" First Love / Clemmys guttata Story "

[Redfoot NERD]

Mark is on a later chapter in this story .. will show them in an aquarium a little later.

Actually their 'breeding' set-up was only about 5" of water... and they do spend more time basking than you may think.



I always called them "spotted-mud" turtles

 

[cdmay]

"I always called them "spotted-mud" turtles "

That's the spot-on statement of the thread. Spotted turtles are essentially, very pretty eastern mud turtles.
That hate the heat.

 

[Moozillion]

Oh, dear...yall are making this sooooo tempting!!!!

 

[Redfoot NERD]

Carl if I kept / bred them now I would 'brumate' [ hibernate ] them very similar to the Northern Terrapins.

 

[Redfoot NERD]

I think you're going to like this chapter gang -

It may have been the summer of 1999 when the eldest "C" brother gave me an adult pair! The male had a chunk out of him and the female had a front foot missing plus something must have bitten her early on - you'll see. He told me I could have them because he couldn't sell them because they weren't perfect... hahaha I laughed all the way home!!!

be sure to notice the date embedded in the lower right of each pic

In the 2005 season she started digging her first of FIVE clutches of eggs - totaling 12 eggs.. 11 were fertile and 10 hatched ---- my poor little "misfits"

Started digging 10:13 pm -



Looking right into the almost completed 'nest' at 11:44 pm -



She's about to reach into the nest to scoop out the last of sand/dirt mixture before laying her first egg -



Will show the 'eggs laid' sequence in just a few -

 

[Redfoot NERD]

First egg at 12:10 -



Second at 12:15 -



Done at 12:18 -- from starting to dig until done laying was over 2 hours - not to mention time to cover-up and "hide" the nest!



And into incubator @ 87-88 F .. which created all females.

 

[wellington]

Wow they are really oblong. They sure are cute little things.
If kept in an aquarium, with such little water, what kind of good filter could be used? I hate the cheap sponge filters that just sit over the intake of a pump. Changing them is a pain and most of the dirt goes back into the water.

 

[Redfoot NERD]

And imagine @wellington - Barb the turtle that laid those was barely 4" SCL !

Different aquarium set-up's -





A simple submersible filter - $20 at Walmart - and pumps 125 gallons per hour !

 

[Moozillion]

I think you're going to like this chapter gang -

It may have been the summer of 1999 when the eldest "C" brother gave me an adult pair! The male had a chunk out of him and the female had a front foot missing plus something must have bitten her early on - you'll see. He told me I could have them because he couldn't sell them because they weren't perfect... hahaha I laughed all the way home!!!

be sure to notice the date embedded in the lower right of each pic

In the 2005 season she started digging her first of FIVE clutches of eggs - totaling 12 eggs.. 11 were fertile and 10 hatched ---- my poor little "misfits"

Started digging 10:13 pm -



Looking right into the almost completed 'nest' at 11:44 pm -



She's about to reach into the nest to scoop out the last of sand/dirt mixture before laying her first egg -



Will show the 'eggs laid' sequence in just a few -

Loving this series!!!!

 

[Markw84]

Wow they are really oblong. They sure are cute little things.
If kept in an aquarium, with such little water, what kind of good filter could be used? I hate the cheap sponge filters that just sit over the intake of a pump. Changing them is a pain and most of the dirt goes back into the water.

I think there seems to be a threshold of about 5-6g for a viable egg. For the smaller turtles, the only way to get one that size out is if they are oblong, and a bit pliable. Smaller clutches & oblong eggs. Note all the big chelonias have round eggs and even have room for larger clutches.

 

[Redfoot NERD]

Unbelievable .. a second clutch in less than a week - how did she breathe?

And she didn't start digging until after midnight - 12:13 a.m.



This is the position they assume just before laying.. it's now 2:21 a.m. -



2:24 a.m. - First egg -



Second egg.. 2:27 -



And she actually had a 3rd egg in her! It's now 2:34 a.m. - and I'm tired --- wonder about her.. and she's not done!



Covering up at 2:45 a.m.



@Markw84 .. Mark it is amazing how many eggs this female produced while here... PLUS the 'Northern' populations only nest one.. maybe two times a year because of shorter "incubation" season.. hence larger clutches...

 

[Pearly]

Breathtaking miracles of naturel!!!

 

[Markw84]

Agee! Mine are northern too. Average 4-5 per clutch. Some have triple clutched - maybe because I now give them a much longer season

 

[Redfoot NERD]

Mark I've seen a few "Canadian" spotteds.. they had enormous single spot in each carapace scute.. and the female was a good 6" scl!!!

This was the largest male I had -



What are the sizes of your Northerns?

 

[Redfoot NERD]

This young male from Michigan was dwarfed by male above.. but he was a beaut' -



Captive hatched -



All male -

 

[kaykay]

Oh there cute!!

 

[taylorpinick]

Love it. If you ever sell some babies let me know. Would love to have them.

 

[Redfoot NERD]

Love it. If you ever sell some babies let me know. Would love to have them.

As the 'Intro' mentioned.. this breeding program ceased in 2008.

I sold right at 65 babies between 2002 and 2007.. and then all of the 'breeders' in 2008.

 

[taylorpinick]

Whoops! It was late, haha. But this was an incredible story

 

[Redfoot NERD]

The 'third' clutch came April 16 .. she has now been named "Super-spots"!



And 2 more into the incubator -



8 eggs in 25 days!!! - all I ever fed them then was Reptomin sticks.. no calcium supplements.

The rest of this series this evening and then on to some of the hatchlings / juveniles and breeding adults during those 9 years of keeping and breeding Clemmys guttata .. a.k.a. North American Spotted turtles...