You might think that female turtles should just lay eggs, not eat them. Of course, that doesn’t sound right with them eating their own babies, why would they do that? Have you not been feeding them enough? Well, this happens to be normal though how nonsensical it sounds.
Turtles would only eat their own eggs if they find them infertile, which is caused by females not being able to mate in time. Infertile eggs then are just food to them and they tend to eat the eggs instead of leaving them to waste.
Turtles would also eat their eggs if they could not locate a satisfactory place to lay them. Alternatively, they will tend to eat their eggs if they are enduring calcium deficiency thus identifying the eggs as nourishment.
Once you notice that your pet turtle is eating their eggs it might catch you by surprise. Truth be told, it is in their nature.
Given the fact that female turtles are naturally meant to lay their eggs and leave them, they have no further instincts that could avoid them from eating their eggs. To their accurate interpretation, those eggs are a nutritious food that they can help themselves with.
Infertile Eggs
Gravid turtles that find no mate in their surroundings will end up laying eggs that are left infertile. Infertile eggs simply won’t hatch without a male turtle around.
With that being said, those will be dead eggs and dead eggs then are nothing but food to them. They have no instinct of leaving them to waste or avoid eating it, instead, they see it as a bodily resource of calcium and protein, something that won’t hurt them to consume.
Calcium and Protein Deficiency
Your turtle’s diet is probably short of calcium and protein, this can also result in them eating their own eggs. Turtles are naturally conscious that the shell of the eggs provides calcium and the content provides protein.
Plus female turtles have no instincts to tell them not to eat their own eggs. Thus identifying them as a great source of calcium and protein to suffice their nourishment needs.
An Inadequate Place to Lay Eggs
Maybe they found no safe place to build a nest or holes that are deep enough for them to bury their eggs. Just before they lay their eggs, female turtles stress about this and end up eating their own eggs for not having to find a good spot in time.
If female turtles fail to build an adequate nest, they’ll proceed to destroy their eggs as a Plan B. Sometimes being put in captivity, they might feel a little more agitated and unsafe with their surroundings and immediately decide to eat them before they even hatch.
How to Avoid Turtles from Eating Their Own Eggs?
Although it’s common in their nature, there are still ways for you to avoid this. Because of course, you’d like the eggs to hatch and witness the whole process of growing your own baby turtle. So here are a few ways to keep them safe from being eaten:
More Dietary Calcium and Protein
Feed them food that is rich in dietary calcium and protein. You can try lightly sprinkling calcium powder like calcium gluconate over their veggies or snacks.
Protein sources can be mealworms, grasshoppers, and crickets. These each essentially have good and balanced levels of calcium and protein.
Mate Them!
Find another male turtle to mate her with. Place both of them in a spacious tank, spacious enough for them to wander freely.
Mating usually takes place underwater so make sure you have a sufficient amount of clean water for them to mate in. Leave them some privacy and the mating process should take several hours.
Build An Adequate Nest
Days before gravid turtles lay eggs, they’ll have to find a guaranteed safe spot to make a nest on. You can help them to build one in their tank!
On a layer of potting soil in any area with the most privacy, dig a deep hole but not too deep as in they can find the ground of the tank because you need to leave another thin layer of soil for indentation of the eggs.
Rearrange the items in their tank, things such as logs or big rocks. You can put them around the tank instead to provide a safe and private ambiance.
Conclusion
It might have caught you by surprise but the truth is turtles eating their own eggs meant no harm to them! Although there are still ways to prevent this, turtles eating their own eggs is no big deal as it’s already in their nature.
If you’re looking forward to growing a whole clutch of hatchlings, then try to mate them and create the most comfortable ambiance for them to breed in. If you don’t, then turtles eating their own eggs are no loss to you and won’t cause your turtle any danger!
