What food do soft-shelled turtles like to eat? A list of common food types

The soft-shelled turtle, also known as the Chinese softshell turtle, softshell turtle, tuanyu, shuiyu, and so on, likes to inhabit freshwater waters such as rivers, lakes, ponds, and reservoirs with muddy bottoms, and is an amphibious oviparous reptile. So, what food do soft-shelled turtles like to eat?

1. What do soft-shelled turtles like to eat?

Soft-shelled turtles like to eat small fish, small shrimp, earthworms, fly maggots, animal offal, cooked animal blood, silkworm pupae, snail meat, mussel meat, and so on, and can also eat cooked wheat grains, cakes, melons, and vegetables.

2. Artificial breeding techniques for soft-shelled turtles

1. Construction of breeding ponds

Choose a pond that is sheltered from the wind and faces the sun, convenient for drainage and irrigation, and in a quiet environment. If it is a turtle farm that breeds, hatches, and raises its own stock, then the construction of 5 types of turtle ponds must be considered: new turtle, hatchling turtle, juvenile turtle, 3-year-old turtle, and adult turtle. If the bottom of the breeding pond is not sandy soil, then some sandy soil should be mixed in. Feeding platforms are generally placed around the edges of the breeding pond. In addition, water hyacinth can be planted in the pond. Water hyacinth has a well-developed root system and can absorb harmful substances in the water, thereby playing a role in regulating the water, and it is also helpful for soft-shelled turtles to hide, bask in the sun, and cool off.

2. Feed placement

The amount of fresh feed added is generally 10%-40%. When using fresh feed, it must be disinfected and cleaned, and prepared and used on the spot to avoid spoilage and deterioration. When feeding, it should be done in the form of scattering, and the feed should be 2-3 cm from the water surface. Soft-shelled turtles are timid, so interference with them should be minimized when feeding. The feeding amount should be based on the standard of being eaten within 1-1.5 hours, and leftover feed should be collected promptly for other uses. In summer, the feeding time should preferably be before sunrise and after sunset.

3. Water quality regulation

The breeding water body should be regularly changed and discharged, and the amount of water changed each time should preferably not exceed one third of the total pond. If conditions permit, micro-flowing water aquaculture will produce better results. During the breeding process, juvenile turtles should be kept at a water depth of 0.3-0.4 m, with the water changed once every 3 days, each time changing 1/3 of the water, and a green water color is preferable; adult turtle ponds should have the water changed once every 4 days, each time changing 1/4 of the water, maintaining fresh water quality, sufficient dissolved oxygen, and appropriate fertility.

4. Regular pond inspection

Pond inspection is for timely understanding of soft-shelled turtle feeding, growth activity, diseases, and pond water quality, facilities, and other conditions, and for promptly removing dead or sick soft-shelled turtles.

The soft-shelled turtle is a treasure all over. Its head, shell, bones, meat, eggs, gallbladder, and fat can all be used as medicine, and the prospects for artificial breeding are currently quite good.