A Detailed Guide to the Main Diseases of Soft-Shelled Turtles and Their Prevention and Treatment

With the continuous development of the soft-shelled turtle farming industry, the ever-increasing density of artificial breeding, and the promotion of constant-temperature intensive farming, the factors causing turtle diseases are increasing day by day, bringing many difficulties and economic losses to specialized farming households. Below is an introduction to the causes and prevention and treatment techniques of several common diseases of soft-shelled turtles.

1. Hemorrhagic disease

Caused by viruses and Aeromonas punctata. Bleeding points or bleeding spots can be seen on the plastron of diseased turtles, and erosive growths appear on the carapace; in severe cases it can cause death.

Prevention and treatment: Apply furazolidone at 1.5 g/cubic meter to the whole pond by splashing, and administer sulfonamides, antibiotics, etc. orally.

2. Skin rot disease

Caused by infection with Aeromonas punctata. Diseased turtles first show grayish-white block-shaped lesions on the body surface, especially on the neck, limbs, tail, and marginal scutes; afterward these gradually spread, the skin erodes and forms ulcers, and in severe cases the neck muscles and bones are exposed, the turtle stops eating, remains on the feeding platform without entering the water, and finally dies from exhaustion.

Prevention and treatment: Maintain water color, separate turtles in time, and prevent biting; every 10-15 days splash bleaching powder at 2-3 g/cubic meter once; isolate diseased turtles and soak them in 3% salt water for 15 minutes; soak diseased turtles in a 10 g/cubic meter sulfonamide drug or antibiotic solution for 48 hours; inject each kilogram of turtle with 150,000-200,000 international units of antibiotics intraperitoneally; splash the turtle pond with furazolidone at 5 g/cubic meter, and mix 0.3% norfloxacin into the feed and feed continuously for 5 days.

3. White spot disease

Caused by infection with Mucor. Diseased turtles have white spots the size of mung beans on the neck, limbs, and marginal scutes; these later gradually expand into white patches, causing epidermal necrosis and disintegration, resulting in concurrent bacterial infection, blood infection, and death.

Prevention and treatment: Splash the whole pond with a mixture of 500 g/cubic meter salt and 500 g/cubic meter baking soda; soak diseased turtles in 10 g/cubic meter bleaching powder for 1-2 hours, then soak and wash them in 10 g/cubic meter malachite green for 15 minutes. Antibiotic drugs must not be used for prevention and treatment.

4. Furuncle disease

Caused by infection with Aeromonas punctata subsp. punctata. In the early stage of infection, small white furuncles appear on the neck, back marginal scutes, and bases of the limbs of turtles; later they gradually enlarge and protrude outward. When the furuncles are squeezed and broken, pale yellow pus flows out with a fishy odor.

Prevention and treatment: Replace the pond water and adjust water quality, and splash the whole pond with furazolidone at 5 g/cubic meter; soak diseased turtles in 100 g/cubic meter furazolidone for 30 minutes or in 0.2% ethacridine lactate solution for 15 minutes, then wipe the turtle body dry and apply erythromycin ointment (put back into the pond after drying); also feed medicated bait containing 0.3% tetracycline or oxytetracycline of the feed amount, with 4 days as 1 course of treatment, continuously for 2-3 courses.

5. Perforation disease

Caused by infection with Aeromonas punctata. Soybean-sized furuncles appear on the body surface of diseased turtles; later they gradually enlarge and protrude outward. When squeezed, contents like bean dregs flow out. After the contents flow out, round hole-shaped lesions appear.

Prevention and treatment: Strengthen the management of water quality and feed, and splash the whole pond with oxytetracycline powder at 40 g/cubic meter. First soak diseased turtles in 3% salt water for 15 minutes, then bathe them in 10 g/cubic meter gentamicin for 30 hours, wipe the turtle body dry and apply erythromycin ointment (put back into the pond after drying), and feed medicated bait containing 0.5% norfloxacin of the feed amount or 0.3% chloramphenicol plus 0.3% furazolidone, reducing by half from the 3rd to 5th day as 1 course of treatment, continuously for 2-3 courses.

6. Epistylis disease

Also called bell-shaped ciliate disease, caused by parasitism by protozoans such as Epistylis, Carchesium, and Vorticella. It causes clusters of cotton-like white hairs to appear on the neck, limbs, carapace, and plastron of turtles; in severe cases it causes ulceration and leads to death.

Prevention and treatment: Splash the whole pond with bleaching powder at 1 g/cubic meter, soak diseased turtles in 2.5% salt water for 10-20 minutes, use continuously for 2 days, or soak diseased turtles in a mixture of 7 g/cubic meter copper sulfate and ferrous sulfate for 20-30 minutes.

7. Red neck disease

Caused by Aeromonas. Red spots appear on the abdomen of diseased turtles, the neck swells, and after being extended it cannot be retracted. In severe cases the whole body becomes red and swollen, the eyes become cloudy and white and the turtle becomes blind, and it soon dies.

Prevention and treatment: Replace the pond water and splash the whole pond with oxytetracycline powder at 40 g/cubic meter; inject each kilogram of turtle with 200,000 international units of gentamicin or kanamycin, continuously for 5-6 days; feed oxytetracycline or chlortetracycline at 0.02% of the turtle body weight, halve the dose from the 2nd to 6th day, and feed continuously for 2 courses of treatment.