How do I know if a three toed is about to lay eggs

[Yao]

I've got a female three toed last November, about 4-5 inches. I'm wondering if it's possible that she will lay down eggs this year and how can I tell? Thanks.

 

[Cmv]

I've got a female three toed last November, about 4-5 inches. I'm wondering if it's possible that she will lay down eggs this year and how can I tell? Thanks.

So there’s a few things you should know. Box turtles can lay eggs with or without a male, but without a male they will not be fertile, meaning they’re duds. But on the other hand, box turtles can retain sperm for up to four years so even if they haven’t been with a male while they have been in your care, that can still lay fertile eggs.
In my experience, box turtles are right around the 5 inch mark before they start laying eggs, so if yours is about 4-5 inches, it’s definitely a possibility.

with my girls, I know eggs are coming when they start putting a lot of weight. I weigh mine every week or so, but even if you don’t have a scale, you can pick them up and see if they’re feeling hefty compared to normal. If I don’t catch the weight gain, I find them out after sunset (my turtles are kept outdoors year round) which is very unusual. When I find them out after sunset, I keep an eye on them and most of the time I find them digging in the dirt and sniffing around trying to find nesting spots. I have never found them laying that first night, but usually within a week of discovering this behavior. Your mileage may vary. One of my girls acts completely normal until she digs her hole to lay in, but my other girl gets really antsy and paces around from sunrise to sunset until she finally finds a spot to dig up a nest.

Basically watch her and see if her behavior changes for now and see how different she is from today compared to the first few months. But also keep in mind it’s springtime so she may just be livening up with the change of the seasons.

 

[Yao]

Thanks @Cmv . I’m also keeping her outdoor year round. She just came out and started to be active recently. So I’ll keep weighting and watching. Planning to get a couple more box turtles this year.

 

[Relic]

So there’s a few things you should know. Box turtles can lay eggs with or without a male, but without a male they will not be fertile, meaning they’re duds. But on the other hand, box turtles can retain sperm for up to four years so even if they haven’t been with a male while they have been in your care, that can still lay fertile eggs.
In my experience, box turtles are right around the 5 inch mark before they start laying eggs, so if yours is about 4-5 inches, it’s definitely a possibility.

with my girls, I know eggs are coming when they start putting a lot of weight. I weigh mine every week or so, but even if you don’t have a scale, you can pick them up and see if they’re feeling hefty compared to normal. If I don’t catch the weight gain, I find them out after sunset (my turtles are kept outdoors year round) which is very unusual. When I find them out after sunset, I keep an eye on them and most of the time I find them digging in the dirt and sniffing around trying to find nesting spots. I have never found them laying that first night, but usually within a week of discovering this behavior. Your mileage may vary. One of my girls acts completely normal until she digs her hole to lay in, but my other girl gets really antsy and paces around from sunrise to sunset until she finally finds a spot to dig up a nest.

Basically watch her and see if her behavior changes for now and see how different she is from today compared to the first few months. But also keep in mind it’s springtime so she may just be livening up with the change of the seasons.

In addition to this great post of information, I nearly always observe a plethora of "attempted nests" scattered around the pen. Holes where the females have begun digging, but later abandoned the effort due to hard soil, tree roots, rocks...whatever might have frustrated her efforts. But they will keep digging, day after day, until they fine the perfect spot...or unfortunately just deposit the eggs above-ground.

It's still early in the season (though the eggs inside her could still be from last year) and I usually don't see any nesting activity until late June / early July.