All Turtles Message Board

spraggsbraydon2 · Level 3 Joined: 07 May 2002 Posts: 230

Well,as a reptile breeder,I decided that I would post some directions for breeding water turtles.That way,if you need help,you can use this post as a refferance.Here it goes.Courtship should begin just after hibernation,with the male doing a mating dance to attract the females attention.After the mating,your female will grow rapidly while gravid.After the mating,you should seperate the male from the female.Be sure to put the female in the larger enclosure.Also,in the females enclosure,you should have a beach of damp soil 7-10 inches deep.This will be the laying grounds and the basking spot.The beach should be about 7 inches wide and take up 1/4 of the tanks lengh.During this time you should be looking for a hova bator reptile egg incubator.It may need to be shipped to you,as not all reptile stores have one.Once the eggs are layed,you should then mark the tops with X\'s and then dig small holes for the number of eggs (2-20 per clutch).The eggs should be be placed with the X\'s at the top in the holes 3/4 covered.The hova bator should be kept at 90 degrees at 95-100% humidity.Hatching should occur between 65-90 days later.When hatched,the young should be placed in a tank at a average of 10 gallons for every 3 hatchlings,and be fed a carnivorous diet only after their egg sack and egg tooth are gone (normally about a week).Do NOT try to help the turtle out of the shell or open a shell if it is not hatched yet.If a egg smells musty,it is diseased and should be removed before it spreads to the other eggs,spoiling all of them.During the pregnancy,your gravid chelonian should be fed 2 times per day a high protien and calcium diet.
Good Luck,and if you need any further help,Email me at the following address: fh_archermaster@hotmail.com.For more info,go to my site at: www.geocities.com/redslidetank
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