red eared slider laying eggs

[cyndi rankin]

my friend's redeared slider is laying eggs. i don't think that they are viable because the only male it is around is a tortoise. and they are not of the same species, has anyone heard of a slider and tortoise mating. i'm not sure what type of tortoise it is.

[ChadRamsey]

are the turtle and the tort being housed together?

[cyndi rankin]

yes they are kept together and she let them go into hibernation. i warned her not to let it happen, but i don't know anything. i have had turtles before and know about care and maintanence. i have never had a tort so am unaware about this situation

[VoodooChile]

Im not sure how these two are being kept together, as a tortoise is a terrestrial animal, and the sliders are primarily aquatic, so someone's needs are not being met somewhere.
I would first tell my friend to separate the two and get them in their appropriate captive habitats. Their health will seriously do nothing but benefit from a proper environment. That includes, temps, humidity, diet, and UVA/UVB.

I'll let one of the turtle/tort pros answer your egg question, but definitely tell her its in her animal's BEST interest to get them set up properly!

[Adrya]

A better description of how these two are set up would help us to help you. Just because you or your friend have kept turtles before doesn't mean you're keeping them right.

I've been keeping turtles for 15 years, and red-eared sliders are highly aquatic animals. Adult females don't need to be with a male in order to lay eggs... they lay eggs whether fertile or not.

Aquatic turtles need to be in a large tank, adult females needing at least 75 gallons because they can reach a carapace(upper shell length) of 12 inches, with 80-90% of the tank being water, the other 10-20% being a basking rock/area with the proper basking spot UVA/UVB bulb that also emits heat. They also need a good filter that filters the tank capacity of 75 gallons or higher.

Tortoises are dry land animals and should be kept in a terrarium of some sort of dirt/peat moss/cypress/repti carpet substrate with more length and width to the cage than height and the proper amount of humidity that they need, depending on the species, but I would say 55% or more. They should have a humid hide box they can get into with damp moss, and a basking flood lamp on one end or corner that they can bask under. They not only need this basking lamp but should have a UV flourescent tube that extends the length of the enclosure.

[sweet allyson]

I'd really like to help, but don't know much about torts or turtles. Sorry!

[cyndi rankin]

i have explained to her about the proper care of the turtle, and she doesn't want to hear it. my turtles where kept properly, but she doesn't hear that a tort doesn't need to be in water and that a turtle needs to have water available at all times. i do know how, i gave mine to another turtle lover due to my health issues. please understand I DO KNOW what i'm doing about care but never had my female lay eggs and i had a male and female together, my question was if the was a possibility if they were viable.

[Adrya]

A tortoise and turtle cannot mate.

If she wanted help with her tort and turtle, then she needs to take into consideration what I have offered, otherwise she'll end up with one if not two dead animals. As I said before, a female turtle does not have to be with a male in order to lay eggs.

If she doesn't want to accept the proper care that I have offered then she does not deserve those animals.

[cyndi rankin]

i know but she doesn't want to hear me, now i can show her that what i have been telling her is right. she is listening to someone who claims to be a vet assistant. i think either this person is lying or she is a bad vet assistant. thank you very much for the info, maybe now i can get to take better care of them

[TammyJamaica]

You have been given the right advice by Adrya. The eggs will just rot, and they are not fertilized.

The person who keeps these reptiles in this manner you have described is being either ignorant or cruel or both.