What Kinds of Plants Do Pond Turtles Like to Breed In?

Pond turtles are common in many garden ponds. Some are placed there purposely, while others wander in from the wild. Regardless, if you have turtles in your pond, you may wish to stimulate their breeding, resulting in baby turtles in the spring. Though not picky, they do prefer particular types of plants and soil to aid their nesting.

  1. Moss

    • Dampened moss is the most commonly used type of substrate for turtle breeding. It is soft and provides good cushioning for the eggs. The female turtle will almost undoubtedly lay her eggs in a nest of moss.

    Nesting Box

    • To coerce the female into laying her eggs, simply construct a nesting box. This can be made of wood, or even a cat litter pan. Fill it with a few inches of the damp moss and place the female inside to get acquainted.

    Anacharis

    • Plant several bunches of anacharis around the nesting box and the pond. The turtles will feed off of this, and obviously it's much easier for them to catch, meaning they can spend more time and energy breeding and nesting.

    Soil

    • Some turtles that hang around ponds are not aquatic, such box turtles, and would actually prefer soil over plants to breed. They'd prefer a nesting box full of rich soil, similar to the kind found in local hardware stores, over dampened moss.

    Vermiculite

    • Once the eggs are laid, some people prefer to place them in an incubator with vermiculite, where the eggs will be protected and the embryos will be able to develop unharmed.