What do stone turtles eat to grow fast? Feed matching and feeding methods

There are many types of turtles. In fact, in our country turtles have always represented longevity. With the continuous improvement of people's living standards today, turtles have become a very common dish on the dining table, and many people like to eat them, because turtle meat is very delicious and highly nutritious!

What do stone turtles eat to grow fast

The bait for stone turtles is mainly fish, shrimp, snails and mussels, animal offal, etc., supplemented by plant-based melons, fruits, vegetables and grains. A compound feed with a protein content of 40% can also be used. How effective are different feeds for raising stone turtles? Zhou Weiguan and Qin Guosen studied this, feeding juvenile stone turtles with 5 different feeds (Chinese softshell turtle compound feed, earthworms, silver carp meat, golden apple snails and mussel meat) respectively. The results showed:

1. The yellow pond turtle (Mauremys mutica) fed Chinese softshell turtle compound feed had the fastest weight gain, with the highest average daily weight gain and protein efficiency, and the lowest feed-to-gain ratio, followed in order by: earthworms > silver carp meat > golden apple snail meat > mussel meat. 2. The yellow pond turtle fed golden apple snail meat had the lowest bait cost, followed in order by: Chinese softshell turtle compound feed > earthworms > mussel meat > silver carp meat. 3. Chinese softshell turtle compound feed is a relatively good feed for raising yellow pond turtles, but golden apple snails and earthworms are convenient to obtain and are also good baits for raising yellow pond turtles.

Seedling rearing of turtles  

Newly hatched juvenile stone turtles weigh 6.4-13 grams, with an average of 9.75 grams. After the yolk of the juvenile turtles is fully absorbed, they are placed in a formal temporary rearing pond for juvenile turtles. Before stocking, the temporary rearing pond is soaked and disinfected with 1 g/m³ of potassium permanganate, and the stocking density is 30-50 turtles/㎡. When stocking, care should be taken to let the juvenile turtles crawl into the water by themselves. The water level should be shallow, just enough to cover the back. To reduce the temperature difference, change the water once every morning. Use egg yolk, bloodworms, pork liver, etc. as the opening bait. After 1 week, switch to minced fish meat and compound feed. The feeding amount should be such that a little remains each time, and residual bait should be removed promptly and the feeding platform cleaned. Generally feed in the morning and toward evening, 2 times a day, and achieve the "four fixed" principles: fixed time, fixed location, fixed quality, fixed quantity.  

Reference amounts: fresh animal bait should be 4%-6% of the juvenile turtle's body weight, and compound feed should be 2%-3% of the juvenile turtle's body weight. The water level is gradually deepened, finally reaching 30-40 cm. Disinfection measures generally use whole-pond splashing with quicklime water, once every half month, at a concentration of 25 g/m³ of water body. Plant water hyacinth in the juvenile turtle pond to purify water quality and provide shade. Pay attention to smooth water intake and drainage, and check whether the overflow outlet is normal on rainy days to prevent juvenile turtles from escaping. When winter comes, do a good job of preparing juvenile or young turtles for overwintering.

How to tell male and female turtles apart  

1. How to tell male and female turtles apart: as long as you understand the mating posture of turtles, you can distinguish them. Did you know that when turtles mate, they use the posture of the male on top and the female below. To avoid slipping off the female turtle's shell during mating, the male turtle's plastron is slightly concave, which fits exactly onto the female turtle's protruding back shell; but the female turtle does not need this structure, so the plastron is flat.  

2. To judge male and female turtles, look at the length of the tail (long is male, short is female), or observe the plastron (concave is male, flat is female), or look at the cloacal opening (extending beyond the back shell is male, otherwise female). However, the above judgment methods are only accurate for subadults or adults. If they are juveniles, the above criteria should not be used.  

3. For distinguishing juveniles, a comparison method can be used. That is, if their reactions in various aspects are different, then the probability that they are a male-female pair is relatively increased. Because males are naturally more active, if two are placed on the ground at the same time, the one that moves first is usually male. You can also compare the anal scutes, at the part of the plastron closest to the tail. If the opening angle is smaller, it is usually female; otherwise it is male. A long time ago, an expert taught me a method for distinguishing those whose sex is difficult to judge from appearance, for everyone's reference. That is, grab the turtle's back shell from above with your hand, letting the turtle's limbs hang in the air. If its tail hooks downward and forward (showing the mating posture), it can almost certainly be confirmed as male, except that this does not apply to box turtles.

Farming varieties of stone turtles  

Varieties mainly farmed for meat turtles: meat turtle farming requires adult body weight, so varieties with fast growth speed and large individual size must be selected. In the current meat turtle farming industry, there are three varieties of stone turtle farming, for farmers' reference.  

1. Vietnamese stone turtle: this variety has the highest food and medicinal value among stone turtles, the fastest growth speed, and the largest individual size (adult turtles average 1500 grams). Under ecological farming mode, they can reach an average of 1000 grams after three years of farming, and it is the variety with the highest price on the meat market. It is just that the price of breeding stock and seedlings is relatively high, making it suitable for household and courtyard farming.  

2. Fujian stone turtle (big green head): this variety grows relatively slowly and has a relatively small individual size (adult turtles average 800 grams). Under ecological farming mode, they can reach 600 grams after three years of farming. On the meat turtle market, the price is slightly lower than that of the Vietnamese stone turtle, but the price of breeding turtles and turtle seedlings of this variety is relatively low, making it more suitable for farmers with less capital and large sites.  

3. Hybrid turtle (also called Guangxi pond turtle): a hybrid variety of male Vietnamese stone turtle and female Fujian or Anhui stone turtle. This variety's growth speed is uneven. Under ecological farming mode, after three years of farming a small number reach 700-800 grams, while most are 300-500 grams.  

In short, no matter which variety is farmed, you must choose and determine your own farming variety according to your own use of funds, site conditions and various sales situations, and strive to produce the greatest economic benefit. Because the price gap between varieties is too large, when purchasing breeding stock you must distinguish which variety it is to avoid losses.

In summary, the market prospects for turtles are very good now. As people's pursuit of life becomes higher and higher, the demand for turtles will only grow larger, and its development prospects will only become broader. However, there are many types of turtles, and their farming costs also differ. Investors can choose reasonably according to their own conditions!