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If you have a pet as a female turtle you already know that, under the right conditions, this can become pregnant and it is very important that you can detect this situation as soon as possible to adapt your pet's environment to your specific needs and be able to turn to the veterinarian at any sign that indicates problems during this phase. .
It may seem that when dealing with a turtle it becomes more difficult to notice certain special situations, such as a pregnancy, but with the proper knowledge and patience you can know exactly what is going on with your pet.
In this PeritoAnimal article we will clarify some aspects of turtle reproduction and explain how to tell if a land turtle is pregnant.
Turtle reproduction
The tortoise is a vertebrate reptile of oviparous nature. breed with eggs. There is a wide variety of different breeds and even some species are protected as they are in danger of extinction. To prevent your turtle from taking any damage, you should always be careful with other pets you have at home.
To learn more about turtle reproduction and pregnancy, you should know that under healthy conditions, it reaches sexual maturity at approximately 7-10 years of age, and from that moment on, mating with a male turtle starts the turtle's reproduction process, which we can summarize as follows :
- Mating takes place between the months of April and June.
- The female turtle has the ability to store sperm inside to fertilize the eggs it lays, this sperm can be preserved and functional for 3 years.
- In each pregnancy the female lays between 2 and 12 eggs, although this value varies depending on the specific species.
- The eggs hatch between August and October.
You should also bear in mind that incubation is shorter at a higher temperature, which can influence the timing of hatching.
As we mentioned before, there are many types of turtles and this reproductive cycle refers specifically to the land turtle.
Signs of pregnancy in turtle
To find out if your turtle is pregnant, you will need to use a palpation technique to check if there are eggs inside.
For this you have to feel the abdomen following these steps:
- When you do, it is normal for the turtle to resist and not want you to move.
- You should use your movement to block one of your hind legs, rest one of your fingers inside the paw and prevent its movement like that.
- Blocking one of your legs will give you access to the side of your abdomen, which you should pay special attention to.
- Gently press one or two fingers on the side of the abdomen to make the palpation, if the area is soft it is because you are palpating the viscera, but if on the contrary you notice a spherical and hard shape, it is because your turtle is pregnant.
despite the abdominal palpation to be the most viable method to confirm pregnancy of a turtle, we can also observe signs of pregnancy in its behavior, since when a turtle lays eggs it starts digging several holes in the ground and at this point it is very important that it has soft earth to do so, otherwise it may retain the eggs , which poses a serious risk to your pet.
warning signs
During the turtle pregnancy you should pay special attention to certain signs that, although they do not indicate a problem during the breeding period, may indicate a disease:
- Red and puffy eyes
- Nasal discharge
- Lack of appetite
- carapace problems
- Spots on the skin
- Weight loss
- breathing difficulty
- edema
- swollen head
In the presence of any of these signs it is important consult the veterinarian as soon as possible, since as we mentioned these may indicate some disease, which will gain even more relevance if our turtle is in a gestation state.
