How to Keep a Soft-shelled Turtle at Home? Introduction to Home Breeding Methods
There is a saying, I do not know if you have heard it, “Ten years for a giant turtle, a hundred years for a soft-shelled turtle.” The soft-shelled turtle, which is what we commonly call the Chinese softshell turtle, shows that its value was already recognized by people very early on, but at that time the soft-shelled turtle was rather precious, and not all ordinary people could afford to eat it.
How to Keep a Soft-shelled Turtle at Home
1. Environment
Get a tank, the bigger the better, preferably a rectangular glass fish tank; a large storage box will also do. The water can be deeper, and there is no need to place a basking platform; turtles need sunlight, so it is recommended to place it on a south-facing balcony or in a room. However, if there are infants or pregnant women in the home, it is best not to keep turtles, as turtles can easily carry some germs. In summer, provide appropriate shading, and do not let the sunlight be too strong. Pay attention to preventing algae from growing in the tank; you can buy an anti-algae agent, which is generally sold in aquarium stores. You can spread some small stones or large cobblestones on the bottom of the tank. However, if you do spread them, it will be very troublesome when changing the water, so beginners are advised to use a bare tank, that is, spread nothing at all. Do not put aquatic plants in the water.
2. Water for keeping turtles
Use tap water that has been left standing for more than 2 days (the purpose is to remove chlorine). It is best to prepare 2 plastic buckets for standing the water, which will be enough for water changes. It is recommended to change the water every two to three days, and each time only change part of it; there is no need to change all the water in the tank, unless the water and the area around the tank are very dirty, in which case a full water change is needed. When changing part of the water, use a small plastic tube to siphon out the dirty water at the bottom by the principle of siphon action, then add the same volume of new water (that is, tap water left standing for 2 days) into the tank. Turtles kept with this water-changing method will not get white eye disease or shell rot. If you find it troublesome, you can use a filter, the kind used for keeping fish, which can stabilize water quality; if used together with nitrifying bacteria, it can create a very good environment. In summer, water should be changed more frequently.
3. Turtles eat in the water
When feeding, simply put the feed directly into the water. Turtles are generally fed pork, beef, small shrimp, small fish, and the livers of poultry and fish. These foods need to be chopped or torn into pieces, but these animal-based feeds very easily pollute the water quality. It is recommended to take the turtle out to feed it, using a separate container for feeding. Beginners are advised to feed turtle feed; good feeds such as Mingmai and Cunjin are both quite good. Feed is more convenient, and professional turtle feed has a better nutritional mix and does not easily pollute the water quality. In summer, when the temperature is high, turtles have a fast metabolism and can be fed once a day, but it is generally recommended to feed once every two to three days. Turtles do not need to be fed too frequently; feeding once every few days is no problem. As long as a sufficient supply of water is ensured, they will be fine even if they do not eat for half a month. The amount fed each time is generally about the size of their head, which is enough.
4. About hibernation
Every year from October to May of the following year, when the temperature drops below 13°C, turtles begin to hibernate, until the temperature rises to 18 degrees, when it ends. Hibernating turtles do not eat or move, they only sleep. The simplest hibernation method is to move the turtle indoors to a dark and quiet place, and let it hibernate in shallow water (water just above the carapace), changing the water once a month. Apart from changing the water, try not to disturb the turtle. Be careful that the temperature does not drop below 6 degrees, otherwise the turtle's life will be endangered. However, it is recommended to use a heating rod in winter, because the mortality rate of natural hibernation is very high. A heating rod is the kind used for keeping tropical fish; set the temperature at around 30 degrees and put a lid on the tank.
Basic Introduction to the Soft-shelled Turtle
The soft-shelled turtle is the Chinese softshell turtle. The soft-shelled turtle is commonly called jia yu, shui yu, tuan yu, and wang ba, among other names. It is an oviparous reptile that lives both in water and on land. Soft-shelled turtle meat is delicious and nutritious, and has the effects of clearing heat and nourishing yin, calming the liver and extinguishing wind, and softening hardness and dispersing nodules. It is not only a delicious dish on the dining table, but also a widely used tonic medicine and traditional Chinese medicinal material. In China, the main existing species are the Chinese softshell turtle, the Malayan softshell turtle, the Yangtze giant softshell turtle, and the Asian giant softshell turtle, among which the Chinese softshell turtle is the most common. This species has been included in the "List of Terrestrial Wild Animals under State Protection that Are Beneficial or Have Important Economic or Scientific Research Value," issued by China's State Forestry Administration on August 1, 2000.
The soft-shelled turtle looks like a turtle. The soft-shelled turtle has an oval shape and is flatter than a turtle. In terms of outward color, the soft-shelled turtle usually has dark green on the back and limbs, some have a light brown back, and the ventral surface is white with a pinkish tint. Its head resembles that of a turtle. Its dorsal and ventral shells are covered with a soft outer membrane, without the stripes of a turtle, and are softer than those of a turtle. Around the edge is a soft and delicate skirt. Each limb has five claws. The head, neck, and limbs can be retracted and extended. What differs from the shells of other sea turtles is that the bony shell has no peripheral bony plates, has a highly textured surface layer, has no horny outer bony plates, and has a loosely connected abdomen (plastron). The trunk is slightly oval, the snout is long, the nostrils open at the tip of the snout, and the back is raised with a bony shell. The limbs are thick and short, slightly flattened, of the five-toed type, with webbed membranes between the toes. The tail of the female generally does not reach the outer edge of the skirt, while that of the male mostly extends beyond the skirt. Some giant soft-shelled turtles can reach more than one meter. Females are usually twice the size of males.
How to Keep Soft-shelled Turtles So They Are Less Likely to Die
1. The soft-shelled turtle is a poikilothermic animal, amphibious between water and land, and breathes with lungs, so around or in the center of the soft-shelled turtle pond there must be a sufficient area of land and sand beach for it to carry out land activities. The soft-shelled turtle is sensitive to sounds in the surrounding environment. As long as there is the slightest movement around it, the soft-shelled turtle can quickly dive into the mud at the bottom of the water, so the breeding environment must be kept quiet. If the soft-shelled turtle is often frightened, it is very unfavorable for its growth and reproduction.
2. Soft-shelled turtles like to stay in environments with good water quality, so the owner must change the water frequently, about once every 2—3 days.
3. Soft-shelled turtles need more sun, because the ultraviolet rays in sunlight kill pathogenic bacteria on the body surface, promote the healing of injured body surfaces, and by basking the back raise body temperature and promote food digestion.
4. The soft-shelled turtle is an aquatic omnivorous animal and likes to eat animal-based bait. Young soft-shelled turtles feed on aquatic insects, aquatic earthworms, tadpoles, small shrimp, and so on. Adult soft-shelled turtles eat mollusks such as field snails and clams, fish, shrimp, and animal carcasses, and also eat plant-based feed such as vegetables, fruits, and miscellaneous grains. For small soft-shelled turtles, you can cut meat into small minced pieces and slowly feed them, and that will be fine.
5. When using fresh feed for feeding, it must be disinfected and cleaned, and prepared and used immediately to avoid spoilage and deterioration. When putting in the feed, it should be in the form of feeding, and the bait only needs to be 2—3 cm from the water surface. Soft-shelled turtles are timid, so when putting in the feed, the disturbance to them should be minimized.
6. In the south, soft-shelled turtles hibernate at the end of November, and in the north probably about a month earlier. Hibernation does not require additional preparation of a place; just spread sand on half of the basin beyond the water surface and that is enough. It may crawl out of the water onto the sand and lie motionless for dozens of days, then unknowingly enter the water and sleep for another dozens of days.
7. In summer, pay attention to preventing mosquitoes; soft-shelled turtles are very afraid of mosquitoes.
8. Soft-shelled turtles are fierce and combative by nature, and the phenomenon of the strong bullying the weak among groups is very common. When food is lacking, they will eat their own kind. Therefore, during the rearing process, feed them enough food and pay close attention to their behavior.
Site Selection for Raising Soft-shelled Turtles
Choosing and building a site for raising soft-shelled turtles is the first step in artificial breeding and rearing of soft-shelled turtles, and it is also a key step in laying a good foundation. The scale of a soft-shelled turtle farm can be large or small, and can be determined by the breeder's funds and so on. It can be one pond, or a soft-shelled turtle farm composed of dozens of ponds; it can be open-air, or covered with plastic greenhouses or built as a greenhouse. Regardless of the size of the site, the following principles should be followed when choosing:
1. The soft-shelled turtle pond should be built in a place with sufficient sunlight and a quiet environment, avoiding being frightened, which is beneficial to the growth of the soft-shelled turtle.
2. The soil of the soft-shelled turtle pond should be clay or loam, which is good for retaining water. If sandy soil that easily seeps is used, effective anti-seepage measures must be taken.
3. The water source and water quality must be good and clean, not polluted by industrial or farmland pesticide wastewater. Water from rivers, lakes, and reservoirs is best. Well water must be raised in temperature through a sunning pond. If polluted water is used to raise soft-shelled turtles, all previous efforts will be wasted.
4. The soft-shelled turtle farm should be close to feed sources, such as nearby meat or fish processing plants or places rich in aquatic animal resources (snails, mussels, etc.), where their internal organs and other waste and fresh live natural bait can be used to raise soft-shelled turtles and reduce costs. When designing soft-shelled turtle ponds, they should be designed separately according to the different breeding objects (brood soft-shelled turtles, hatchling soft-shelled turtles, juvenile soft-shelled turtles, and adult soft-shelled turtles).
With the continuous improvement of people's living standards today, the soft-shelled turtle is no longer something unattainable. It is now an ordinary dish, has entered thousands of hotels, and has moved into thousands of ordinary households. Therefore, breeding soft-shelled turtles has become a development project favored by many investors.