It’s time for another edition of Turtle Fact.
But…before I got down to it, I, on behalf of the three of us, would love to give a big hug to our lovely Aunt Sara of Life With 4 Cats who has been so kind to share our picture in her wonderful blog, she called it For The Love of Turtles. She also gave tips to help turtles cross a street (You’ll never see that in Jakarta). Once again,Thank you aunt Sara.
Now…let’s get back to some basic knowledge on my species
I bet you know we came from eggs, but not many people know that we can still lay eggs without having to this >>>
The drawing is made by Emily of Paroxysm of Outrageous Random News. Thank you for signing it, Emily 
Basically…we don’t need male to have eggs…but we do need male to have babies. Every female turtle has eggs inside the their body. Those eggs are infertile until a male comes along and make it fertile. At certain age, it is different to every turtles, females will lay their eggs. I around 3 when I laid my first eggs. Most female will lay eggs between 3-5 year old.
The symptoms are simple:
1. WE HATE FOOD. Turtles are greedy but at time like this, we often left the food untouched.
2. WE BECOME RECKLESS. When I was having it, I climbed up my basking area and then jumped into the water, over and over again.
3. WE BECOME AN EXPLORER. When I was set free on the floor,I roamed around the house like a patrol police.
4. Most importantly…WE START DIGGING THE FLOOR. This video (that’s me in the video) will show you what I am talking about.
If a turtle does something like that, her mommy (or daddy) should check her tight to feel eggs underneath it. Be very careful because the eggs’ shell might break.
Since we cannot dig our house’ floor, we need to start digging the land outside the house. so, all turtles’ mommy and daddy should take us outside and let us do our thing 
…or we can also do it in a set up tank with lots of sand and land.
And here is one of my eggs (shot in different angles)
Hope you enjoy this new fact about turtle (new to those who didn’t know about it before )
I will close this Turtle Fact with a picture of me in mommy’s hand
Novroz
Kroten
Kurome
Papoe
Kame (R.I.P)
That floor doesn’t really look like suitable digging material.
Is there a cat flap in the door. lol
If we have a turtle drill, it would be easy to dig the floor
Eh? a cat flap… I have to watch my own video again.
You sure were working hard to rip that floor up! Good thing your mom knew what you needed! What would happen if you had no sand or dirt to dig in?
And I really enjoyed the post by Aunt Sarah!
Hehehe I sometimes dug on a pile of dirty clothes when those clothes were put on the floor. It was easier to dig the clothes
But in the end, I didn’t lay my eggs on the front yard… I did it on the floor and in the water.
Glad you like that
Aunt Sara writes great posts
Bisakah kura-kura menelurkan telurnya di lantai biasa, bukan di tanah?
bisa. Kame menelurkan telurnya di ubin, brp kalipun menggali tanah telurnya ga keluar2…eh tau2 dia nelur di lantai.
That’s what I thought: if you gave Kame a little sand box to dig in, that would probably satisfy her need to dig a safe place to lay her eggs and then she wouldn’t be so restless. Every mommy, or potential mommy, wants to make sure her babies are well protected.
unfortunately, I hate my sand box, I felt trap in there. I always tried to climb up instead of digging, I only dug for few minutes and then tried to escape. Mommy put me outside because I can choose my favorite spot….tho I ended up laying it on the floor
Maybe next time you can find a better place to lay your eggs!
I hope so too…it will help ease mommy’s mind
Wow, this was very interesting. My Mommy read it too. We give this post Paws UP!
Mommy says she actually gives it a thumbs up.
Yeaaaa…. I am glad you and your mommy like our new fact post
… and thank you for all the paws and thumbs up you two have given.
wow that is pretty cool. You made eggs?! I never knew that happened like that! There sure is a lot to know about turtles. I bet mommy was very proud of you. And worried too.
It worried her so much because I couldn’t let my eggs out for about two months. She started to feel anxious thinking I have to take a surgery if I couldn’t get it out. Thank God, it finally came out one by one.
She was ecstatic when she saw my egg on the floor. Wrong place to lay an egg but at least it came out. The rest of the eggs followed soon afterward.
Interesting turtle fact, indeed. You made me laugh about your recklessness! Diving in and out of your water can be quite a thrilling adventure—just be careful the next time
Question: How many times a year do female turtles lay eggs, and will the process last all throughout their lives (or does it stop at a certain point in time)? Curious to know.
thank you, Maple’s mom your questions have no exact answer. Basically, we have lots of egg batch and when we don’t use them, they will come out…just like any human female has menstruation. But, unlike human, our period isn’t as fix as human. I have read about a turtle who has laid egg 3 times by the time she was 5 years old…but, I have only laid my egg once even though I am also 5 years.
Oh, I see. Thanks for the explanation Kame. So, having laid your first egg only once at 5 years old makes you a “late bloomer” I guess?
ah…you can say it like that
Wow, that IS interesting. Of course, I did know you come from eggs and lay eggs, even without a male. It’s a bit like chickens, isn’t it? The eggs will be laid, but will now be fertile without a male’s contribution. I didn’t know about the periodicity of the whole process. I’ve seen documentaries about turtles on National Geographic, but those were wild turtles that laid eggs on beaches. You’ve made me aware of the issues that could arise with turtles kept as pets, who don’t live in a natural environment. It’s important for any owner to be able to recognise the signs you’ve listed and create the right environment for them…So well done for publishing this. I don’t own any turtles, but if I ever considered it, I’d rather be prepared to look after them properly. Thanks.
I found the video very interesting. Although I do feel sorry for your floor …
You are right! it is like chicken…all these eggs inside me are empty. Once we get it out, it shows that we are ready to mate. We have less worry that the eggs will stuck inside us which is very dangerous and need surgery.
eh?? you’re sorry with the floor! how bout my legs? that floor will cause bruises on my legs if I continue doing it
Better
That’s like the bit in Jurassic Park where Grant discovers that the animals have been breeding in the wild. ‘Some west-African frogs have been to known to change sex spontaenously from male to female in a single sex environment’. Kame and Kroten could a cameo role in JP4
Some amphibian can change sex in order to survive but I haven’t read about reptilian yet…whether they can change sex too or not. That would be a bit strange to see either Kame or Kroten turns into a male
a cameo? sorry Ronan, they only play as leading role
Wow!! I never knew that about turtles! I love all of the things I learn by reading your blog.
That illustration made me laugh…turtles doing “the wild thing!!” lol
Glad we can enrich your knowledge on turtles…hope we don’t mislead you in a way we didn’t realize.
hahaha, nice animation isn’t it
I didn’t know they lay eggs without little turtles in them! So many interesting facts and that last photo is so super cute.
I didn’t know either till Kame showed those sympthoms. I was so confused because losing appetite often become the sign of sickness. And then the restlessness made me worried even more. Thank God the site I always visited for advices on turtles help me to understand.
Thank you Caroline. She likes to look cute for a photoshoot
I didn’t know turtles still layed eggs even if they weren’t having babies. Kind of like a chicken without feathers… That floor digging sure looks like hard work. You have to be careful with that recklessness or you could break your eggs. Your eggs are cute. Did Mummy eat them fried on toast???
Oops, that should be LAID not layed. Silly me I should go back to school
Fortunately we have hardshell…it will protect the eggs.
Whuaaaat??? Tho those eggs were empty, those were still my eggs. She kept them in the fridge for awhile till Grandma comeback home (she was away for several months), once she showed them to Grandma…she threw the eggs away.
Don’t worry Uncle Tony, I also did lots of spelling mistakes
Please go visit my Mommy’s blog at Notes From the Second Half which is at http://www.notesfromthesecondhalf.com and pick up the Versatile Blogger Award she has for you guys!
signed, Lucy Puppy Princess
Whoops Mommy says it is on her other blog Georgia Girl Says at http://georgiagirlsays.blogspot.com/p/awards.html whew glad she told me!
Thank you the award Lucy :hug:
Will pick it up and think what to write about us.
Interesting information there guys.
I must say that picture of you in Mamma’s hand is amazingly cute!
thank you Aunt Deboshree
hehe I always act cute whenever I see mommy taking her camera
You are educating the world about turtles, one reader at a time! Love the illustration by Emily too.
how can i tell how old my turtles are?
Hi Miguel…
please continue asking on that post.
You can’t tell how old a turtle is once he is already big.
And I have provided special post to ask everything about turtle here> http://kamekroten.wordpress.com/q-a/, therefor I am moving your other question there
my sister wants to know how to make her floatingturtles hibernate
can they lay egg in water and wht are the results of it
will the egg die or we have to remove it and keep it in sand ???
I have a turtle thats about 3 years old. Its being reckless and keeps diving in the water and climbing up the basking area over and over again. Shes also walking around the house but she always does that. I dont know what i should do.
Hi Anchovy
You need to prepare a box of sand for her to dig. I have been sharing Kame’s moment of being gravid, you can read it here> http://kamekroten.wordpress.com/2012/11/26/gravid-kame-part-1/ and here> http://kamekroten.wordpress.com/2012/12/15/gravid-kame-part-2/ . I hope those two posts can give you a bit of information. Let me know if you have another questions
I hope she’ll be alright.
I have a southern painted turtle, female, 25 years old. She’s never laid eggs before but she has exhibited these behaviors, should I be concerned over her having retained eggs? Do you think that gravel is a suitable nesting site because that’s what we have.
Hi Anggie
Can you feel the eggs? Do it like the picture, if you can feel it then your turtle HAS to lay her eggs or she’ll become eggbound.
I don’t know if gravel is suitable or not, but soil and sand is better.
25 years is quite old, I honestly hope she can deliver her eggs.