Three Types of Turtle Enteritis and Their Prevention and Treatment Methods

During the aquaculture process, the probability of intestinal diseases occurring is relatively high, and improper handling can easily cause intestinal damage in turtles and slow down the recovery rate, increasing the feeding recovery cycle of turtles. Recognizing the similarities and differences of intestinal diseases and treating them differently ensures smooth feeding of turtles and achieves the optimal state of turtle aquaculture results.

1. The causes of enteritis are mostly feed spoilage, especially spoilage of fishmeal in feed ingredients, or irritation from stimulant substances in feed damaging the intestine and causing infection. In particular, in some areas where ice-fresh sea fish are fed long-term, this disease is extremely prone to occur. Outbreaks occur because the disease is not controlled or sick turtles are not isolated in time in the early stage. This is especially true in turtle farms where feed is fed underwater, because when feed quality is poor, a large amount of spoiled leftover bait decomposes in the water, causing rapid deterioration of water quality, which is extremely likely to cause disease outbreaks. This disease is mainly caused by overfeeding. Cause one: stocking fry in high-temperature seasons, when the physique of juvenile turtles recovers and food intake increases significantly; cause two: large temperature contrasts in weather. Unstable temperatures cause uneven food intake in turtles; cause three: failure to divide ponds in time, with large differences in individual size, often causing larger individual turtles to overfeed. Secondly, deterioration of pond water quality and feed spoilage can also trigger this disease. In particular, in some areas where ice-fresh sea fish are fed long-term, this disease is extremely prone to occur. 2. Types of enteritis The appearance of sick turtles is normal, with no spots and no ulcers. Before dissection, sick turtles are seen lying on floating boards on the water surface, listless, slow to respond to external stimuli, and not eating. Internal dissection shows diffuse congestion of the mesentery, no food in the gastrointestinal tract, and dark red liquid flowing out of the intestinal tract. The liver color is lighter than that of normal turtles, occasionally with white spots. The spleen is dark in color and enlarged. The kidney is enlarged with a sense of congestion. Occasionally there is a small amount of ascites in the abdominal cavity. Enteritis can be divided into bacterial enteritis, stress enteritis, and food-based enteritis. The differences among each type of enteritis are as follows: the typical symptom of bacterial enteritis is redness and swelling at the anus of the turtle, and feces with bubbles floating on the water surface; stress enteritis, turtle feces is unformed and accompanied by snot-like mucus (intestinal mucosa); food-based enteritis, turtle feces contains incompletely digested food. 3. Prevention and treatment methods For bacterial enteritis, antibiotics (norfloxacin, gentamicin, norfloxacin and other highly sensitive drugs) and berberine hydrochloride are used in the early stage to kill or inhibit intestinal pathogenic bacteria. To rebuild the turtle intestinal microecosystem, enzyme-producing probiotics, electrolyte multivitamins, and dried yeast and other substances should be appropriately added in a subsequent course of treatment. For stress enteritis, first eliminate the source of stress and reduce the subsequent effects caused by stress, and appropriately add electrolyte multivitamins, glucose, enzyme-producing probiotics, and berberine hydrochloride to the bait. For food-based enteritis, first eliminate non-fresh bait, reduce the feeding amount, and appropriately add electrolyte multivitamins, glucose, enzyme-producing probiotics, allicin, and berberine hydrochloride. When enteritis occurs, turtle food intake decreases, the amount of residual bait in the water body increases, and the microecological flora of the water body is easily changed along with the deterioration of the turtle intestinal flora. Most pathogenic bacteria of bacterial enteritis are opportunistic pathogens, such as Escherichia coli and Aeromonas hydrophila. Regular disinfection can reduce the occurrence of intestinal diseases in turtles. Turtles are suitable for aquaculture in a quiet environment. Daily management should minimize sharp and harsh noises, feed according to the three-fixed principle, and pay attention to monitoring turtle feeding amount and food intake, which helps prevent turtle intestinal diseases.