A Complete Analysis of Softshell Turtle Farm Construction Plans
Softshell turtles are highly sensitive to changes in external temperature, and their daily rhythms are closely tied to temperature fluctuations. At 10-12°C, they enter hibernation. When spring water temperatures rise to around 15°C, they gradually wake from hibernation and begin feeding. Above 20°C, male and female turtles mate and lay eggs. 25-30°C is the optimal temperature range for feeding and growth, and also the best season for artificial breeding. Above 33°C, they seek holes to "escape the heat." In artificial breeding, because softshell turtles are naturally aggressive, large and small turtles should not be kept together. Bullying among the group is very common, and when food is scarce, they will eat each other.
Site Selection for Softshell Turtle Farms
The living habits of softshell turtles can be summarized as the "three likes and three fears": they like quiet and fear disturbance, like sun and fear wind, and like cleanliness and fear dirt. Softshell turtles are highly responsive to sounds in their surroundings; at the slightest noise, they will quickly burrow into the mud at the bottom of the water. In natural environments, softshell turtles prefer to inhabit clean waters such as rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and ponds. On calm, sunny days, they often lie on sun-facing banks to bask (commonly known as sunning their backs), using ultraviolet rays in sunlight to kill pathogenic bacteria on their body surface and promote the healing of injured skin. By sunning their backs, they raise their body temperature and promote food digestion.
1. Sheltered from wind, facing the sun, and free from noise disturbance. Softshell turtles breathe with lungs and need to surface intermittently to breathe air. If there is loud noise, the timid turtles cannot sunbathe and will hide at the bottom of the water in the mud for long periods. Their bodies will then develop moss and pathogenic bacteria, leading to disease. At the same time, noise greatly stimulates the central nervous system of softshell turtles, causing an imbalance between excitation and inhibition in the cerebral cortex, disrupting metabolic rhythms, and affecting cardiac, digestive, and reproductive functions.
2. Good water quality and convenient irrigation and drainage. The water source for softshell turtle ponds must never contain ammonia or be contaminated by inflowing polluted water. Pond water should be fresh, flowing, and warm. Generally, water from rivers, ponds, lakes, and reservoirs can all serve as water sources for raising softshell turtles. If summer temperatures are high, to prevent water quality deterioration, new water can be replaced regularly. An ideal softshell turtle farm should have a water source that can be both irrigated in and drained out.
3. Abundant bait and convenient supply. Softshell turtles have relatively strict requirements for bait, especially needing animal-based bait with high protein content. Therefore, the farm should ideally be located near meat processing plants or restaurants. The bait room should be dedicated and must not be combined with rooms for chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or other uses.
Construction of Softshell Turtle Farms
Softshell turtles of different ages require different bait, and their required water temperature and water quality are also quite specific. In addition, softshell turtles are aggressive, compete for food, and are combative, so they must be raised in graded groups. Build broodstock turtle ponds, adult turtle ponds, juvenile turtle ponds, and hatchling turtle ponds. In addition, an isolation pond for sick turtles should also be established.
1. Broodstock turtle pond. Broodstock turtles need stability and quiet when laying eggs, so the broodstock turtle pond should be built in a place with convenient irrigation and drainage, slightly elevated terrain, abundant sunlight, and a quiet environment. The pond area can be adapted to local conditions, facing south with a northern exposure, sun-facing and sheltered from wind. In the egg-laying area, set 3-5 sand piles inside the wall, each about 20 cm thick; the size of the sand piles depends on the number of turtles stocked. Some weeds or tall, leafy crops should be grown near the egg-laying area to provide a good amphibious ecological environment for broodstock turtles to lay eggs. Where conditions permit, the egg-laying area can also be enclosed in an egg-laying house with an area of 5 sq m, a height of 1.5 m, and a glass roof. Leave a small opening on the side of the egg-laying area facing the pond water as an entrance and exit. Open a small door in the back wall of the egg-laying house so people can freely enter for management.
2. Adult turtle pond. Apart from the egg-laying area, the other facilities and principles of the adult turtle pond are the same as those of the broodstock turtle pond.
3. Juvenile turtle pond. After overwintering, hatchling turtles enter the juvenile turtle growth stage. The juvenile turtle pond is basically the same as the adult turtle pond, with an area slightly smaller than the adult turtle pond.
4. Hatchling turtle pond. Newly hatched turtles have incompletely developed internal organs and relatively high bait requirements. Without suitable hatchling turtle ponds and scientific management measures, hatchling turtles will suffer casualties during overwintering. There are two forms of hatchling turtle ponds: one is an indoor cement pond with an area of 10-50 sq m, a pond depth of 60-80 cm, a water depth of 20-40 cm, a bottom sand layer 15-20 cm thick, and a rest platform area ratio of 1:6, requiring ventilation and light transmission; the other is an outdoor cement pond or earthen pond with an area of 50-80 sq m, a pond depth of 80-100 cm, a water depth of 40-60 cm, a bottom sand layer 20-30 cm thick, and a rest platform area ratio of 1:10, requiring a sun-facing and wind-sheltered location.