When do softshell turtles usually lay eggs each year?

Anyone who has raised softshell turtles knows that softshell turtles lay eggs once they reach a certain age, and the eggs laid can be hatched again into young softshell turtles. So when do softshell turtles lay eggs?

1. When do softshell turtles lay eggs?

Softshell turtles generally lay eggs from May to August, and can lay eggs multiple times a year, with June to July being the peak egg-laying period. Egg laying mostly takes place in the latter half of the night, and in the north they can lay eggs 2-3 times a year, while in the south they can lay eggs 4-5 times. Before laying eggs, the softshell turtle will climb onto the shore and make a nest in the sand, then lay the eggs in the nest and cover them with sand.

2. How do softshell turtles lay eggs and hatch them?

1. Natural incubation. The fertilized eggs of the softshell turtle hatch in moist mud and sand, and in the wild natural incubation takes 60~80 days. After hatching, the young turtles' umbilical cords fall off after 1~2 days, and they crawl out of the hole onto the ground. Young turtles have a habit of seeking water and can actively look for places with water and enter the water to live.

2. Artificial incubation. Artificial incubation of softshell turtle eggs is one of the main ways to increase the hatching rate and improve the economic benefits of softshell turtle farming. Softshell turtle farms and specialized softshell turtle farmers with the necessary conditions are best off using the method of artificial incubation of softshell turtle eggs.

(1) Collecting eggs. Brood softshell turtles begin laying eggs in May, so egg collection also begins in May. Every morning at the egg-laying site, carefully search for egg holes based on the footprints left by the female softshell turtles when laying eggs, and mark the egg holes, but do not rush to collect the eggs; eggs should be collected only 30 hours after being laid. Each time you collect eggs, also carefully check the open ground outside the egg-laying site to prevent eggs from being missed because the brood softshell turtles dug holes everywhere. For egg collection, you can use an egg collection box, a washbasin, or other containers, or you can directly use an incubation box to collect eggs. When collecting eggs, spread a layer of fine sand or rice husk in the collection container, and place the eggs neatly with the animal pole facing up. At the same time, be careful not to break the eggshells. After collecting the eggs, level the egg holes again but keep a certain slope, then sprinkle some water to keep the sand moist, so that the next batch of egg-laying brood softshell turtles can find the egg holes.

(2) Identifying fertilized eggs. Judge whether an egg is fertilized by the external characteristics of the softshell turtle egg. When observed with the naked eye, a softshell turtle egg is relatively large in volume, with a white spot at the top of the egg, and the area around the white spot is clear and bright. As time passes and the white spot gradually expands to the middle of the egg, it can be judged to be a fertilized egg. If there is no white spot at one end of the egg, or the white spot is irregular and uneven, it is judged to be an unfertilized egg. Therefore, through observation, deformed eggs, eggs with broken shells, dead eggs with a fishy smell, and unfertilized eggs should be removed in time; otherwise these eggs will rot and affect the hatching of fertilized eggs.

(3) Incubating softshell turtle eggs. Artificial incubation mainly takes two forms: incubation in an incubation room and incubation in an indoor incubator. For incubation room incubation, first build the incubation room in a place with higher terrain, facing the sun and sheltered from the wind, with good drainage conditions, close to the egg-laying site, and easy to manage, generally with an area of 4~10 sq m. Spread a layer of crushed stone or coarse sand on the indoor ground, and on top of it spread a 30~50 cm thick layer of fine sand. When incubating, place the fertilized eggs on the sand surface in several layers, with 2~3 cm between layers, and spread a layer of fine sand on the topmost eggs. The temperature of the incubation room should be controlled at around 30°C, and the humidity should be controlled at 75%~85%. Open the windows regularly every day for ventilation, and when the humidity is too high, it should also be opened.

In general, softshell turtles generally lay eggs from May to August, and in the north they can lay eggs 2-3 times a year, and in the north 4-5 times. Before laying eggs, the softshell turtle will make a nest in advance, then lay the eggs and cover them with sand to let them hatch freely.