What are the three key factors for turtle egg incubation? Master the key points to improve the hatch rate

The key to turtle breeding is doing a good job of turtle egg incubation. No matter which incubation method is used, the three key factors of incubation temperature, humidity and ventilation must be well controlled. According to our farm's incubation experiments in recent years on the eggs of different turtle species such as the three-striped box turtle, alligator snapping turtle, yellow pond turtle and hawk turtle, as long as temperature, humidity and ventilation reach the optimal state, the hatch rate of turtle eggs can reach 93%-98%. 1. Incubation temperature The suitable temperature for turtle egg incubation should be controlled at 28°C-35°C, with about 30°C being best. It must not be too high or too low. When the temperature is low, artificial heating can be used. The methods include electric heating, solar heating, stove heating, etc. If the temperature is too high, windows should be opened for ventilation to cool it down. In short, once the incubation temperature is set, the temperature difference before and after should not differ by 3°C. 2. Incubation humidity The incubation humidity for turtle eggs is generally suitable when the water content of the incubation sand is 7%-8%. If the humidity is too high, turtle eggs are prone to suffocating and dying. If the humidity is too low, the water in turtle eggs evaporates easily and the eggs will "dry up" and die. A more practical test method is: squeeze the sand into a ball with your hand, and if it immediately breaks apart when you let go, the humidity is moderate. For the incubation sand of the three-striped box turtle and hawk turtle, mixing with soil is better, with a ratio of 6:4. In addition, during incubation, use a sprayer to sprinkle water 1-2 times a day. 3. Incubation ventilation status The ventilation status for turtle egg incubation means the incubation sand should be moderate in coarseness. It is best to select medium-fine sand from a river, and wash it clean before use. For the three-striped box turtle, loess is best for the incubation soil, and it should be fully and evenly mixed with the sand. During the incubation period, 10 minutes after sprinkling water each day, loosen the sand layer by hand. This both prevents the sand and soil from compacting and blocking air and prevents water evaporation, but when stirring the sand layer, the turtle eggs below must not be disturbed, so as not to affect the incubation results. In particular, for the incubation sand of the alligator snapping turtle, yellow pond turtle and Chinese pond turtle, medium sand is used entirely, with no need to mix in loess, so as to avoid affecting the hatching rate.