How do you tell male from female when buying a turtle, at what size do they lay eggs, and how do you keep them so they don't die?

The turtle is also known as the grass turtle, mud turtle and mountain turtle, among other names. It belongs to the family Geoemydidae and the genus Mauremys, is a long-lived animal, and is often kept as a pet.So how do you tell male from female when buying a turtle? At what size do they lay eggs? How do you keep them so they don't die?

1. How do you tell male from female when buying a turtle?

The turtle is a dioecious animal, so there are males and females. But many friends who keep turtles have had their turtles for years without knowing whether they are male or female, so here is how to tell a turtle's sex apart.

1. Judge by how far the cloacal opening is from the rear end of the plastron: the distance is greater in male turtles, while the distance is shorter in female turtles;

2. Judge by the thickness of the tail and the size of its base: male turtles have a slender tail with a thick base, while female turtles have a thick tail with a small base;

3. Judge by whether the plastron is concave: male turtles have a sunken plastron, while female turtles have a flat plastron with no concavity;

4. In addition, for mature turtles you can turn the plastron face up, use the thumb, index finger and middle finger of your left hand to press the front limbs and head into the shell, and use your right hand to straighten the tail; if a black penis protrudes from the cloacal opening, it is a male turtle; if bubbles or thin mucus are expelled from the cloacal opening, it is a female turtle.

2. At what size do turtles lay eggs?

1. Turtles generally begin mating in the second half of April, usually in the evening; May to August is the egg-laying period, and they lay eggs in three or four batches each year, with 5 to 7 eggs per nest each time; before laying, the female turtle uses her hind limbs to dig a hole in loose soil on a sunny, shaded bank, lays the eggs in the hole, and after finishing covers the eggs with the loose soil. The eggs are elongated oval, hard, grayish white, and measure 27 to 38 mm × 13 to 20 mm.

2. Under natural conditions, hatchlings emerge after about 50 to 80 days, and once out of the shell they can go into the water and live independently. The sex of the hatchlings is controlled by temperature: at 25°C males hatch, and above 28°C female turtles hatch.

3. How do you keep a bought turtle so it doesn't die?

1. Always pay attention to the cleanliness of the small turtle: the water for keeping a small turtle must stay clean and be changed often to keep the water quality clear, otherwise the small turtle is prone to illness, but do not leave it without water either; shallow water is fine.

2. Be sure to feed the small turtle live food: small turtles are fairly easy small pets, and feeding them small fish or small shrimp is fine, as turtles are more interested in live things. It is best not to feed a small turtle raw pork, as this easily causes eye disease in small turtles.

3. Pay attention to the water quality of the small turtle's habitat: the water temperature for keeping a turtle should be fairly stable, and tap water should be left in the sun for more than 10 hours before being used for the turtle, so as to remove the chlorine and bleaching powder in the water.

4. Understand the habits of the small turtle: every small turtle has a different personality, some are shy and some are very greedy, and you will know once you are familiar with your own small turtle.

In particular, be sure to let the small turtle get plenty of sun; if you don't mind the trouble, regularly put some multivitamin tablets in the turtle's water, as this helps improve the small turtle's immunity.

4. How much does a turtle cost each?

1. At present, the price of meat turtles for eating on the market is different in every place; from the Xishui City agricultural products wholesale market in Hubei, the price is around 69.6 yuan/kg.

2. If you are buying a pet turtle, the price differs by breed and size. Small red-eared slider turtles cost 3-9 yuan each, and subadults 15-30 yuan each; small yellow-margined box turtles cost 150-300 yuan each, and subadults 500-1000 yuan each; small Chinese stripe-necked turtles cost 5-10 yuan each, and subadults 30-40 yuan each. In addition, some breeds of turtles can sell for over a thousand yuan.