Soft-shell turtle, commonly known as turtle, is rich in a variety of collagen substances, high-quality protein and many minerals. It is a high-quality nourishing product and is very popular in the market.

With the promotion of the aquaculture industry, there are now many artificially bred soft-shelled turtles, and some people also keep them as pets.

But no matter how you breed, you need to master certain skills. Let’s learn how to raise soft-shell turtles together.

1. Selection of soft-shell turtle fry

Selecting good soft-shell turtle fry is the basis for ensuring high yield of soft-shell turtle. We can roughly select and identify soft-shell turtle fry from the following three aspects.

1. Body color: The abdomen of juvenile turtles is orange-red, the redder the better.

On the contrary, light red or yellow color indicates poor health.

2. Weight: Generally, the weight of high-quality soft-shell turtle fry is more than 3g. If it is less than 3g, it may be caused by malnutrition or poor physical fitness, so it is not recommended to choose.

3. Body posture: The skirts of good soft-shell turtle fry are thicker and straighter, while those that are soft and sagging indicate malnutrition.

2. Construction of soft-shell turtle ponds

Soft-shell turtles like a quiet, sunny and clean living environment, so these three basic requirements should be followed at all times when constructing soft-shell turtle ponds.

For pond conditions, it is generally recommended that the area be about 5 acres and the slope ratio be 1:2.

Clay or loam is the best soil for the pond. At the same time, a balcony and a feeding platform should be built next to the breeding pond to provide a place for soft-shell turtles to bask on their backs and eat food.

In addition, attention should be paid to the construction of certain anti-escape facilities. An anti-escape wall with a height of 1m can be built around the breeding pond with asbestos tiles and bricks.

The last step is to ensure that the pond water source environment is excellent and pollution-free. The pH value is between 7 and 8.5, the dissolved oxygen is above 5 mg/L, and the water temperature is maintained at around 30°C.

3. Stocking of turtle fry

It should be noted that the newly purchased turtle fry cannot be put into the breeding pond immediately. They must be temporarily cultured in cages for about 15 days. To observe the condition of the soft-shelled turtles, you can first place a part of the soft-shelled turtles in cages in the breeding pond for about 15 days. If the soft-shelled turtles do not show any discomfort or abnormality, they can be stocked on a large scale. The stocking density will depend on the size of the breeding pond and other factors. Depending on the factors, 100kg-150kg of 2-3-year-old juvenile turtles can be released per acre.

4. Feeding

In terms of feed selection, you can use field snails, small fish, shrimps, loaches, earthworms, insects, etc. in the fields. Becomes feed for turtles.

When feeding, it should be fed 2cm~3cm away from the water surface. This is because soft-shell turtles are timid, and keeping a certain distance can minimize interference to them.

It should be noted that when using fresh feed, it must be disinfected and cleaned, and it must be prepared and eaten immediately to avoid feed spoilage.