Detailed Explanation of Heating Techniques for Soft-shelled Turtle Farming in Winter
The most suitable temperature for artificially farming soft-shelled turtles is around 30°C. If the temperature drops below 10°C, soft-shelled turtles will stop eating and drinking, stop growing, and enter a hibernation state. Therefore, adopting heating measures in winter is of great significance.
1. Use hot spring water or waste hot water from thermal power plants for heating. Hot spring water contains sodium, potassium, bicarbonate and various trace elements, which are beneficial to the growth of soft-shelled turtles. By mixing in hot spring water to adjust the water temperature of the soft-shelled turtle pond to 30°C, not only can hibernation be avoided, but it also helps the soft-shelled turtles gain weight quickly. If there is no hot spring water, waste hot water from thermal power plants can also be used for heating.
2. Use solar energy for heating. By using closed solar water heaters, circulating solar water heaters or flow-through solar water heaters, etc., and equipping them with heating and cooling air-conditioning equipment, the water temperature of the soft-shelled turtle pond can still be maintained at around 30°C in winter. In this way, when 20-25 juvenile soft-shelled turtles are raised per sq m, after 6-7 months of farming, each soft-shelled turtle can weigh about 130 grams, then the stocking density is reduced to 6 per sq m, and after another 10-15 months, each soft-shelled turtle can weigh more than 0.5 kg, with the largest reaching 1 kg.
3. Heat with electricity, oil or gas. A double-layer plastic greenhouse or steam heating device can be used to keep the water temperature of the soft-shelled turtle pond at around 30°C throughout the winter. If the stocking density is about 13 per sq m, after 1 year of farming, each soft-shelled turtle can likewise weigh about 0.5 kg, reaching market specifications.
Among these 3 heating methods, the first is the best, because using hot spring water or waste hot water from thermal power plants to heat the water in the soft-shelled turtle pond is simple, easy to regulate, low in cost and remarkable in effect. Where conditions permit, priority should be given to it.