What issues need attention when keeping turtles?
Turtle farming can be said to be an emerging farming industry, and as far as I know there are dozens of turtle varieties, which are divided into ornamental turtles, edible turtles and pet turtles, etc., and turtle farming for different purposes will also differ in economic benefits, so turtle farms usually raise multiple varieties together, which can improve the economic benefits of turtle farming. So what issues need attention when farming turtles? Below are the common farming issues compiled by the editor of Qinnong.com for your reference.
1. Farming environment
The farming environment is an issue that must be paid attention to, because it is the foundation for the turtles' survival. In the farming environment, attention needs to be paid to the management of the water depth, water quality and water temperature in the pond, as well as the establishment of resting areas and activity areas. Usually the water depth only needs to be enough to cover the turtle shell; next, the water needs to be changed about every three to five days to maintain the water quality in the pond. At the same time, some duckweed and algae plants can be planted in the water to purify the water quality. The water temperature in the pond is best at around 25°C; too high or too low is not good. Finally, stones or river sand should be used in the pond to create higher and lower areas for them to rest, bask in the sun and move around.
2. Feeding management
The feeding of turtles is related to their growth speed and health, so when feeding we need to feed them according to their different growth stages. During the juvenile stage, we mainly feed them with special turtle food, and only need to properly feed some small fish and small shrimp. They need to be fed about five to six times a day, and the amount fed each time should not be large, because the stomach of juvenile turtles is not very big, so this not only wastes food but also pollutes the water quality. For adult turtles, we mainly feed fish, shrimp and meat. Many people feed rice, bread and so on, but these foods are very difficult for turtles to digest, so it is best to feed them less. The last thing to note is that after they finish eating, the remaining feed residue should be taken out in time.
3. Daily management
The daily management of turtles is actually very simple, and one point among them is very important but is often overlooked by many farmers. That is, during the turtle farming process we should bathe the turtles and scrub their shells from time to time, because there will be a lot of mud and dirt on their bodies, and if it is not cleaned often it is easy to breed bacteria, ultimately causing the shells to rot and the turtles to die. Next, we also need to supervise the daily amount of exercise of the turtles, because some turtles are rather lazy. Finally, do not casually change the turtle feed, because then they will not be able to adapt for a while, causing gastrointestinal discomfort.
4. Disease prevention and control
Turtles have strong resistance and do not easily get sick, but special situations are not ruled out, such as heatstroke or colds when the temperature is too high or too low, as well as harm from parasites and bacteria in the pond and viral infections, etc. So we need to frequently disinfect the pond and give the turtles a small amount [of treatment]; a potassium permanganate solution can be used for disinfection. Next, oxytetracycline or other antibiotics can be added to the feed to prevent common diseases. Finally, pay attention to whether the environment around the farm is polluted, and strengthen the management of the pond.