Cannibalism is something that happens in the wild in the Anaiml kingdom but it’s quite disturbing to think that your domestic turtles, or turtle’s at all, would do this.
Especially because these animals are known to be quiet, and relaxed animals
This article looks into whether turtles eat their babies.
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Do turtles eat their babies?
The thought of a mother or father turtle munching on their young is not a good thought, and isn’t a thought that crosses many people’s minds, but it may cross yours.
Here is what you need to know about turtles eating their babies
Stress:
One reason why your turtle may eat its baby may be because it is under some type of stress. The mother not being well fed can be stressful and this may make her eat her young.
The turtles know that the eggs contain protein and calcium so they will eat them if they are hungry and/or are deficient in these nutrients.
The eggs at this stage are quite soft and will thus not hurt the female if she eats them.
Turtles have the instinct to lay eggs and then leave them alone to hatch and fend for themselves. They have no instincts to avoid eating them if they come across them again
Too many eggs:
Another reason for eating the babies or eggs is that she doesn’t have enough space to bury her eggs in and has to get rid of them somehow.
Turles release a lot of eggs, these animals will lay about 110 eggs at once. If there isn’t enough space for these eggs then the mother will eat the eggs.
The eggs aren’t viable:
The mom will sometimes eat the eggs that she can’t hatch because they are infertile and thus not viable.
Doing this will not only get rid of the eggs and allow the mother to benefit from the nutrients in the shell but it will also keep the eggs from attracting predators to the area and putting the rest of the family in danger.
Sick turtles:
Another reason why a mother turtle will eat her babies is if the babies aren’t healthy.
If the mother can tell that the babies are not healthy she will kill and eat them rather than let them suffer and die later on or leave them for a predator to come get them.
This allows her to benefit from the protein and other nutrients in the baby’s body.
On accident:
An adult turtle may also accidentally bite a baby turtle because it thinks its leg is food. This could lead to serious harm.
An accidental nip from the adult turtle onto another adult turtle won’t do much damage but an accidental nip from an adult turtle onto a hatchling may result in an amputation.
This is because the beak of the adult turtle is strong and sharp and because the skin of the young turtle is thin.
What to do:
If the female turtle ate her eggs because they are infertile, because there was no male to fertilize them, then you can either bring a male in to mate with her in the future or you could let the female be and let the eggs get eaten.
If the turtles are under stress, because of a lack of food, and they eat the eggs because of this then consider leaving more food out for your pet to eat
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other turtle/tortoise related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: What Kills Pet Turtles?, Male Turtle Biting Female Neck, Why Is My Turtle Attacking My Other Turtle?, Why Is My Turtle Biting The Other One?, Turtle Biting Other Turtles Head Off, Why Does My Turtle Try To Bite Me?, Do Male Turtles Eat The Eggs, Turtle Scratching Shell On Toothbrush, Why Do Turtles Put Their Feet Up At Night?