Reptile Forums banner

Is my Mississippi map turtle Pregnant???? Help!!!

9K views 13 replies 6 participants last post by  morgiej 
#1 ·
Hi,

i have already posted 1 thread on my turtles and have only had 1 reply, i stated in my last post that my female turtle was restless and sleepy.

i have since been to my local garden center where i got these turtles and explained what was happening and he told me she may be pregnant!

has anyone ever experienced this?

she sits in the corner of the tank and kind of sleeps during the evenings. she has shown no signs of digging? but i am getting really worried about her.

she eats very little and my male turtle will not leave her alone.

i was told to make a nesting area for here just in case... but am not too sure how to do it?

also does anybody know what the best type of set up is in their tank.

i have had my turtles for 4 nearly 5 years and have never had a problem... but this has really set me back as i am really hoping she is not ill... :(

if someone could give me the slightest bit of advise i would be very grateful

Thanks guys

Leanne x
:)
 
See less See more
#2 ·
It's always possible that she might be gravid, but sleeping a lot doesn't really fit with that, she would typically be spending a lot of time searching for a suitable place to lay her eggs.

Providing a nesting area would certainly be sensible, all adult female turts need one otherwise they are forced to lay their eggs in the water, or they retain them which can be seriously bad for their health.

It's easy enough to do, just a box filled with a mix of damp sand and soil, at least as deep as her body is long, and obviously with a ramp so she can climb out easily. It needs to be under the lamps as she won't want to lay in a cold area, and you can add a plant or two as they often prefer to lay at the base of shrubs, fake plants will be fine.
 
#3 ·
That is really helpful thankyou very much...

do you know how long it usually takes for her to lay her eggs? thats if she is pregnant. i just find it very odd as she lays in the same place all of the time.

i have read that you can feel near her legs but i am a little weary of doing this as i do not want to hurt her.

also ... if and when she hatches the eggs to i have to remove them and take care of them or leave her to do her thing.

My male turtle looks worried about her and keeps checking her behind.
 
#4 ·
If she is gravid, and assuming they have mated so the eggs are fertile, she would normally lay around a month later. If you want to hatch them you'd need to remove them very carefully and place them in a suitable incubator.

Yes you could palpate around her back legs to see if you can feel eggs, but you do need to be very careful.
 
#5 ·
Female turtles do not incubate their own eggs like chickens.. she will lay them and leave them. They provide no parental care. It is up to you if you either a) take them away and destroy them or b) attempt to incubate these yourself.

Maps can have large clutches (up to a dozen eggs) and you will either have to find good homes for the hatchlings or be prepared to keep them yourself.
 
#8 ·
If you're really concerned then it might be worth it, it needs to be a vet who's familiar with turts though, and most aren't.
 
#10 ·
Mississippi Map Turtle

The best habbitat for a Map Turtle is in at least a 55 gallon tank filled to within 12 inches from the top. (Make sure you have a screen on the top of your tank because they will climb out) Map Turtles need deep water and love to spend the majority of their time swimming around, which makes them great Turtles to have. You'll also need a haet lamp and floating landing dock for them to bask. A 55 gallon tank will easily support 2 adult Map's and a few hatchlings as well.

As far as telling if their pregnant it's really tricky. Some people have blogged that you can feel if there are eggs inside of her. The best advice I can give on this is to either bring her to the vet to x-ray her, which can be pricey. Almost a good rule of thumb is if they're getting it on, she will reproduce. For this a 20 gallon terrarium or aquarium will suffice. Fill the tank with at least 10 inches of sand and make sure to have at least a heat bulb that goes to 90 degrees. (no more than 120 degrees). Put her in it for 5-8 hours a day and monitor her. Not sure how long the eggs take to hatch, but just leave them be, they'll dig their way out of the sand.

Hope this helps you out a little bit at least.
 
#11 ·
Mississippi Map Turtles habbitat/pregnancy

The best habbitat for a Map Turtle is in at least a 55 gallon tank filled to within 12 inches from the top. (Make sure you have a screen on the top of your tank because they will climb out) Map Turtles need deep water and love to spend the majority of their time swimming around, which makes them great Turtles to have. You'll also need a haet lamp and floating landing dock for them to bask. A 55 gallon tank will easily support 2 adult Map's and a few hatchlings as well.

As far as telling if their pregnant it's really tricky. Some people have blogged that you can feel if there are eggs inside of her. The best advice I can give on this is to either bring her to the vet to x-ray her, which can be pricey. Almost a good rule of thumb is if they're getting it on, she will reproduce. For this a 20 gallon terrarium or aquarium will suffice. Fill the tank with at least 10 inches of sand and make sure to have at least a heat bulb that goes to 90 degrees. (no more than 120 degrees). Put her in it for 5-8 hours a day and monitor her. Not sure how long the eggs take to hatch, but just leave them be, they'll dig their way out of the sand.

Hope this helps you out a little bit at least. Have a great day and enjoy your Turtles!
 
#13 ·
If you have an incubator set up it's definitely the best way to go, however most people don't have that and it's pretty expensive. Not all hatchlings make it from egg to life, it's just the common nature of things. If you're in the business of selling them, you'd want to invest in an incubator. If they're just for your pleasure or to share w/ family friends etc, just leave them be. In the wild they burry their eggs and role, whatever makes it makes it. You'll get most of the eggs to hatch that way, but not always all of them.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top