All Turtles Message Board

snoopy · Level 3 Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Posts: 169

I have had a female Mississippi Map Turt for about 2 yrs now, and she has been alone for those 2 years. She was owned by someone else before us, and I have no idea about the conditions she was kept in then.

She has been acting strangly on her basking area. She basks MUCH more, and she seems to be trying to dig while on it. It is solid, so she doesn\'t get anywhere. She has also been much hungrier lately, (but that could be because she has been basking more, and getting warmer, thus speeding up her metabolism).

Could she be trying to lay eggs? If so, is there any possible way they had been fertilized? (They can\'t store sperm, can they?)

She is about 4.5 inches long, and she has not grown at all in the 2 years we have had her, so I am assuming she is done growing. She is in about 20 gallons of water with a sloating basking island. She has a UVB light as well. I feed her in a separate tank 3x per week.

Willie · Level 3 Joined: 16 Sep 2002 Posts: 383 Location: Wisconsin

The reason why she is eating much more is probibly because she has been basking more, hence, warming her up. Female turtles can store sperm for up to a year, (over winter months) so i don\'t think that, if she lays eggs, they will be fertilized. Just let her lay her eggs, and after she gets done laying them, you can dispose of them. I hope this helps, and Good Luck!!
Willie
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2 Eastern Painted Turtles
2 Common Snapping Turtles
2 Texas Diamondback Terrapins
1 Razorback Musk
1 Texas Map Turtle