Soft-shelled turtle

Alternative names: soft-shelled turtle, turtle.

Section 1 Construction of Turtle Ponds

(1) Construction Catalog of Factory Temperature-Controlled Turtle Breeding Ponds

In order to break the long-term hibernation of soft-shell turtles in wild breeding According to their habits, factory-based artificial temperature-controlled breeding can be used for seed cultivation. Currently, there are many models of artificial temperature-controlled turtle ponds in China. However, in order to achieve the good results of saving money and achieving healthy breeding, the following basic requirements must be met.

1. Good thermal insulation performance: Insulation is one of the main conditions for greenhouses to ensure breeding output. Regardless of whether electric heat, geothermal heat, factory waste heat or boiler heating are used, the purpose is to adjust the water temperature to the optimum temperature that is most beneficial to the growth of soft-shelled turtles. Some places do not pay attention to thermal insulation performance. As a result, the temperature difference between day and night occurs indoors or the temperature difference between rooms is too large, which affects growth and even causes diseases. Therefore, thermal insulation issues should be considered first when designing.

2. Good lighting: The purpose of lighting in the turtle pond is not only to use light energy to increase the indoor temperature, but also to adjust the water quality through the light source, so as to reduce diseases and improve the survival rate. Practice has proved that using the same method, raising in two greenhouses with heat preservation and opacity and one with both heat preservation and light transmission, the growth rate is almost the same, but in terms of diseases, the light transmission is better than the opaque greenhouse. This not only reduces the cost of breeding, but also reduces the cost of breeding. It also improves the quality of soft-shelled turtles. In particular, the investment for a properly designed lighting greenhouse is more than half that of a completely enclosed greenhouse. It is also easy to manage and operate.

3. Convenient water injection and drainage: Greenhouse water is often used only when the water quality is so bad that it needs to be changed. Try to keep it stable at ordinary times. The water needs to be changed quickly and in a short time. Therefore, the water injection volume and drainage volume are both large. Therefore, a smooth filling and drainage system should be ensured at all times. The turtle ponds in some places are lower than the horizon, and mechanical drainage is required for drainage, so the guarantee of power supply should not be taken into consideration in the design. In order to meet the demand for water injection at any time, it is best to have a temperature-regulated storage tank that ensures full load water consumption.

4. The hierarchy is reasonable: for factory-based turtle farming, most pools are built with reinforced concrete structures, so the hierarchy must be reasonable during design and construction, especially since any industry will inevitably have the possibility of rise and fall and change of production in the future, even if If the industry remains unchanged, the structure will also improve with development. The structure of the turtle pond is difficult to be used for other purposes. It is a one-time terminal development project. Therefore, the design level must not only consider the lighting angle and temperature control and reasonable operation, but also consider the long-term and variability. Some In order to improve land utilization, the landowner built a three- or four-story turtle pond and made the greenhouse very high and large. Not only was it inconvenient to operate and manage, it was also difficult to control the water temperature between the upper and lower floors, and it was even more difficult to change its use. Therefore, the greenhouse was designed to be no more than 2 layers as well.

Based on the above requirements, single-layer and double-row turtle ponds are ideal. The advantages of this type of turtle pond are good light transmittance, low construction cost, few breeding diseases, high survival rate, and can be used all year round. , it is easy to dismantle once production is changed.

(2) Construction of intensive turtle cultivation ponds Intensive turtle cultivation ponds usually use cement structures. The area of ??a single pond is 100-200 square meters, rectangular, the depth of the pond is 1.2 meters, and the water depth is 1 meter. The slope of the pool is rectangular. The top of the slope is equipped with a defensive eaves. The bottom of the pool is equipped with a sand retaining wall. It is equipped with water injection and drainage facilities. There is a basking platform in the middle of the pool and a feed platform at one end of the pool.

Section 2 Seed Stocking

Regulations on Seed Stocking Density

According to different breeding methods and specifications, the stocking density can be formulated as:

1. Grow turtles directly from seedlings, with an average density of 15 turtles per square meter and a stocking density of 30 turtles per square meter in the early stage.

2. Cultivate turtle species from seedlings, with an average of 25 turtles per square meter, and the initial stocking density is 50 turtles per square meter.

3. From the cultivation of soft-shell turtles to adult soft-shell turtles, the intensive breeding rate is 5 turtles per square meter in cement ponds, and the intensive breeding rate in mud ponds is 1 turtle per square meter.

Selection of seed quality

The quality of cultured Chinese soft-shell turtle seed should be disease-free and injury-free, neat in size, strong in vitality, fresh in color, of good variety, and with a clear origin. . Do not raise overseas turtles that have not been quarantined by customs or whose origins are unknown.

Preparation before stocking

1. Pond cleaning and disinfection: Ponds must be carefully cleaned and disinfected before stocking. Generally, to disinfect the environment and ponds in factory-controlled greenhouses, the pond water can be disinfected first. Let it dry to dry the bottom of the pool, and then directly spray and disinfect with 400-500 times of Quadroxychloride 10 days before stocking. Outdoors, if the pond is a cement intensive pond, it can be disinfected by splashing strong hydantoin and water 10 days before stocking.

If it is an outdoor earthen pond, you can first drain the water at the bottom of the pond, then add 20-30kg of quicklime per acre and 15-20kg of sodium humate (black soil), and expose it to the sun until it dries (if it cannot be dried, it is okay).

2. Fertilizer pond water: Soft-shell turtle seedlings must be stocked in fertile water in the pond. The advantage is that it has a certain degree of fertilizer and green water quality, so that the seedlings will have a sense of security after being released into the pond. In particular, there is a certain amount of plankton in the fertilizer water for the seedlings to eat, which promotes growth. At the same time, cultivating a certain amount of biomass plays a positive role in controlling the number of pathogenic microorganisms. Therefore, soft-shell turtle fry should not be put into the pond before stocking.

Seed stocking

1. Disinfect the turtle body before stocking: Disinfection of the turtle body is a very important disease prevention measure. "Gold iodine" 30 can be used to disinfect the turtle body of the seedlings. -50ppm briefly soak before entering the pool.

2. Stocking: Turtles should be stocked in the pond immediately after disinfection. Avoid high-density stocking for a long time. When stocking, if the turtles are species, they can swim close to the water surface. If they are not eating, they can be allowed to swim. The fry can be picked up directly with your hands and scattered into the pond.

Feeding

(Nutrition and health care are the most important at this stage)

After placing the seedlings into the pond, feeding should be stopped for 1-2 days to prepare appropriate juvenile turtle feed.

Note:

1. The juvenile turtle feed at this stage should be supplemented with "turtle multi-dimensional" and "turtle minerals" for a long time (especially in factory farming).

2. The above-mentioned health supplements should be used continuously for 15-20 days, and then used every 15 days for 5-7 days. When the turtle is in the middle stage, it should be used for 3-5 days.

3. The juvenile turtle stage is just like the human infancy stage, which is the stage with the most careful care. The key to the success or failure of the entire breeding is this stage.

(1) Feed proportioning and production

1. Types of feed

(1) Machine-made compound feed: This kind of machine-made feed is produced by domestic and foreign manufacturers and labeled with nutritional content. Because its proportion is mainly high-protein fish meal, the crude protein content is higher. The advantages of machine-made feed are that the protein is relatively stable, finely produced, easy to store and transport, and the nutrition can basically meet the needs of growth at a certain stage. The disadvantages are that many additives are unclear, the vitamins are unstable, the salinity is slightly high, and it cannot meet the needs of special growth stages when used alone. For example, soft-shelled turtles in greenhouses have been exposed for a long time. Due to insufficient calcium and phosphorus and unstable vitamins, phenomena such as skirt curling, plastron sinking, carapace bending and mutual biting may occur. Therefore, when machine-made feed can be used as artificial compound feed, the basic feed addition ratio is 50%-80%, and health care agents and multi-dimensional minerals are regularly added to ensure uniform and complete nutrition and metabolic absorption.

(2) Live feed: Live animal feed includes animal offal separated from the meat processing plant, various seafood, freshwater fish and artificially cultivated mealworms, earthworms, large water fleas, mussels, and fly maggots , ants, pork, beef and fresh eggs, as long as they are fresh and non-toxic, can be used as feed for soft-shell turtles. The advantages of fresh animal feed are that it is palatable, easy to digest and absorb, and the active protein can promote gonad development and egg cell growth and development. Adding a certain proportion of fresh animal feed to soft-shell turtle feed that is mainly made from machine-made feed can reduce the salinity and concentration of certain harmful ingredients in the machine-made feed. The disadvantage is that it is not easy to preserve and easy to deteriorate, so it must be used immediately when used. Fresh animal feed can be purchased in urban and rural areas of my country, and the price is cheaper than machine-made feed. Therefore, the proportion of this type of feed in soft-shell turtle feed is very important, and the proportion is generally 10%-50%. Fresh plant feed includes pesticide-free farm vegetables, fresh aquatic and terrestrial forage and some fruits and vegetables. This lamp feed is not only rich in stable vitamins, but also has medicinal functions of resisting and preventing diseases. For example, when citrus juice is combined with other drugs during the onset of soft-shell turtle fry, its stable vitamin C content plays a very helpful role. In addition, long-term addition of appropriate amounts of apple or carrot juice to greenhouse soft-shell turtle fry can promote their growth. This type of feed is easy to purchase and can be grown where conditions permit. The mixing ratio is generally 5%-20%.

2. Added feed with minerals and trace elements: This type of added feed is essential for factory-scale turtle farming. Since the growing cycle has been shortened from 4-5 years in the wild to more than ten months, in addition to protein, the shortage of mineral trace elements has become inevitable.

3. Additives for disease-preventing drugs: Most of the disease-preventing drugs used in soft-shell turtle breeding are finely processed powders prepared from Chinese herbal medicines. This can play a role in promoting digestion and absorption, strengthening the body's constitution and improving the body's immunity in the prevention of soft-shell turtle disease.

However, disease prevention drug additives cannot be used for long-term use for disease prevention. Generally, it is best to use them twice a month for 5 days each time. The addition amount is 0.5%-1% of the feed ratio.

5. Feed production: The compounding and manufacturing of soft-shell turtle feed is not a simple mixing, but a scientific production based on the characteristics of various types of feed and the soft-shell turtle and palatability. Therefore, the author believes that the physical properties of turtle feed are better in the form of machine-made pellets and hand-made balls. The machine for making feed can be a conventional meat grinder or pellet machine. Before production, various types of feed can be pre-prepared or pre-mixed according to the required quantities. For example, fresh animal feeds are minced into fish paste or meat slurry, while fresh plant feeds are pre-pressed to remove residues, and some trace elements must be premixed with feeds first. Before pelleting, various feeds are mixed together and then thoroughly mixed to form granules and balls. The diameter can be determined according to the specifications of the soft-shell turtle. The feed needs to be cooked and fed immediately, and never feed every other meal.

(2) Feeding

1. Four principles of feeding

1) Qualitative quality: In addition to the nutritional needs of different growth stages, feed quality In addition to carrying out reasonable proportions, it is required to never feed spoiled feed. Therefore, the feed needs to be prepared freshly. In the reasonable proportion of feed at each stage, the types of feed raw materials should also be appropriately adjusted according to the situation at that time. For example, in the season when soft-shell turtle disease is prone to occur, some disease-preventing and disease-resistant "Changyanping", "Qingresan" and "Strengthenin" should be added to the fresh feed. And cooperate with water disinfection "strong hydantoin", "ammonium bromide", "gold iodine", "new chloride", "strong chlorine" and virus blockers. Increase the soft-shell turtle's body's disease resistance and prevent the occurrence of diseases.

2.) Fixed point: feeding at a fixed food table or food court, so that you can not only understand the eating situation, but also understand the growth of the soft-shell turtle, and it is also easy to clean and disinfect. In addition to the fixed water level of the outdoor intensive breeding pond food platform from the beginning of stocking, the indoor pond must be constantly adjusted according to the size of the soft-shelled turtles. For example, when the water level is 20 cm in the turtle fry stage, the food table is also parallel to the water level at 20 cm. When the soft-shell turtle fry reaches 50 grams, the water level should be raised to 30 cm or 40 cm. The food table should also be raised accordingly and cleaned frequently.

3.) Timing: The feeding time and frequency should be adjusted according to different seasons and specifications of soft-shell turtles. The adult soft-shell turtle breeding stage is three times a day, that is, the first time at 6 a.m. and the second time in the afternoon. 1 a.m., third time at 7 p.m. Timing should consider not only the feeding time of the soft-shelled turtle, but also the digestion and absorption time of the feed in the soft-shelled turtle's body. Keep the distance between meals neither too long nor too short.

4.) Quantitative: Although the feeding rate for each growth stage has been formulated, it is difficult to accurately measure the actual weight of the pond at that time in actual work, so the feeding amount should be before the meal. Based on the actual eating situation, it can be flexibly adjusted. The general adjustment range is about 5%.

2. Feeding method

1) Upper grid strip feeding method: This is a method of making feed into cylindrical strips and placing them on a special belt. How to feed on the food table of the fence. How to make the fence: take a wooden board with a thickness of 2 cm, a width of 25 cm, and a length according to the length of the feeding pool, and then drill 10 cm away from the long side along the length. A row of grid post holes with a spacing of 1 cm (generally suitable so that juvenile soft-shell turtles cannot crawl in). The grid posts can be nailed to the grid post holes using half the thickness of ordinary bamboo chopsticks and 15 cm long. After the material board is made, it is placed at an angle of 30° by the wall of the turtle pond, with 2 cm of water below the grid, and a row of cement tiles along the bottom of the Nanchang board for turtles to crawl and eat. The thickness of the feed strips depends on the size of the turtle. . Generally, the soft-shell turtle fry stage (3 grams) is 1-3 hundred meters in diameter, the soft-shell turtle stage (50 grams) is 3-5 centimeters in diameter, and the adult turtle stage (more than 200 grams) is 5-8 hundred meters in diameter. Can. When feeding, the feed strips are placed on the feed board. Later, according to the growth of the soft-shell turtle, some of the grid nails can be gradually removed to increase the grid spacing so that the soft-shell turtle can reach into its head and neck to eat. The advantage of this method is that the feed is eaten on the water. Because there are fences in Taichung, feed cannot fall into the water, and soft-shell turtles cannot easily climb onto the feed board and grab the spoiled feed. Because the feed strips are thick, even if there is a little humidity, the feed will not be mushy, and the soft-shell turtle will eat as much as it can when eating, and will not scatter the feed into the water, thus reducing waste and pollution to water quality. After 3 hours of feeding, it is easy to put away any remaining feed. The feed board can also be wiped clean with a rag, because the food intake can be controlled on the board, and it is easier to control the feeding amount.

Through experiments, feeding using this method can reduce the feed coefficient by 0.5-1, and the number of water changes is also reduced by about 1/3 compared with the method of spreading pellets on the feed table. It is currently a better feeding method on the water. . This method is also suitable for outdoor intensive ponds.

2) Feeding method under the cage: In some temperature-controlled greenhouses with poor thermal insulation performance, large spatial environment changes, and high humidity, feeding on the water table will not waste and can be eaten due to the above environmental changes. For good purposes, the following conditions must be met: ① The adhesiveness of the feed must be better than that fed on the water, and the blisters must not break up within 4 hours; ② There are good water adjustment facilities, and high-temperature water can be used for underwater temperature adjustment. For example, when the water temperature in the pool is lower than 29°C, it can be adjusted with 33°C warm water. Generally, this method consumes more water, and then uses a steam pipe to heat it directly underwater. It is also possible to use hot water pipes at the bottom of the pool to circulate hot water flow to increase the temperature; ③ There must be better oxygenation facilities; ④ Light energy can be used to cultivate organisms in the water, so that the water body has a better ecological environment; ⑤ There must be Scientific and reasonable feeding methods; ⑥ For example, in a lighting greenhouse, it is best to set up a small basking platform in the pool.

The following is an introduction to the specific method of feeding strips in underwater cages: First, make a good feed board. The feed board can be 3 cm thick, 12 cm wide, and the length can be customized according to the length of the pond where the bait is thrown. The method is the same as the fence shape on the water, but the cage shape must have fences on both sides to prevent soft-shell turtles from crawling into the feed board when eating. When placing bad feed, first place a row of cement tiles under the feed board. The tiles should be 15 cm away from the water. After the pads are placed, place the feed board flat on the cement tiles. After placing it, bricks can be used to secure the material board. Press down to prevent the feed board from flipping or deflecting. Before feeding, mix the feed with a considerable proportion of water using a mixer, and then use a feed machine to make strip feed with the same specifications as for feeding on the water. When feeding, just place the feed flat on the feed board. After about 3 hours of feeding, take out the feed board, collect the remaining bait, and clean the feed board. This method causes less pollution and less feed waste than spreading particles directly on flat cement tiles.

3) Feeding method for outdoor intensive ponds: The above method can also be used for outdoor intensive ponds, but the following conditions should also be met: First, build a rainproof awning on the material board; When feeding underwater, wild fish must be removed from the pond first. (1) Prevention methods of turtle disease

1. Controlling pathogens in the breeding environment

Pond cleaning and disinfection: Pond cleaning and disinfection is the basic work for controlling environmental pathogens. Especially for outdoor soft-shell turtle polyculture ponds and intensive turtle-culture ponds, pond cleaning is particularly important due to their high chances of exposure to external pathogens and their large area. Generally, quicklime can be used to clear the pond and bleaching powder can be used to clear the pond.

Environmental disinfection: Many pathogens enter the breeding water from the environment through some media. Such as rain, wind and dust, air flow, animal migration, etc. Therefore, environmental disinfection is also a necessary measure to control pathogens. Environmental disinfection can include "ammonium bromide", "strong hydantoin", "gold iodine", "strong chloride", etc. Use methods such as spraying and spreading.

Tool disinfection: Tools used in soft-shell turtle management are in direct contact with the cultured objects, so they are also one of the ways to transmit pathogens. Therefore, regular disinfection must be carried out. Disinfection can be carried out by spraying or soaking with "strong hydantoin" or "strong chloride" disinfectant. When the weather is fine, you can also expose it to the sun outdoors. It should be kept clean at ordinary times. Tool disinfection generally requires disinfection once every 2-3 days.

Pond water disinfection: During the breeding period, the pond water will become corrupted as the excrement of soft-shell turtles increases, causing a large number of pathogenic microorganisms to germinate. Ecological breeding microbial preparations (powerful new sanitizer) should be used to control bacteria. , coupled with the ion exchange preparation (Green Water Treasure) to achieve ecological balance of water quality to achieve superior water quality, maintain beneficial algae, perform photosynthesis, increase dissolved oxygen and inhibit disease bacteria. When the water quality deteriorates due to climate or special conditions, use high-efficiency disinfectants "Golden Iodine" and "Strong Methyl" 0.5-1ppM to reduce the bacterial content in the water.

Disinfection of the turtle body: During the stocking, separation, transportation and fishing of the turtle, it is inevitable that there will be operations and some pathogenic factors. When performing the above work, the disinfection of the turtle body must be done well. Disinfectants can be used to disinfect turtle bodies. When disinfecting, be sure to master the specific concentration and disinfection time.

2． Adjust the ecological environment

Maintain a good space environment: Since the turtles spend most of their time on the water, looking for food and basking in the water, pollution, enemies and disturbance in the space environment will affect the life of the turtles, causing disease. In addition to eliminating enemies in the space environment, the main thing is to keep quiet and avoid interference.

Generally, except for entering the breeding environment during management, do not move around casually. When patrolling the pond, do not use a flashlight to shine in the pond or on the balcony, because in summer, turtles not only bask on their backs during the day, but also enjoy the coolness on the balcony at night. Especially in spring and autumn when turtles are mating and laying eggs, there must be no alarm. It is best to eliminate harsh noises and heavily polluting gases in the space environment. Therefore, in addition to considering these factors when building a turtle farm, we should try not to build polluting factories near the turtle farm after the farm is built. In factory greenhouses, use daylighting as much as possible. A closed greenhouse relies entirely on lighting during operation, so do not use bulbs that are too bright when installing lights. Be gentle when operating, and do not affect the quiet environment of the entire greenhouse by operating one pool. Especially in large greenhouses where tens of thousands of turtles are raised, any kind of strong stress will cause adverse reactions to the turtles.