Soft-shell turtle (Amyda sinensis), commonly known as soft-shell turtle, water fish, turtle and tortoise, is an oviparous reptile and lives amphibiously on land and water.

Turtle meat is delicious and nutritious. It has the effects of clearing away heat and nourishing yin, calming the liver and calming wind, and softening and dispersing stagnation.

It is not only a delicacy on the table, but also a widely used tonic and traditional Chinese medicine material.

There are mainly Chinese soft-shelled turtles, Chinese mountain soft-shelled turtles, spotted soft-shelled turtles, and turtles existing in China, among which the Chinese soft-shelled turtle is the most common.

This species has been included in the "List of Terrestrial Wild Animals Protected by the State and Beneficial or of Important Economic and Scientific Research Value" issued by the State Forestry Administration of China on August 1, 2000.

The turtle is a cold-blooded animal, amphibious on land and water, and breathes with its lungs.

Likes to live in rivers, lakes and ponds.

It often floats to the surface of the water and stretches out the tip of its snout to breathe. It also often moves on land to bask in the sun.

Soft-shell turtles are very sensitive to changes in external temperature, and their life patterns are closely related to changes in external temperature. When 10 to 12 degrees Celsius, soft-shell turtles enter hibernation. The hibernation period of soft-shell turtles is from mid-November to mid-April of the following year in the Hangzhou-Jiahu-Hu area.

When the water temperature rises to about 15°C in spring, they gradually wake up from hibernation and start feeding.

When the temperature is above 20°C, male and female turtles mate and lay eggs.

25-30℃ is the optimum temperature range for turtles to feed and grow, and is also the best season for artificial breeding.

When the temperature exceeds 33°C, look for caves to escape the heat.

In artificial breeding, due to the aggressive nature of soft-shelled turtles, it is not suitable to mix large and small soft-shell turtles.

Bullying is common among groups, and cannibalism is common when food is scarce.

The living habits of turtles can be summarized as "three joys and three fears", that is, they like silence and are afraid of surprises, like sun and fear wind, and like cleanliness and fear dirt.

Turtles are sensitive to sounds in the surrounding environment. As long as there is a slight movement around them, turtles can quickly dive into the mud at the bottom of the water.

In the natural environment, soft-shell turtles like to inhabit clean rivers, lakes, reservoirs, ponds and other waters. During the calm days, they often lie on the sunny shore and bask in the sun (commonly known as basking on their backs), using the ultraviolet rays in the sun to kill the harmful substances on the body surface.

Pathogenic bacteria, promote the healing of injured body surfaces, increase body temperature through basking on the back, and promote food digestion.

Food: Turtles are omnivorous animals that feed mainly on animal food. They like to eat fish, shrimps, shells, insects, animal offal and carcasses.

When there is a shortage of animal food, they also need to eat plant-based food such as grass, melons and grains. They are gluttonous and often cannibalize themselves when there is insufficient food.

The main food is small fish, shrimp, tadpoles, snails, clams, and aquatic insects.

Soft-shell turtles are both gluttonous and resistant to hunger. Even after eating once, they will not die even if they do not eat for a long time.

Of course, it relies on its own accumulated nutrients to maintain life activities. During artificial breeding, it must be supplied with sufficient food to speed up its growth.

Turtles eat earthworms, animal offal, etc., and they also eat vegetables, grasses, fruits, etc.

When food is scarce, similar species can cannibalize each other or ingest animal carcasses.

Growth and Reproduction: Softshell turtles naturally grow slowly, with a growth period of only 6 months in a year. Therefore, growth and development are slow and vary with local climate conditions and breeding techniques.

Under general feeding conditions, the weight of juvenile turtles can reach 5-10 grams, 2-year-old turtles can weigh 50-100 grams, 3-year-old turtles can weigh 100-200 grams, 4-year-old turtles can weigh 400-500 grams, and 5-year-old turtles can weigh more than 600 grams.

Therefore, if the "conventional breeding method" without heating is adopted, the breeding period can be as long as 4 to 5 years. If the "heated breeding method" is adopted, the breeding period can be shortened by 1 to 2 years.

Artificial propagation of soft-shelled turtles Because soft-shelled turtles are oviparous animals, the eggs hatch without parental protection and the incubation period is long.

Therefore, although soft-shell turtles have strong fecundity, in the natural environment, due to the influence of various enemies, pathogen invasion and bad climate, their hatching years and survival rate are low.

The use of artificial propagation can greatly increase the hatching rate, shorten the incubation period, and provide sufficient seedlings for artificial turtles.

(1) Reproductive habits: When the water temperature is above 20°C, they begin to come into estrus and lay eggs. April to August is the spawning season every year. The temperature during the peak spawning period is 28 to 34°C. Spawning often occurs late at night.

When laying eggs, the female turtle climbs ashore, looks for a high-lying, sandy and muddy site without stagnant water, and digs a hole to lay her eggs.

After laying eggs, they cover the hole and leave.

Each female turtle can generally lay 3 to 4 batches of eggs each year, with each batch laying about 10 eggs.

Soft-shell turtle (2) Selection of parent turtles: Male and female individuals that have almost reached sexual maturity and can be used for reproduction are parent turtles.

The age and weight of the parent turtle should also be considered. The sexual maturity age of the turtle is 4 to 5 years old, and the individual weight is about 500 grams. The number of newly mature turtles is small, the number of eggs carried is small, and the size of the turtles produced is uneven.

Therefore, the selected parent turtles should weigh 1 kilogram and should be 4 to 7 years old.

From the appearance.

Individuals with strong physique, no disease or injury, smooth body surface, large body size, and agile movement should be selected.

When selecting turtles to keep as relatives, accurate judgment must be made to ensure an appropriate ratio of male to female.

It can be identified based on external characteristics. The male to female ratio is generally 4:1 (four females and one male! Haha!).

It is very nutritious when eaten, but it is recommended that you do not kill animals.

[2]4 Population distribution editor is mainly distributed in seas and lakes in Asia, Africa, and America.

The spotted softshell turtle is a national first-level protected animal. It is rare and extremely precious. It is an "aquatic giant panda" that is more endangered than the Chinese sturgeon.