Photo “Eastern Box Turtle 8681” by Jarek TuszynskiLicensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
In nature, female box turtles usually lay eggs in late Spring or early Summer, between May and July.
Pet turtles don’t necessarily lay eggs every year, or at all. But if you have a female boxie, don’t assume she isn’t carrying eggs just because she hasn’t laid any.
And don’t assume she can’t have eggs just because she hasn’t been near a male. They can store sperm and lay fertile eggs for up to four years. They can also lay infertile eggs at any time.
If your female box turtle is acting strangely, she could be having trouble laying her eggs. This is called egg binding or, more formally, dystocia.
Dystocia is fairly common in reptiles and there are many reasons it can happen. Causes range from a poor habitat environment to a physical problem with her reproductive tract.
Dystocia is life-threatening and must be treated!
Causes of Dystocia
A common cause of egg binding in pet box turtles is not having a good spot to lay the eggs. She may simply try to hold onto the eggs until she can find a suitable spot.
But she obviously won’t find a good spot if you don’t give her one. So if you have a female, it’s important to make sure she has several inches (at least 8) of a soft, loose substrate she can dig into and lay her eggs if she develops any.
Other reasons for egg binding can include:
- She’s sick or weak (she may not be strong enough to lay the eggs—it’s a lot of work!)
- Dehydration (this can make it hard to pass the eggs)
- Hormone deficiencies
- Eggs are too big to pass through the cloaca
- One or more eggs are deformed
- Cloaca is injured or blocked
- Oviduct is blocked (often by a kink or twist)
If you notice any of these or other abnormal behaviors that continue for a week, bring your pet to a vet.
Treating Egg Binding
Egg binding is serious and potentially fatal. For the most part, you can’t treat it at home.
One exception may be if the problem is a lack of nesting site. In this case providing one might prompt her to lay. But don’t wait too long. It’s best to have a vet evaluate her in case there’s something else wrong.
The first thing your vet may do is take x-rays to see if she does have eggs, how many and their position.
If there are no obvious defects, the vet may recommend waiting up to 48 hours or so to see if she’ll lay on her own. If it’s clear she can’t, there are a few things the vet may try, depending on the situation:
- Use a needle to remove the contents of the egg, making it smaller and easier to pass
- Cut through the plastron and remove the eggs
- Use injections of oxytocin (or sometimes other hormones) to cause contractions to push the eggs out. This is similar to inducing labor in a woman. But you have to be careful that the contractions don’t crush the eggs instead. Deformed eggs may not be able to be removed this way.
If an egg breaks inside her, it can cause an infection. If this infection is not treated quickly, it can be fatal.
So remember, dystocia is a serious health issue and is not a fix-it-yourself kind of problem. It needs a vet’s attention.
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My box turtle laid three eggs last August and none hatched. She laid another today. Just one egg, not in a hole. She has loose soil to dig in, water, and a hut. Is this a problem?
Hi Sophie,
It’s most likely not a problem. If she has a suitable place to dig & lay her eggs but chose not to then the egg may be infertile. You don’t say if she’s had exposure to a male? And even if she has mated the egg may not be viable for some reason. Just one egg (rather than the three like last year) also isn’t necessarily a problem. Especially if she simply made an infertile egg. That said, you know your turtle best (and I don’t know her at all, so I can only answer generally, not specifically to your situation). If it was me I would keep an eye on her & make sure she’s acting normal. If you think she’s acting different from normal or seems lethargic (or if you’re just worried) have a vet take a look at her.
She had a male in her tank in July/early August. She came out of her hibernation recently and is acting like herself. I really hope that the egg is fine. What do you think?
If she’s acting normal she’s probably fine, although I’d still keep an eye on her for a little bit to be sure she keeps acting normal (again, you know her best). My guess is the egg is not viable, but you can certainly wait & see (I would). There’s a short section on caring for eggs on the Box Turtle Site that might help you if you decide to do this. Good luck!
It’s too late. One of my family members threw the egg out because they thought it wasn’t viable. I think it might have been. I forgot to mention to you that my turtle is missing 2 legs. Therefore, she doesn’t have the ability to dig a hole. Does this mean she can never lay a viable egg?
It’s too late. One of my family members threw the egg out because they thought it wasn’t viable. I think it might have been. I forgot to mention to you that my turtle is missing two legs. Therefore, she doesn’t have the ability to dig a hole. Does this mean she can never lay a viable egg?
Hello, my Greek turtle laid three eggs, but far from the soil, I put them on the tile part, but found the shell very soft, as if it exploded the moment it came down. How can I send you a picture of the eggs
Hi Haitham,
I’m afraid I don’t know anything about Greek turtles. But many turtle species do lay soft eggs, so yours may be just fine. Keep them covered with soil, research how long the incubation is for your species of turtle, and hope for the best. If you do need to move the eggs, make sure you keep the same side up as when they were laid. Rotating turtle eggs can kill them.
hi! i have a box turtle, and we just got her recently. we dont know her age only her gender. we’ve had her for about 2 months and she just suddenly out of no where laid 2 eggs.. she didnt lay them in a whole but more ontop of the soil.. she broke them by accidently stepping on them. we dont know if shes had male contact because we only got her recently but she only laid the 2. im not sure if shes holding on to more or going to lay the rest because it seems like shes holding onto more and the area around her tail seems to be a bit heavier. do u think shes going to lay more eggs? or if she is holding onto them and wont lay them? i dont think she has enough dirt.
Hi Katalina,
I really can’t say if she may have more eggs or not. Box turtles do usually lay up to 8 eggs per “nest”, but 2 is also perfectly normal. And recent contact with a male doesn’t matter since they can store sperm. Or even lay infertile eggs. If you think she may not have enough dirt to dig a hole she likes, try adding some more substrate to her habitat. But really the only way to know for sure is to have a vet examine her. Good luck!