Scott
I have cycled my group to spring a couple of weeks ago. I had a spotted turrtle female dig a nest and lay three eggs yesterday. My macrospilota are inhaling food and coral. Their eggs are probably a few weeks from shelling. After the eggs shell most turles wait 2-4 weeks before ovipositing. If they are stressed or it is the first time for them to nest then it could be longer. Low pressure fronts and partial water changes seems help to stimulate mating and nesting. Indicators of them getting ready to nest are excessive basking, decrease in appetite, and constantly attempting to get out of the enclosure. There are many other telltale signs but these are low key and not noticed unless you “know” your turtles well. Place them in a tub of moist sand (4-6inches deep) in the evenings and over night or early mornings. One of my macrospilota likes to roam the livingroom and sniff the carpet until she has crawled about 20-30 feet then she finds some partial shelter, acts like she is burying herself, and begins digging at the carpet with her hind feet. I then can quietly lift her into her sand tub and she usually continues digging and oviposits 5-9 eggs depending on which clutch it is. I have also let her crawl outside in the flower gardens and make her nest. My other macrospilota female is a little more shy and I allow her more privacy. A little fat in the diet of a mature female is a good thing. Calcium is also obviously important. Low fat diets can lead to underdeveloped or small yolks. Scott