How to correctly feed soft-shelled turtles in aquaculture

Feeding soft-shelled turtles 1. Set up simple feeding baskets. To prevent the turtles from crawling back and forth while eating and scattering feed into the pond, simple feeding baskets can be used. The baskets are made of plastic or wood, with bamboo or wooden pegs nailed to the bottom board; the spacing between pegs should be such that the turtle's neck can reach in but its body cannot enter. The bait is placed in the feeding basket so that the turtle can only put its head in to eat.

Feeding soft-shelled turtles 2. Feed size should be appropriate. When eating, the turtle first bites the food and then dives into the water to swallow it. If the bait is too large, it is inconvenient to take in, so it is best to make pelleted feed suitable for the size of the turtles. When a turtle weighs less than 10 grams, its mouth opening is 0.5-1.1 cm, and the feed diameter should be less than 0.5 cm and the length less than 1 cm; when a turtle weighs 10-50 grams, its mouth opening is 0.7-1.4 cm, and the feed diameter should be less than 0.7 cm and the length less than 1.2 cm; when a turtle weighs 50-150 grams, its mouth opening is 0.8-2 cm, and the feed diameter should be less than 0.8 cm and the length less than 1.4 cm; when a turtle weighs more than 150 grams, its mouth opening is more than 1 cm, and the feed diameter should be less than 1 cm and the length about 1.5 cm. With palatable bait fed according to different specifications, the feed utilization rate can reach more than 90%.

Feeding soft-shelled turtles 3. Add binders. Adding binders to the bait, such as carboxymethyl cellulose, gluten flour, algae gum, konjac flour, etc., can enhance the elasticity and cohesiveness of the feed, making it less likely to disperse in water and effectively improving the feed utilization rate. Feeding soft-shelled turtles

4. Feed reasonably. The protein content requirement for juvenile turtle bait is 50%, and for young and adult turtles about 45%. Throughout the year, feeding should follow the principle of “light at both ends, heavy in the middle”, that is, less feeding in spring and late autumn, and more feeding from summer to early autumn; generally, summer to early autumn accounts for 70%-80% of the annual feeding amount. Soft-shelled turtles generally like to climb onto the bank to bask in the sun 1-2 hours after sunrise in the morning and before sunset in the afternoon, and it is not suitable to feed during this period, so the daily feeding time should preferably be around 8 a.m. and around 6 p.m. The feeding amount should be reasonable; too little will affect the growth of the turtles, while too much will cause waste. Generally, the feeding amount of artificial compound bait for juvenile turtles is 5%-8% of body weight, and for adult turtles 3%-5%. If fresh animal bait is fed, it should be 10%-15% of body weight, and it is best if it is eaten within 1 hour after feeding.

5. Keep the feeding environment quiet. Soft-shelled turtles have the characteristic of liking quiet and fearing disturbance. After bait is fed, a large number of turtles come to the feeding platform to eat. If disturbed, they will immediately dive into the water, causing a large amount of bait to scatter into the pond and be wasted. Therefore, after feeding bait, the surrounding environment of the turtle pond must be kept quiet.