Breeding Turtles in Captivity

It is not easy to get reptiles to breed in captivity. In order to breed turtles in captivity you are going to have to provide them with enough freedom that they think they are in the wild. You are also going to have to make sure their diet is perfectly balanced to provide them all of the nutrition they need to have a successful breeding.

In general the turtles breeding cycle will happen right after they come out of hibernation in the spring. They generally come out of hibernation sometime between March and May. If you have several turtles in one pen they sometimes get aggressive during this time. Larger reptiles have been known to bite the heads off of smaller reptiles. It is recommended that you separate the smaller reptiles for their safety during the breeding process.

When breeding turtles you have to make certain that your mating pair are in optimum health before you allow them to breed. You do not want to breed second generations to each other and create an inbreeding problem. You want your female to have the healthiest diet possible before she begins to lay eggs. The egg laying period is extremely stressful for them and if she is not healthy enough this could cause her death.

When the mating is complete the female will begin to look for a place to lay her eggs. She will be looking for a place where the soil is soft so she can dig a hole for her eggs. You need to provide her with a soil depth of eight to nine inches to do this in. Make sure that you place rocks and tall grasses around the soft soil area so the mother turtle feels safe laying her eggs there. She will be laying multiple eggs in one hole so she may dig a fairly deep hole.

The eggs do not develop hard shells like the eggs of some birds. The shell remains soft and absorbs moisture and heat for the fragile embryo inside them. They are very fragile. Never attempt to move the eggs from the hole that the mother digs for them. If your habitat is outdoors you can place a screen over the area so the neighborhood dogs, and wild animals, cannot come and dig up the fragile eggs. If there is not sufficient rain during the ninety days the eggs are incubating you will need to add water to this area for the eggs to get the right amount of moisture.