Methods and Technical Key Points for Imitation Wild Soft-shelled Turtle Farming

When it comes to the soft-shelled turtle, perhaps many people are quite familiar with it. Its appearance looks very similar to that of a tortoise, but there are still differences between them. As people's living standards continue to rise, the soft-shelled turtle has made its way into ordinary households by the thousands, so the market space for soft-shelled turtles is still very large.

Imitation Wild Soft-shelled Turtle Farming Methods

1. Pond Construction  

Before stocking juvenile soft-shelled turtle hatchlings, the pond must be cleared and disinfected. For a newly built soft-shelled turtle pond, use 100-150 kg of quicklime per mu, slake it into lime slurry and splash it over the whole pond, then stock the soft-shelled turtle seed 7 days later. For old ponds, in addition to clearing and disinfecting the pond, the escape-prevention facilities must also be checked and repaired promptly if damage is found. In midsummer, large-leafed cucurbit crops can be planted on the pond bank or a trellis can be built to provide shade for the soft-shelled turtles.  

2. Temperature Control  

When moving juvenile soft-shelled turtle seedlings from overwintering greenhouses into outdoor ponds for farming, the most important thing is to properly control the water temperature. If the temperature difference is too great or the weather changes greatly, it is not suitable to move them outdoors for stocking; wait until the temperature has remained stable for several days and the temperature difference does not exceed 2°C before stocking.  

3. Selecting Seedlings  

Select soft-shelled turtle seedlings with a strong constitution, no disease or injury, a body weight of more than 50 g, a body length of more than 7 cm, and uniform specifications, and put them into the same pond for farming. Large and small soft-shelled turtle seedlings should be stocked separately. Those with weak constitutions and small individuals can be intensively fed for a period in a greenhouse, and once their constitution recovers, they can be put into suitable ponds for farming.  

4. Stocking Density  

The stocking amount of juvenile soft-shelled turtles should be decided according to local pond conditions, water sources, feed, feeding and management technical conditions, and the expected commercial specifications to be achieved. The usual stocking density is 7000-9000 per mu. When stocking, bathe them for 30 minutes in a solution of vitamin B12 or vitamin C at 100-200 ppm, then soak them for 2 hours in a penicillin solution containing 100,000-150,000 international units per kg of water before entering the pond.  

5. Matching Fish Species  

Each mu of soft-shelled turtle pond can be matched with 200-300 silver carp fingerlings of 50-100 g and 50 bighead carp of more than 100 g for mixed fish-turtle farming, which can not only improve the utilization rate of the water body and regulate water quality, but also achieve a double harvest of fish and turtles. However, during the stocking period, feeding should be strengthened and the water quality should be kept fresh.

How to Select Soft-shelled Turtles  

1. Grasping: Grasp the soft-shelled turtle by the recessed area of the hind leg. If it moves quickly, kicks its four legs wildly, and is fierce and powerful, it is a superior soft-shelled turtle; if it moves inflexibly, its four legs move slightly or not at all, it is an inferior soft-shelled turtle.  

2. Looking: Mainly look at each part of the soft-shelled turtle. Any soft-shelled turtle with a complete appearance, no injury or disease, thick muscles, a glossy plastron, blurred ribs on the back shell, a thick and upturned skirt, thick and strong four legs, and agile movements is a superior soft-shelled turtle; otherwise, it is an inferior soft-shelled turtle.  

3. Checking: Mainly check whether there are hooks or needles in the neck of the soft-shelled turtle. Soft-shelled turtles with hooks or needles cannot be kept for long periods or transported over long distances. Checking method: use a hard bamboo chopstick to stimulate the head of the soft-shelled turtle, let it bite down, then pull the chopstick with one hand to stretch its neck, and feel carefully along the neck with the other hand.  

4. Testing: Turn the soft-shelled turtle upside down and place it flat on the ground. If it can quickly turn over and escape rapidly and move agilely, it is a superior soft-shelled turtle; if it turns over slowly and moves sluggishly, it is an inferior soft-shelled turtle.

Methods to Shorten the Soft-shelled Turtle Farming Cycle  

1. Intensively cultivate parent soft-shelled turtles to promote earlier reproduction. The main methods are to release shallow pond water and raise the water temperature; place floating boards on the water surface to increase opportunities for the soft-shelled turtles to bask in the sun, thereby raising body temperature and enhancing appetite;  

2. Control temperature to hatch juvenile soft-shelled turtles. Under normal circumstances, the time for soft-shelled turtle eggs to hatch into juveniles is 20 days. If the incubation temperature is controlled at about 32°C, the juveniles can hatch 20 days earlier;  

3. Ensure the temperature required by juvenile soft-shelled turtles to promote normal growth. Generally speaking, the suitable temperature for juvenile soft-shelled turtles is above 25°C, but in early summer and late autumn, the pond water temperature is often lower than this. An effective method is to concentrate the juveniles for temporary holding and artificially raise the temperature to maintain the growth rate under normal water temperature;  

4. Make full use of hot spring water and pollution-free waste hot water from factories to farm soft-shelled turtles. Even in the cold winter, as long as bait and feed keep up, they can still grow normally;  

5. In places without warm water conditions, the heat-collecting effect of plastic greenhouses can be used to effectively extend the growth period of soft-shelled turtles. Using the above methods can shorten the soft-shelled turtle production cycle by 40-80 days, and the benefits will be improved invisibly.

Differences Between Wild and Farmed Soft-shelled Turtles  

1. From the appearance of the carapace. The carapace of wild soft-shelled turtles is smooth and flat, with thin and uniform skin and a waxy luster, and the outline of the shell can faintly appear. The carapace skin of domestic soft-shelled turtles is slightly thicker, with rough warts and no glossy texture, like toad skin, and the outline of the shell is not easy to see.  

2. From the color of the carapace. Wild soft-shelled turtles include gray-black, earth-yellow, and brown with black spots, while domestic soft-shelled turtles are mostly black with a green tinge, yellow with a green tinge, or green moss color.  

3. From the body shape. Because wild soft-shelled turtles have long foraged hard in a natural state, their bodies are strong and slightly flat, with firm muscles. Domestic soft-shelled turtles appear bloated, thick and clumsy, with soft muscles.  

4. Pressing the plastron. The abdominal cartilage of wild soft-shelled turtles has relatively strong elasticity, and the rebound force is great when pressed with a finger. The abdominal cartilage of domestic soft-shelled turtles has weak elasticity, and when pressed with a finger, it feels soft and collapsed, with weak rebound.

Soft-shelled turtles come in two types: wild and artificially farmed. Although wild soft-shelled turtles are more nutritious, wild soft-shelled turtles can no longer come close to meeting people's needs, so the market prospects for artificially farmed soft-shelled turtles are also very good.