Yellow Sand Soft-shelled Turtle Farming Techniques: Juvenile Turtle Rearing Methods and Turtle Egg Incubation Tips

1. Selection of a New Turtle Pond

The area is 1 mu to 5 mu, the water depth is about 1.5 m, a 20 sq m to 50 sq m egg-laying sand bed is built on one side of the pond, a "T"-shaped escape-prevention wall about 0.6 m high is built around the perimeter, and a 20 sq m to 50 sq m basking platform and feeding platform are set up on the water surface.

2. Selection of Parent Turtles

Select from wild turtles or adult turtles raised artificially in ponds for more than 3 years of age; individuals are required to reach more than ll5 kg, have the typical characteristics of the Yellow Sand Soft-shelled Turtle, be free of disease and injury, and the female-to-male ratio is 5:1.

3. Stocking of Parent Turtles

In April to May or September to November each year; at other times, stocking is not suitable. The stocking density is 400 to 600 turtles per mu.

4. Cultivation of Parent Turtles

One week after the parent turtles are introduced, feeding can begin. Parent turtles feed normally when the water temperature is above 25%. The feed is mainly live bait, such as small fish, small shrimp, shellfish, snails, duck liver, pig liver, etc., accounting for about 70% of the total feeding amount, plus 30% commercially available parent turtle compound feed and a small amount of turtle multivitamins; the feeding amount is 2% of the turtle's body weight, fed twice a day in the morning and afternoon.

5. Collection and Incubation of Turtle Eggs

When the water temperature is maintained above 25°C to 12°C for about 1 month, mature female turtles begin to mate and lay eggs. Generally, eggs are dug out and collected from the sand pile of the egg-laying site once every 3 days. Those with a round white dot (animal pole) are fertilized eggs; otherwise, they are unfertilized eggs. Arrange the fertilized eggs with the animal pole facing up in an incubation tray, cover them with wet sand, and move them into an incubation room for incubation. The incubation room requires a relative humidity of 80%, and the incubation sand humidity should also be close to 80% (that is, when squeezed in the hand it forms a ball and crumbles when released), and the temperature is required to be constant at 28°C to 32°C. After about 45 days, hatchlings can be produced. The hatchlings can be temporarily kept in plastic basins in the incubation room for about 1 week, then moved outdoors to ponds for rearing or sold.

6. Rearing of Hatchling Turtles

About 1 week after hatching, those with a body weight of about 3 g to 5O g are generally called hatchling turtles. At this stage, rearing is best carried out in a 5 sq m to 10 sq m cement pond. The cement pond is equipped with a basking platform and feeding platform of about 2 sq m, the water depth is about 0.5 m, and water hyacinth is placed on 1/3 of the water surface. The stocking density of hatchling turtles is 20 per sq m. Feed them yellow mealworms, minced fish meat, duck liver, and commercially available hatchling turtle compound feed. The feeding amount is 5% of the turtle's body weight, fed 5 times (small amounts but frequent feeding). This process lasts about 1 month.

7. Rearing of Juvenile Turtles

Turtles weighing 50 g to 250 g each are called juvenile turtles. Generally, a 10 sq m to 30 sq m sand-mud pond is selected as the juvenile turtle rearing pond. It is equipped with a basking platform and feeding platform of 2 sq m to 6 sq m, the water depth is about 0.8 m, and water hyacinth is placed on 1/3 of the water surface. The stocking density of juvenile turtles is 10 per sq m. Mainly feed commercially available juvenile turtle compound feed, plus an appropriate amount of small shrimp, small fish, snails, shellfish, green vegetables, livestock and poultry scraps, etc. The feeding amount is about 4% of the turtle's body weight, fed 3 times a day in the morning, noon, and evening. After about 180 days, they can reach the size of 250 g per turtle. When the water temperature is stable above 25%, they can be put outdoors for rearing.

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