Prevention and Treatment of Enteritis in Turtle Farming
1. Onset symptoms
In the early stage, the sick turtle is listless with reduced appetite and unformed feces; in severe cases the feces are egg-white-like, black or liver-colored, and there is vomiting during hand-feeding. In the later stage, the eyeballs sink in, the skin becomes dry and slack, loses elasticity and luster, and the turtle finally dies of exhaustion. Necropsy of dead turtles shows inflammation and congestion of the stomach and intestines. This disease occurs mostly in early spring, and its causes include large changes in environmental humidity, spoiled feed and poor living conditions.
2. Prevention and treatment methods
To prevent and treat turtle enteritis, prevention should come first, with prevention valued more than treatment.
(1) Do a good job of cleaning and disinfection. For turtle ponds, apply 50-75 kg of quicklime per mu before stocking; for egg-laying grounds, apply 125 g of quicklime per sq m, slaked into a slurry and sprinkled. Turtle ponds or turtle containers, whether new or old, must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before turtles are stocked.
(2) Improve water quality. The water in turtle ponds should normally be kept clean, clear and transparent; for turtle ponds, slake 40 g of quicklime per sq m of water surface and sprinkle it, twice a month; remove debris and excrement from the water to strictly prevent deterioration of water quality.
(3) Strengthen feeding management. Feed must be fresh and clean, and spoiled or deteriorated food must not be fed; according to the different feeding habits of different turtle species, the types of feed should be changed frequently to maintain the turtle's strong appetite; feed at fixed times, fixed locations, fixed quality and fixed quantities, and remove leftover bait in time to avoid polluting the water; pay attention to weather changes and keep turtle ponds from freezing in winter and protected from heat in summer.
(4) Chinese herbal medicine prevention. From May to September, feed Humifuse Euphorbia herb liquid once every 2 days; for every 50 kg of turtle body weight, use 150 g of dried Humifuse Euphorbia herb or 700 g of fresh herb each time, decoct the juice, remove the residue, let it cool, and mix it into the feed for feeding.
(5) Treatment methods. ① Sick turtles should be isolated as early as possible to avoid contagion. ② Coptis chinensis 5 g, plantain herb 5 g, purslane 6 g, dandelion 3 g, add an appropriate amount of water, simmer over low heat for 2 hours, take the juice and remove the residue, let it cool, mix evenly with 500 g of chopped pig lungs (cow or sheep lungs), place it on the feeding platform and feed, for 3 consecutive days. ③ If the sick turtle has completely lost its appetite, inject berberine, or Houttuynia cordata injection, or Andrographis paniculata injection intramuscularly at 0.5 ml per 100 g of body weight; once appetite recovers, switch to the above-mentioned medicines.