How to Cope with the High-Temperature Season in Outdoor Pond Softshell Turtle Farming

In the process of ecological softshell turtle farming in outdoor ponds, the high-temperature season is a critical stage. During high temperatures, softshell turtles have a large feed intake and grow quickly, but this is also the peak period for disease outbreaks. If management is poor, it can cause significant economic losses for farmers, so how well the high-temperature season management is done will directly affect farmers' harvest for the year.

As summer arrives and temperatures rise, softshell turtle feed intake is large and metabolism is vigorous. Metabolites and leftover feed in the water body easily cause water quality changes, and harmful substances such as ammonia nitrogen and nitrite in the water body easily exceed standards. In addition to regular routine disinfection in daily management, farmers often neglect water quality conditioning. Only by regularly adjusting water quality can the balance of water quality factors in the water body be maintained. Especially in high-temperature weather, water quality conditioning and substrate improvement are particularly important. Therefore, it is recommended that farmers adjust the water regularly, preferably once every 15d. Water quality conditioning generally uses microecological preparations, such as Bacillus, EM bacteria, yeast, etc. When using ecological preparations, generally apply them at 8-9 a.m. on sunny days, activate them with water for 1-2 h, then splash them, and turn on the aerator one hour in advance. Within 3—5d of using ecological preparations, do not disinfect or kill parasites. For routine disinfection, use pollution-free and residue-free drugs such as amino acid iodine and chlorine dioxide to reduce pathogen concentration and inhibit softshell turtle pathogen infection. In the high-temperature months of July to September, softshell turtles are highly active and have a large food intake, so a reasonable water depth must be maintained, generally 80-100 cm. In stuffy or rainy weather, the aeration time should be extended to ensure water surface mobility and provide sufficient dissolved oxygen. In addition, farmers should control the feed amount according to the softshell turtles' own conditions to avoid overfeeding and spoiling the water body. Generally, at the adult turtle stage, it should be controlled at about 3% of body weight. At the same time, it is recommended to add health products such as liver-protecting and stomach-benefiting products and multivitamins to the feed, which has a good effect on enhancing softshell turtles' immunity and disease resistance. In the high-temperature season, white plastron is a disease relatively likely to be caused in outdoor pond softshell turtle farming. This disease is highly harmful and has a high mortality rate. Diseased turtles show white plastron on the body surface, and dissection shows local intestinal necrosis symptoms, empty and pale intestines, and liver congestion or purplish-black color. The following prescription can be referenced for treatment: 1. In the diseased pond, use chlorine dioxide at 2 times the therapeutic dose and splash continuously for 3d. 2. For internal use of Chinese and Western medicine, use amoxicillin + gentamicin at 50% each, added at 1% of the daily dry feed amount, and at the same time add liver-protecting agent + blood-supplementing granules at 50% each and feed at 2% of the daily dry feed amount for one week.