A detailed explanation of several common breeding models for soft-shelled turtles
The soft-shelled turtle is a creature that looks extremely similar to the tortoise, and many people cannot quite tell them apart, but they are actually very easy to distinguish: the soft-shelled turtle's shell has no scales. The soft-shelled turtle is very high in nutritional value, and its meat is also relatively tender, making it especially suitable for making soup. Wild soft-shelled turtles have become fewer and fewer, but the number of people who like to eat soft-shelled turtles has not decreased, so artificial breeding is a very inevitable matter. However, there are many methods of artificial breeding for soft-shelled turtles. Below are several relatively common soft-shelled turtle breeding models that I, Qin Nong, have summarized for everyone. Let's take a look.
1. Raising soft-shelled turtles in rice fields
Rice-field integrated breeding technology is very popular now, and many aquaculture operations use rice-field integrated breeding technology, such as the currently popular crayfish and crabs. A common breeding model for soft-shelled turtles is also rice-field integrated breeding, but soft-shelled turtles have somewhat high requirements for the rice field: it must be close to a water source, the field's water storage capacity must be relatively strong, the water quality must be relatively clean, and the soil of the rice field must be at least about 15 to 20 cm thick, because soft-shelled turtles need water for a long time, so the rice planted should be relatively moisture-tolerant and have strong resistance. Finally, when raising soft-shelled turtles in rice fields, preparations must be made to prevent the soft-shelled turtles from escaping, that is, raising the field ridges, and at the same time digging a ditch outside the field for drainage, which can also prevent the soft-shelled turtles from escaping to a certain extent.
2. Raising soft-shelled turtles in ponds
Pond breeding of soft-shelled turtles is the most traditional breeding method. Basically, aquaculture at the very beginning all used pond breeding methods. The most important point in pond breeding of soft-shelled turtles is the structure of the pond, which includes the pond's area, the pond's shape, the pond's water depth, and the construction of the pond's surroundings and bottom as well as anti-escape measures. It is generally best for the pond to be rectangular; next, the pond's area cannot be too large, at most around 5 mu, and then the water level in the pond cannot exceed 1 m, with about 50 cm being best. To prevent the soft-shelled turtles from escaping, protective fencing can be set up around the pond. Of course, building with cement is also possible, but an appropriate amount of mud must also be poured into the pond, otherwise the soft-shelled turtles cannot survive.
3. Raising soft-shelled turtles in net cages
Net-cage breeding of soft-shelled turtles is a breeding method that has newly appeared in recent years. In fact, it is also one of the methods we often call three-dimensional breeding. The main thing in net-cage breeding is to pay attention to the hygiene treatment of the net cages. We must scrub the net cages clean from time to time. The purpose of doing this is, first, to maintain the breeding environment, and second, to reduce infection by pathogens. Another advantage of net-cage breeding is that it is convenient to manage, and it is also relatively convenient when harvesting: you only need to lift the net cage up.
4. Imitation wild breeding of soft-shelled turtles
The main purpose of imitation wild soft-shelled turtle breeding is actually to make the taste of the soft-shelled turtles closer to that of wild soft-shelled turtles. In fact, it is just implementing a free-range method, but the only difference is that imitation wild soft-shelled turtle breeding is not completely free-range; protective measures need to be done well at the breeding site to prevent losses caused by soft-shelled turtles escaping. The rest of the time the soft-shelled turtles are mostly free, only being given a little concentrated feed at irregular intervals, and at other times relying on themselves to forage for small fish, small shrimp, and various plankton and the like in the water. Therefore, imitation wild soft-shelled turtles have very low costs, but the best sales, because everyone feels that the quality of this kind of free-range product is more guaranteed and closer to nature.