Wow, thank you for such a sweet welcome! She appears to be very happy, which is all I can hope for in doing what best I can for her.Welcome to the forum! I’m glad you finally decided to make your presence known lol. I’m sorry to hear of your father’s passing. I have zero experience with box turtles, so I can’t help answer your question, but I just had to say, Gwendolyn Hardback of The Three-Toed is SO CUTE!! And that name?! Come on! That’s the coolest name ever! That picture of her is priceless, with her little neck extended and looking like she’s smiling. She looks like a very well taken care of, happy and healthy girl! ?
Thank you, I built the “summer cottage” with her mental health in mind!Beautiful enclosure and turtle! It does sound like nesting behavior.
Thank you, she is a beauty! Do you really think she’s got eggs to lay? Are there any signs/behaviors I should be alarmed by?Welcome! She's gorgeous. Cool landscaping.
It sounds like she's test-nesting. She may lay actual eggs, she may not. I'm guessing the brumation schedule has triggered her endocrine system.
Sometimes they will lay unfertilized eggs, like chickens do. Not as common or certain, but sometimes.Thank you, she is a beauty! Do you really think she’s got eggs to lay? Are there any signs/behaviors I should be alarmed by?
This is such great advice, thank you! I will definitely keep an eye on her weight and offer her the egg. She does keep a cuttlebone in her “bedroom” so that stays relatively dry and she does use it ?Sometimes they will lay unfertilized eggs, like chickens do. Not as common or certain, but sometimes.
Start weighing her daily...that is your best bet to detect a sudden bulking-up inside. lol Gravid females will also go off food if there are a lot of eggs taking up space in the abdomen.
Three-Toeds live in more open environments, so they do spend more time in burrows than Easterns, I think. She may just be digging for fun, but if the behavior is new, it bears observing.
Be sure that her diet is calcium-appropriate (the rule of thumb is twice as much calcium as phosphorous). The average chicken egg shell contains 800-1000 mg of calcium...a quarter of a boiled chicken egg with the shell on makes a nice supplement/treat weekly. For small turtles, I like to roll the egg on a countertop to pre-crush the shell before cutting. If she's craving calcium, she will accept a second or third serving (so a quarter piece every 2-3 days).
Thank you!Welcome to the Forum!
This is such great advice, thank you! I will definitely keep an eye on her weight and offer her the egg. She does keep a cuttlebone in her “bedroom” so that stays relatively dry and she does use it