My Turtle Laid Eggs In Water: What To Do?

If you have a female turtle pet and she lays her eggs in water, you could be asking yourself many questions like whether the eggs are safe, what you should do, and so on. In this article, we will address the issue of turtles laying eggs in water.

If your turtle laid eggs in water and she cohabits with a male turtle, this means the eggs are fertilized and you should take them out of the water immediately and put them in a suitable incubation environment. However, if the eggs are unfertilized, you can simply toss them away.

This article will discuss in full detail pet turtles laying eggs in water in their enclosures, what happens if they lay their eggs in water, whether you can leave the eggs in water, how long the eggs can survive in the water and so much more.

What to do if your turtle lays eggs in water?

If your turtle laid her eggs in water, this means she lacked an acceptable nesting site to do so.

If the eggs are fertilized, then you should take the eggs out of the water immediately. This will prevent them from being damaged and increase their survival chances and hatching success.

However, if your turtle stays alone in the tank but still lays eggs, this means the eggs are unfertilized and you can simply toss them away.

For fertilized eggs, follow the steps below to keep them safe/healthy:

Step 1. Get the eggs out of the water immediately. You can do this with the help of a net or a spoon. Make sure you don’t shake the eggs during the removal process. This can damage the sensitive embryo developing inside.

Step 2. Inspect the eggs for any cracks, damages, or deformities. If you find that the eggs are damaged, just discard them, as they are unlikely to hatch.

Step 3. If the eggs seem okay, then you should transfer them to a suitable incubation environment. You can prepare an incubation area using a plastic or Styrofoam cooler.

Fill this container with suitable substrates such as peat moss, sphagnum moss, or vermiculite. Make sure the substrate is moist (but not wet).

Step 4. Put all your eggs in the incubation container and ensure they don’t touch each other. However, you shouldn’t completely cover the eggs to enable you to observe them during the incubation. If you must cover the eggs, then do so with just a thin substrate layer.

Step 5. Incubate the eggs. Place the incubation container in an environment with high humidity (anything from 80%) and a temperature of around 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Give the eggs time to hatch. They usually take 45 to 90 days, depending on the species.

TIP: Monitor the eggs regularly throughout the incubation period to ensure the temperature and humidity levels remain consistent.

What happens if a turtle lays eggs in water?

It is unnatural for turtles to lay eggs in water. She only does this as a last resort if she can’t find a suitable nesting site. Sometimes, she may even suffer from dystocia if she retains some of her eggs.

Any eggs laid in the water by your pet turtle are in a totally unideal environment. They can become easily waterlogged, affecting the development of the embryo inside or even causing it to die.

Moreover, the humidity and temperature inside may be unsuitable for the eggs’ development, further affecting their health.

If you leave the eggs long enough, the tank may also start to stink, which is the last thing you want to happen.

Some turtle species tend to eat the eggs they lay in the tank. Some turtle owners in this Reddit thread have confessed about their turtles eating eggs they lay in their tanks.

Therefore, if your turtle lays eggs in water, we advise you to take immediate action and remove them as fast as possible. Transfer them to a suitable incubation area to increase their survival chances.

Can you leave turtle eggs in water?

It’s not advisable to leave turtle eggs in water. Instead, you should transfer them as quickly as possible to a suitable incubation environment.

This will enable them to develop properly and hatch into healthy baby turtles.

As we’ve discussed above, leaving the eggs in water exposes the developing embryo inside to many dangers and may even cause it to die.

Whenever your turtle lays eggs in water, simply remove them carefully and put them in an incubator to hatch them.

My red-eared slider turtle laid eggs in water: what to do?

If your red-eared slider laid eggs in water, you should but carefully remove them from the water.

Once you get them out of the water, inspect them for damages and then transfer them to a suitable incubation environment.

However, if your slider doesn’t cohabit with a male, then the eggs may be unfertilized and you should simply toss them away.

How long can turtle eggs survive in water?

Turtle eggs cannot survive for long in water. As we stated earlier, turtle laying eggs in aquarium is unnatural.

In the wild, they usually dig a nest in the ground and bury their eggs and leave them to hatch. If left in water, the eggs will be waterlogged. This can suffocate the embryo inside and cause it to die.

For this reason, we always recommend you remove the turtle eggs from the water and put them in an incubator as soon as possible.

This way, you can keep them safe and healthy, and increase their survival chances.

Conclusion

If your turtle lays eggs in water, you should quickly get them out of the water. This is because water temperature may be unsuitable for embryo development. The eggs may also be waterlogged, affecting the health and well-being of the embryo inside. Acting fast and getting the eggs out of the water will ensure they remain healthy. Transferring the eggs to a suitable incubation environment with consistent temperature and humidity throughout the incubation period will increase their chances of hatching successfully. We hope that this guide has answered your question about what to do if your turtle lays eggs in water.