How Old Does Your Red-Eared Slider Have to Be to Have Eggs?

Egg laying can be an exciting time for anyone with a pet red-eared slider, but care should be taken before breeding red-eared sliders. The main issue is the age and health of the female. The female must be of a certain size before she can safely lay eggs.

  1. Age

    • Female red-eared sliders become sexually mature between the ages of 2 and 5 years. However, the best way to determine if a red-eared slider is mature enough to breed and lay eggs is to measure the turtle, because size is a better indicator of maturity than age. This is because an older female red-eared slider may have an insufficient diet and not be healthy enough to withstand egg laying, despite being over 5 years of age. The shell of a female red-eared slider should be at leash 6 inches wide before she can lay eggs.

    Health

    • Gestating and laying eggs can be a very stressful experience for a female red-eared slider. If she is too immature or unhealthy, this stress can kill her. In addition, female turtles need to have adequate calcium stores to build healthy eggs inside of their bodies. Female red-eared sliders who are being bred or are about to lay eggs should be given extra calcium in powder form, which is sprinkled on top of their food.

    Location

    • While the health and age of a female red-eared slider are important factors when laying eggs, it is also extremely important to provide a female with an appropriate laying location. This laying location can be as simple as a bucket of dirt for her to nest in and bury eggs. If there is nowhere to lay the eggs, the turtle may keep them inside of herself and end up dying.

    Provide Homes

    • Ensure you have homes for the hatchlings before you consider breeding your red-eared sliders. Letting them go into the wild may be illegal in your area because red-eared sliders are considered an invasive species in much of North America.