How to Breed Red-Bellied Short-Necked Turtles

Red-bellied side-necked turtles, also known as Jardine river turtles, are an Australian species of aquatic turtle. They lay their eggs on land and must be given a dry, sunny spot on which to bask. These turtles are prolific breeders and will mate without human intervention during the breeding season, which begins in early spring and continues into the summer. Their eggs must be incubated to be viable. Before breeding your turtles, you must be certain that you have enough space for the babies. These turtles lay anywhere from seven to 15 eggs, and hatchlings grow quickly.

Things You'll Need

  • Incubator
  • Water mister
  • Grass
  • Hay
  • Vermiculite or peat moss
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Avoid breeding your turtles until they are at least 5 inches long. Most red-bellied short-necked turtles will begin laying infertile eggs in their first year of life. They need to grow to a sub-adult size to produce fertile eggs that will yield healthy babies. When adult or sub-adult turtles are ready to breed, the male will quickly mount the female and inseminate her. This may happen in the water or on land, and it is easy to miss. The female will lay eggs anywhere from a few days to a few weeks later.

    • 2

      Wait for your female to dig a nest and lay eggs. You can encourage egg-laying behavior by providing her with grass and straw in the land area of her enclosure. Female red-bellied side-necked turtles lay eggs quickly and, unlike many other turtle species, do not pace or become anxious before laying eggs. Instead, she will dig a shallow hole and then cover it haphazardly, which can make it easy to miss the nest.

    • 3

      Dig up the eggs and avoid turning or shaking them. Put moist -- not soggy -- vermiculite or peat moss in an incubator and place the eggs in this substrate. Incubate the eggs at 81 to 83 degrees, and maintain the humidity at 50 to 60 percent. Do this by misting the substrate daily or whenever it appears dry. Dry eggs will crack and die.

    • 4

      Look for hatchlings between 40 and 49 days after incubation begins. Hatchling red-bellied side-necked turtles peck out a tiny hole in their egg and then remain in the egg for several hours or even days after that. Don't disturb the hatchlings. They need to be allowed time to absorb their yolk sacs, and pulling them out of their eggs can harm them.