Practical Experience in Raising Soft-Shelled Turtles to Increase Egg Production

1. The male-to-female ratio should be appropriate. In a turtle breeding pond, too many males actually interferes with the mating of brood turtles and lowers the fertilization rate. Under normal circumstances, the male-to-female ratio should preferably be (3-4):1. If the males in the pond are strong and large in body size, their number can be smaller. Otherwise, the number of males should be increased. If many claw marks and injuries are found on the carapace of female turtles in the pond, this indicates that there are too many males.

2. Supply sufficient protein feed. Female turtles need more protein and calcium for egg laying. To meet the needs of egg laying, animal feed such as snails, mussels, small fish and shrimp must be supplied at fixed times, in fixed amounts and at fixed locations. 3. Manage water quality well. Ensure that the brood turtle pond water is free of pollution, with moderate fertility, and is light green or tea green. The water transparency should be 25-30 cm, so that there is plenty of microorganisms in the water. If the water is too lean, fresh human feces and urine can be splashed in, or manure can be piled on the pond bank so that nutrient-rich water flows into the pond. The water depth should be moderate to raise the water temperature. Change the water once a week, and when changing the water, retain one tenth of the pond water. 4. Prepare the egg-laying site well. The egg-laying site is also a site for turtles to “bask their backs.” Before egg laying, the egg site should be leveled, covered with 40-50 cm of fresh fine sand, and kept moist. 5. Keep the turtle pond quiet. During mating and egg laying, brood turtles must be kept quiet, as they are extremely afraid of sound disturbance. Therefore, during the breeding season, natural enemies in the turtle farm should be removed to reduce disturbance and avoid harm from natural enemies. 6. Increase light duration. It is advisable to install electric lights above the water surface of the turtle pond and turn them on at night. This can both increase light duration and attract insects for the turtles to eat, achieving two benefits at once.