where you live, etc. Also, it's difficult for the turtle keeper if a turtle is trying to lay outside but taking her sweet time about it, as you need to stay with her the whole time to be sure she's safe and so you'll know when she finally lays.

Someone on here recently went through this experience and, after lots of trial and error, had luck with a particular substrate in a nesting box. I'll look up that thread and post it on here in a few minutes.

Also, there seems to be lots of variability in turtle egg laying. Some lay a lot, some just a few. It seems that females that have been with males lay larger clutches, though an occasional single female will lay a large clutch. Also, it's not unusual for a turtle to lay her eggs in stages - a few today, a few more tomorrow or next week. You should simply note your turtle's behavior and if she acts like she's feeling gravid, then try to accomodate her, but if she's no longer acting gravid, she may be through.

I'll go look for that link.

(a few minutes later...)

Okay. Look especially at the description of the nesting box by kimberly at the bottom of this thread.

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=21392