Red-eared turtles are very popular among reptile owners.
Reproduction of these animals at home requires knowledge of the basic rules and recommendations for their breeding. It is known that the sexual activity of turtles kept in captivity is at a low level, which is why offspring are extremely rare. The poor birth rate of this species of reptile is also explained by the incompetence of the owners regarding how red-eared turtles reproduce and the inability to create suitable conditions for this.
Determination of gender
To ensure reptiles reproduce at home, it is necessary to find out which sex each turtle belongs to. Obviously, the offspring is the result of the mating of a male and a female.
This is interesting: A female reptile can lay eggs without the participation of a male, but storing them will not give any results, since fertilization in this case was not carried out.
Sexual dimorphism in red-eared turtles appears at one year of age. For comparison, it is recommended to take reptiles of the same age. The distinction between individuals is carried out according to the following criteria:
- body size (females are larger);
- claws on the front paws (in males they are longer);
- tail (longer in males than in females);
- the shape of the lower part of the shell (in females it is flat, in boys it is concave).
Feeding the turtles
In their natural habitat, turtles do not feed their young with milk; the babies do not know their mothers and get their own food. Thanks to the presence of a yolk sac, both land and aquatic species of reptiles can easily do without food for the first time. In the wild, the spare yolk allows young turtles to go without food for up to 9 months!
Feeding a baby red-eared turtle at home begins at the end of the first week of the exotic pet’s life, when the newborn turtle has completely settled into its new home and is accustomed to its aquatic habitat. By nature, freshwater reptiles are predators, although most often red-eared sliders are omnivores. Growing babies are first offered animal food: daphnia, gammarus, bloodworms, and coretra. As they grow older, fresh herbs, pieces of sea fish, and shrimp are added to the diet.
Experts recommend giving young animals special vitamin supplements for reptiles, which ensure the proper development and growth of small reptiles. Babies need to be fed more often than adults; daily feeding is used in the first weeks of life. After 2 months, babies are switched to eating every other day; by six months, animals should eat no more than once every 3 days. You should not overfeed the cubs to avoid the development of metabolic disorders.
Video: caring and feeding newborn red-eared turtles
At the end of the first week of life, baby land turtles are offered lettuce, parsley, and dandelion leaves. Grown-up pets can be given an apple and carrots. A prerequisite for the correct formation of the skeleton and shell is the presence of sources of calcium in the diet of babies. You can add crushed egg shells, chalk for reptiles, or put a cuttlefish bone in the terrarium.
Newborn babies, toy-sized, are already carefully studying the world with their tiny beady eyes and actively working with their limbs, trying to master a new territory.
Tiny bright green red-eared turtles, swimming funny in the aquarium, invariably cause delight among all family members.
Sources:
https://homkin.ru/cherepahi/razmnozhenie-cherepah/osobennosti.html https://turtle-home.net/18-razmnozhenie-krasnouhih-cherepah-v-domashnih-usloviyah.html https://homkin.ru/ cherepahi/razmnozhenie-cherepah/rozhdenie.html
Conditions for mating
Reproduction of the red-eared turtle is possible subject to the optimal age for mating - individuals must be young, but at the same time have reached sexual maturity. The readiness of females to reproduce is observed at the age of five, males begin to give birth to offspring in the fifth year of life. If you keep more than two turtles at the same time, it is advisable that there is only one male among them, otherwise the males will fight for the opportunity to mate, causing injury to each other.
Pond slider
Wintering
Another method is cooling. Reptiles are placed one at a time in cloth bags and placed in sphagnum moss. Boxes with turtles should be taken to a cool room (from 0 to 12 degrees). To prevent dehydration, the filler should be sprayed with water from a spray bottle every day. As a rule, artificial wintering lasts about four weeks. The turtle boxes can then be moved back into the house. After two days, the animals can be placed in a terrarium and a heat lamp can be turned on, thereby increasing the duration of daylight hours to 16 hours. It is very important to include foods rich in vitamin E in your pet’s diet.
Preparation
Getting red-eared turtles to breed in captivity is quite a difficult task. To achieve the desired result, you first need to take care of your pets’ diet. Reptile food should include vitamins and nutrients. Vitamin E is especially useful for males, as it has a positive effect on the reproductive function of animals. Calcium and phosphorus are useful for the normal course of pregnancy in females.
Before the intended mating, two turtles need to be placed in different aquariums. To create a suitable environment, it is recommended to change the water and heat it to 25 ° C. It happens that during the mating process, the male does not allow the female to come to the surface for a long time. To prevent the reptile from suffocating, the water level in the aquarium should not exceed 10 centimeters. A container with sand must be placed inside the vessel, where the female will lay eggs.
It should be located in a dry area that is easily accessible to the turtle. Please note that mating will only occur if there is soil in the aquarium. A sign indicating that the female is ready to reproduce is the reptile displaying high activity, as well as its refusal to eat.
Terrarium
Some believe that you can keep a reptile in a regular cardboard box. It's a delusion. In order for your pet to feel as comfortable as possible, he needs to create all the necessary conditions. For these purposes, only a terrarium with high walls (about 1 meter) can be suitable. You should pour fairly coarse sand at the bottom, and make a small canopy out of fabric or cardboard in the corner. Such living conditions are the most natural for these animals. The terrarium must be equipped with heating, ventilation and lighting systems. Since many species of turtles require ultraviolet radiation, it is recommended to install UV lamps along with conventional lamps. They should be placed at a distance of at least 60 centimeters from the location of the reptile. Small ventilation holes should be made in the walls and on the lid of the terrarium. For aquatic turtles, you need to build a small pond at the same level as the floor. It is very useful to place young individuals of freshwater species in an aquarium with water for some time. It should be regularly replaced with fresh, settled one.
How do turtles mate?
Large and beautiful terrarium for turtles
Home maintenance does not imply that the breeding season depends on the changing seasons of the year, so reptiles can mate at any time. According to general observations, turtles are most active from February to May. Thus, the process of mating pets is best carried out at this time.
Until the moment of copulation, reptiles engage in mating games, which can last for several days in a row. During this period, the most important thing is to create the most comfortable conditions for the animals, ensuring them complete peace. Reptiles should not be disturbed by extraneous noise, vibration or bright light. Also, you should not pick up your pets during this time.
The process of mating games is that the male touches the female’s head with his claws and brings his shell into contact with the female’s plastron. The copulation time of reptiles is no more than five minutes. Then eggs are laid.
Breeding problems
Any turtle breeder faces breeding problems. The most common mistakes are:
unfertilized eggs. In the absence of males, turtles lay “empty” eggs. Only after copulation does conception and successful laying occur;
failure to maintain humidity and correct air temperature in the terrarium;
the absence of mating games negatively affects the interest of males in young females. The partner must win the female, become the winner and receive the desired prize;
a poor diet and lack of vitamins also negatively affect the offspring.
Caring for eggs and young
In one clutch the female leaves from 6 to 10 eggs. The diameter of each is 4 cm. The container in which the masonry is located is emptied. The eggs are very carefully transferred to the incubator without turning them over. The temperature in it should be in the region of 25-30 oC. Instead of an incubator, you can use a regular jar of sand, which should be placed next to the heating system to create optimal temperature conditions.
The period of development of the young inside the egg is 2-5 months. All this time it is necessary to maintain the established temperature indicators. As soon as the turtles are born, place them in a separate aquarium where they will be kept for a year.
Brief description of the order of turtles
These animals belong to the order of reptiles. They live in captivity up to 50 years. But in the natural environment they can exist about twice as many. Although there are legends that there are individuals that have reached 350 years or more. But only the lifespan of the Madagascar radiated tortoise Tui Malila is documented - 188 years. Today she is considered a long-living winner.
A distinctive feature of all types of turtles is the presence of a shell. Perhaps, thanks to him, they managed to survive, despite various disasters that occurred on our planet. After all, these creatures are very ancient.
Selection of breeding material
When breeding exotic animals, take care of the health of the offspring. It is important to select healthy, mature female and male turtles of the same species and subspecies. Use turtles from different breeding lines; possible inbreeding increases the risk of producing genetically deformed offspring.
If mating occurs between different species/subspecies, the eggs may be infertile, or the subsequent offspring may be so. This practice is discouraged as it leads to the destruction of the species.
Differences in the character of males and females
Behavior during the mating season clearly demonstrates the difference in temperament between individuals. If girls are characterized by a calm state and moving within the aquarium only when necessary, then males show aggression. In order to attract the attention of the opposite sex, they begin:
- chase turtles;
- bite females on the neck;
- make a squeak.
The last sign does not provide a guarantee - some girls are capable of imitating this sound, which introduces uncertainty. In childhood, they can imitate flirting with their claws and bite other individuals.
To prove his own strength, the male shows aggression towards his aquarium neighbors, provoking fights. They begin with a flip onto the shell and strikes with the paws. Sometimes there are attempts to bite competitors on parts of the body that are not covered with a hard shell (hind legs, tail, neck), which leads to severe, life-threatening injuries.
Stressful situations
If the male is too active, he can injure the female, so you should not keep him nearby all the time. The turtle also needs distance from the male to successfully lay eggs. In a tense state, she can retain eggs, which will lead to serious complications. In captivity, despite all attempts, the female cannot independently hide from the persistent advances of her partner; for this reason, many breeders do not keep adult males and females together, placing them only for mating purposes.
Recipe from a 1995 cookbook
What does a swan eat in nature and at home
? First of all, you need to select high-quality ingredients. To prepare the soup, you should choose a turtle that is intended for culinary purposes.
So, the cooking method:
- Cut off the turtle's head and hang the carcass so that all the blood drains from it.
- After this, gut it and rinse thoroughly with water. It's better to do this several times.
- Separate the meat from the bones and cut into small pieces.
- After this, boil the pieces of pulp in slightly salted water for 3-4 hours. Then boil small pieces of beef and pork in the same water. Add roots, onions and other vegetables. Cook the soup until all ingredients are completely cooked.
- Then you need to prepare an infusion of herbs and aromatic spices. To do this, take a pinch of rosemary, basil, parsley, dill and mint, put it in a saucepan with boiling Madeira (about 1 glass) and simmer over low heat for several minutes.
- At the end, pepper and salt the dish. Before serving, you can season the turtle soup with a small amount of diluted potato starch to thicken it.
