What are the causes of soft-shelled turtle deaths in winter?

Winter is a painful season for aquaculturists, and the same goes for soft-shelled turtle farming. There are many things to pay attention to when overwintering, and if some aspects are not handled properly, big problems will arise. So what causes soft-shelled turtles to die in winter? Let's find out together!

1. Malnutrition

In winter, soft-shelled turtles have relatively high nutritional needs, because resisting the cold consumes a fair amount of energy, so fattening them up before winter is very important. Many soft-shelled turtles die for this reason. By the time winter arrives, it is already too late to supplement feed, because at this point the soft-shelled turtles are in a hibernation state, with very little activity and desire to eat, just lying around lazily and unwilling to move. Therefore, the fattening period of more than one month before winter must be taken seriously, ensuring that every soft-shelled turtle eats fairly fully and builds up energy to get through the winter.

2. Worsening wounds

Winter water temperatures are relatively low, so before overwintering you should carefully check whether the soft-shelled turtles have external injuries, especially the fairly obvious ones, and make sure their external injuries have basically healed by the time they overwinter, so that the soft-shelled turtles will not die in winter from worsening wounds. If a soft-shelled turtle has external injuries, it is extremely easy for its core body temperature to drop, as low temperatures invade its interior through the wounds, speeding up its energy consumption and also causing necrosis of the skin near the wounds, which ultimately leads to the death of the soft-shelled turtle.

3. Water quality deterioration

When farming soft-shelled turtles, water changes need to be fairly frequent. Although winter relatively does not require such frequent changes, water still needs to be changed. In winter, because the outside air is colder than the water, germs in the water tend to accumulate fairly quickly at this time, and the soft-shelled turtles are also soaked in the water, which over time will cause the soft-shelled turtles to become infected by these germs. So water also needs to be changed in winter, about once a month or so, with each water change controlled at about one-half to one-third.

4. Temperature fluctuations

Farmers with the means to do so will control the temperature of soft-shelled turtle ponds in winter, but it is precisely this temperature control that can lead to death if not handled properly. Soft-shelled turtles are fairly sensitive to temperature. When the temperature is too low, they enter overwintering mode. Winter temperatures are naturally relatively low; if farmers can keep the temperature at a fairly warm level, the soft-shelled turtles will remain in normal growth mode. But if cold protection is not done well and temperature fluctuations are obvious, the soft-shelled turtles will waver between overwintering and normal conditions, causing conflicts in their body functions that ultimately lead to death.

Overwintering is very important for soft-shelled turtles. Although less time needs to be spent on management during this period, in order for them to get through the winter better, you can spend your time on managing the growing environment. Have you ever encountered these causes of death?