If you have a female tortoise as a pet, you know that, under the right conditions, you can get pregnant and it is very important that you can detect this situation as soon as possible to adapt your pet’s environment to your specific needs and be able to go to the veterinarian for any symptoms that indicate problems during this phase.
It may seem that when it comes to a turtle, it becomes more difficult to perceive certain special situations, such as pregnancy, but with the right knowledge and patience, you can know exactly what’s happening to your pet.
- In this Animal Expert article.
- We’ll clarify some aspects of turtle reproduction and explain how to know if a terrestrial tortoise is pregnant.
The turtle is a vertebrate reptile of oviparous nature, that is, it reproduces with eggs. There is a wide variety of different breeds and even some species live protected because they are endangered. To avoid harm to your tortoise, you should always pay attention to other animals you have at home.
To learn more about the reproduction and gestation of the turtle, know that in healthy conditions, it reaches sexual maturity around 7 to 10 years, and from that moment, if they mate with a male, the process begins. reproduction of the turtle, which we can summarize as follows:
You should also note that incubation is shorter at a higher temperature, which may influence the time of outbreak.
As mentioned above, there are many types of turtles and this breeding cycle refers specifically to the terrestrial tortoise.
To find out if your tortoise is pregnant, you should use a palpation technique to check for eggs inside.
To do this, you need to feel your abdomen by following these steps
While abdominal palpation is the most viable method to confirm a turtle’s pregnancy, we can also see signs of pregnancy in its behavior, because when a turtle lays eggs, it starts digging several holes in the ground and at this point it is very important that it has soft soil so that you can otherwise conserve the eggs , which poses a serious risk to your pet.
During pregnancy, the turtle should pay close attention to certain signs that, although they do not indicate a problem during the breeding period, may indicate a disease:
In the presence of any of these signs, it is important to consult the veterinarian as soon as possible, as mentioned above, they may indicate a disease, which will become even more important if our turtle is in gestation.
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