Detailed Explanation of Key Points in Imitation Wild Soft-shelled Turtle Farming Techniques
The soft-shelled turtle is an oviparous amphibious reptile, also known as tuanyu, shuiyu, wangba, etc. It is a general term for soft-shelled aquatic turtles of the order Testudines and family Trionychidae. In China, the main existing species are the Chinese softshell turtle, Shanrui softshell turtle, spotted softshell turtle, and Yangtze giant softshell turtle, among which the Chinese softshell turtle is the most common. It is not only a delicious dish on the table, but can also be used as a traditional Chinese medicine material, with very high farming value. Let us take a look at imitation wild soft-shelled turtle farming techniques below!
Farming Conditions
1. Pond conditions: The pond area is generally about 5 mu, the pond slope ratio is 1:2, the pond bottom is flat, the silt thickness is about 25 cm, and the water depth is 1.8-2.5 m.
2. Water source requirements: The pond water source should be sufficient, the water quality should be good and pollution-free, meeting fish farming water standards, with a pH value of 7-8.5 and dissolved oxygen above 5 mg/L.
3. Escape prevention facilities: Build an escape prevention wall around the pond, with a wall height of 40 cm, an inward overhang of 10 cm at the top of the wall, and smooth inner walls to prevent soft-shelled turtles from escaping and enemies from intruding.
4. Building sunning platforms: For every 200 sq m of pond, use cement boards or wooden boards to build feeding platforms in the pond for soft-shelled turtles to rest and sun their backs, with the platform surface 15-25 cm above the water surface, and the inclined side extending to 20-30 cm below the water surface.
Seedling Stocking
1. Pond clearing and disinfection: Before stocking soft-shelled turtles, use 75-150 kg of quicklime per mu, slake it into slurry, and splash it over the whole pond for thorough pond clearing and disinfection. Seven days after pond clearing and disinfection, fill with water to 50 cm, apply fermented organic fertilizer, and fertilize the pond water.
2. Stocking time: Soft-shelled turtle seedlings are generally best stocked from late March to early April. Fish fry are best stocked in winter, and stocking should be completed before the Beginning of Spring at the latest.
3. Seedling selection: Soft-shelled turtle seedlings should be selected from individuals that lay eggs and reproduce under natural conditions, requiring uniform and consistent size, no disease or injury, strong physique, and strong activity ability, with each individual preferably weighing 200-250 g.
4. Fish fry size: The stocking size of silver carp and bighead carp is about 150-300 g per fish, and that of common carp and crucian carp is about 30-60 g. During stocking, soak and disinfect with 4% salt water.
5. Stocking density: The stocking amount of soft-shelled turtle seedlings is about 250-300 per mu, silver carp and bighead carp are about 200-250 per mu, and common carp and crucian carp are about 150-200 per mu.
Feeding Management
1. Feed preparation: Soft-shelled turtle feed is mainly animal protein, supplemented by plant protein. Fresh and live feed includes small miscellaneous fish, animal viscera, and scraps; green feed includes fresh tender aquatic plants and melon, fruit, and vegetable stems and leaves; wheat bran, corn flour, bean dregs, etc. can also be mixed and processed for feeding.
2. Feed feeding: Soft-shelled turtles begin to eat when the water temperature rises to about 18°C. At this time, feed a small amount of feed for domestication so that the soft-shelled turtles start eating earlier. The daily feeding amount of fresh animal feed is 10-20% of the total weight of the soft-shelled turtles, and the daily feeding amount of compound feed is 5% of the total weight.
3. Feeding method: Feeding soft-shelled turtle feed adheres to the “four fixed and four look” principle. Feeding is generally carried out at fixed feeding grounds on both sides of the pond that are well-ventilated and sunny, which is conducive to observing the feeding, growth, and activity of soft-shelled turtles and fish, and facilitates adjusting the feeding amount.
4. Water level management: In the initial stage of stocking soft-shelled turtles, maintain the water level at 80-100 cm, and gradually raise the water level as the water temperature rises and individuals grow. In spring and autumn, add new water once every half month; in summer, add new water once a week; in summer and early autumn during high-temperature seasons, raise the water level.
5. Water quality management: Regularly splash 15-20 g of quicklime or 2 g of bleaching powder per cubic meter to ensure that dissolved oxygen in the water is above 4 mg/L, pH is between 7-8.5, and ammonia nitrogen does not exceed 5 mg/L. Configure an aerator when necessary.
6. Daily management: Persist in patrolling the pond twice a day in the morning and evening, observe the activity, eating, and growth of soft-shelled turtles and fish, and adjust the feeding amount in time. Remove residual debris and residual bait in the pond in time to ensure fresh water quality.
Disease Prevention and Control
1. Saprolegniasis: Water mold can be seen with the naked eye on the limbs, neck, tail, and other parts of the soft-shelled turtle, and growth is slow. After onset, fish kangning or a mixture of 0.04% baking soda and 0.04% table salt can be splashed over the whole pond, with very good results.
2. Neck swelling disease: The neck of the soft-shelled turtle is obviously swollen, with □ nose bleeding, and the plastron shows anemia. At onset, use “Fulv” to disinfect the pond water, then use “Bie Jiankang” for treatment.
3. Red neck disease: Regularly disinfect with quicklime water, keep the pond water sanitary, and add 0.5‰ “Bie Jiankang” to the feed. For soft-shelled turtles with early-stage onset, 200,000 international units of penicillin and streptomycin per kg can be injected into the abdominal cavity of the soft-shelled turtle, once or twice is enough.
4. Enteritis disease: The excrement of diseased soft-shelled turtles has an abnormal odor, digestion is poor, and movement is sluggish. For prevention and control, add 1% garlic juice and onion to the feed, with 7 days as one treatment course.
5. Hemorrhagic disease: Blood spots appear on the plastron of the soft-shelled turtle, bleeding occurs in the intestinal tract and respiratory organs, and lesions also appear in the kidneys and liver. The prevention and control method is to quickly isolate the diseased soft-shelled turtles and treat with “Bie Jiankang”, sulfonamides, or antibiotics.
6. Skin rot disease: In addition to disinfecting all pond water with “Fulv” and “Bie Jiankang”, quickly isolate the diseased soft-shelled turtles, soak them in 100 microliters of sulfonamide drug solution for 2-5 minutes each day, twice a day, with 7 days as one treatment course. Generally, they can recover.