Urgent Care :: gravid turtle question

[notsmith]

The turtle that my vet claimed was a male... is now gravid. She started not eating 3-4 days ago and 2 days ago jumped out of the tank - so I became highly suspicious that she was gravid and thus a female (there are a few times in my life when I haven't liked being right).

We have created a nice nesting area as per the links with attached water source. - she is definitely gravid (i can see the eggs on either side) if I wasn't clear on that point.

How long do I wait before I'm concerned about her being egg-bound? She goes into the nesting site, digs a hole, closes it up and goes back into the water with out laying. She has done this 4 or 5 times a day for the last 2 days.

[steve]

She's digging with her hind legs? It's good that she's trying... I'd continue to let her try. There's no certain way to be sure she's egg-bound, unless you can positively feel for them or have x-rays taken.

[notsmith]

I can feel and see the eggs. they feel hard.

[notsmith]

I added more sand and she seemed to like that ... her holes (dug with her back legs) looked more like the youtube video holes - deeper ....but she still hasn't laid any eggs... she did eat a bit today and she didn't seem as frantic.

does the laying process typically take days?

[steve]

No, when there's a suitable spot, she'll get right to it. Her very first clutch might take a few hours, and subsequent clutches should be quicker.

It's good she's trying, I'm not sure why she's not successful. If they come across an obstruction (a large rock, roots, etc), she might stop and try in a different area. If her digging is reaching the bottom of the tub, then I'd try a much deeper area, one that has a depth equal to her shell.