CATDOLL : CATDOLL: How many varieties of fortune turtles are there?

1. How many varieties of fortune-attracting turtles are there?

It is highly aquatic. In addition to laying eggs, it lives in water all year round. Therefore, its limbs are specialized into flippers like those of sea turtles, which is unique among freshwater turtles. Its nose is long and fleshy, shaped like a pig's nose, so it has the reputation of "lucky turtle". The length of the carapace of an adult turtle can generally reach 46-51cm, and the weight is generally 18-22kg. So far, the largest lucky turtle has a shell length of 56.3cm and weighs 22.5kg. The diet of wild lucky turtles is very diverse, such as small fish, shrimps, aquatic insects, aquatic plants, and fruits and branches and leaves that fall from trees into the water. It can be said that it eats almost everything. The lucky turtle is one of the most peculiar-looking freshwater turtles. The lucky turtle is one of the most peculiar-looking freshwater turtles. Its carapace is relatively round, dark gray, olive gray or brown-gray, with a row of white spots near the edge. The edge is slightly serrated, and because the outer edge bones are well developed and the structure is complete, there is no skirt like that of a turtle. There is no shield either, but instead a continuous and slightly wrinkled skin. There is a row of thorn-like ridges in the middle of the carapace. The plastron is light in color, white, milky white or light yellow, and slightly cross-shaped. The head is of moderate size and cannot be retracted into the shell. There is a gray stripe behind the eye. The nose is thick and fleshy, and very long, like a pig's nose. The limbs are specialized into fins to adapt to aquatic life, and they cannot be retracted into the shell. There are two obvious claws near the midpoint of each forelimb, which is also one of its characteristics. The tail is short, and the back is covered with a row of crescent-shaped scales, which gradually narrow from the base to the tip of the tail. There are obvious skin folds on both sides below the tail, extending from the thigh roots to the hind limbs.

The scientific name of the golden-line turtle is the grass turtle. Some people also call it the grass turtle, the black turtle, and the mud turtle. Wild grass turtles are mainly distributed in mainland China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and other places. Except for the Northeast, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Xinjiang and other places in mainland China, they have been found in other places. Wild grass turtles live in rivers, lakes, and ponds. Grass turtles are omnivorous animals, mainly small fish and shrimps (dried shrimps can be used), lean meat (Note: Do not eat fat meat, it is easy to get sick), small insects, rice, vegetables, fruits, turtle feed (eat less feed, which contains additives), etc. They are carnivorous when they are young, and vegetarian when they grow up. If your grass turtles have just arrived, they may not eat right away. This is normal, don't worry. As long as the water temperature in the tank is suitable, the grass turtles will naturally eat after they are familiar with the new environment. Compared with other pet turtles, grass turtles adapt to new environments relatively quickly.

What is a lucky turtle? You said that what you saw should be a Brazilian painted turtle, and some merchants also call it a golden coin turtle. In fact, the scientific name of the real golden coin turtle is the three-lined box turtle, which sells for 10,000 yuan per catty. The lucky turtle is a common name for the pig-nosed turtle. If you have a chance, go to Baidu Turtle Post Bar and you will learn more about it. The pig-nosed turtle is not a turtle, it is a tortoise. There are 266 species of turtles that I know of, and more than 50 species are often seen in the turtle pet market. Because of environmental problems, different turtles look different, such as: snake-necked turtles, mata turtles and alligator snapping turtles. There are some precious egg turtles, box turtles, tortoises, etc.

2. How to tell whether golden coin turtle eggs are fertilized?

The eggs with obvious white spots are fertilized eggs. If there are no white spots for 2-3 days, the possibility of fertilization is extremely low, and it is almost certain that they are not fertilized. There is a big difference between fertilized and unfertilized eggs, and the white spots are also very obvious. You can tell them apart at a glance.

3. What determines whether a turtle is female or male?

Incubation temperature

The shell on the belly looks different

temperature

Temperature, humidity, ventilation and shockproof are the four key factors for hatching turtle eggs, among which shockproof is a factor that has been neglected in the past. Automatic heating and temperature control device is used for hatching, and the temperature control accuracy is high. Reasonable control of artificial hatching factors can improve the hatching rate of turtle eggs.

At present, the main factor affecting the development of turtle breeding is not whether there is a market, but the shortage of seedlings that restricts production. In addition to the low reproductive capacity of some turtles, one of the ways to solve the problem is to expand production, improve breeding technology, and select temperature-controlled incubation methods. In the automatic temperature-controlled incubation of turtle eggs, key factors such as temperature, humidity, ventilation and shockproof should be reasonably controlled to improve the hatching rate. From 1997 to 1998, Suzhou Fisheries Research Institute used the "Automatic Heating and Temperature Control Device for Greenhouse Turtle Breeding" developed by the author to conduct temperature-controlled breeding experiments on yellow-margined box turtles. The device uses a single-phase power supply of 1 to 4kW, which is adjustable, to control the sand temperature at 28 to 32℃ and the humidity at 80% to 85%. It was used to hatch 1,079 turtle eggs, and 950 were hatched, with a hatching rate of 88%.

1. Incubation facilities

The hatchery is newly built or renovated from an old house. The area is generally 10 to 30 square meters and the height is 2.5 to 3 meters. The roof is sealed with foam board, and the four walls of the room are also preferably covered with foam board for heat preservation. A 40 to 60 cm wide walkway is set up in the middle or on one side of the room. Cement pools are built on the ground on both sides of the walkway, the bottom of the pool is smoothed, the pool is 20 cm deep, and the water storage is 10 cm. Before using the new cement pool, it should be soaked repeatedly in clean water to remove the alkalinity. It is best to lay a layer of sponge on the bottom of the pool so that the baby turtles will naturally fall into the water without being damaged when they hatch.

The hatching rack is made of angle iron or wood. There are multiple layers, with each layer about 20 cm high. The rack is about 1.5 meters high. It is not convenient to operate if it is too high. The hatching tray placed on the hatching rack is a plastic turnover box with a height of 8 to 10 cm. Dozens of holes are drilled on the bottom and around the box to facilitate ventilation. A simpler method is: do not use the hatching rack. Stack the hatching trays layer by layer, and place bricks on the four corners of the trays to separate the trays. Each layer is 10 cm apart. To keep the indoor air fresh, install a two-way ventilation fan on the north and south walls of the hatching room.

The automatic temperature control device consisting of "power supply DD temperature control DD capacity increase DD regulation DD heating" is used for incubation. When installing the temperature control device, pay attention to the uniform distribution of the heater. Keep a certain distance between the incubation rack and the heater. Generally, the heater is installed on the four walls, 70cm above the ground, and is used to heat the air during incubation.

2. Hatching of turtle eggs

One is the sand-laying incubation method: a 3cm thick layer of fine sand with a particle size of 0.6mm is laid in the incubation tray. A layer of turtle eggs is placed on it, and then a 2cm thick layer of fine sand is laid on it. The spacing between the turtle eggs is 1cm. Generally, about 100 turtle eggs are placed in each box.

The other is the sand-free incubation method: the incubation medium uses sponges and foam boards. First, a 2.5cm thick sponge is placed at the bottom of the incubation tray, and then a 1.5cm thick foam board is placed on it. There are holes with a diameter of about 2cm (depending on the size of the turtle eggs) every 2cm. The fertilized turtle eggs are placed with the animal pole facing up, and finally a 1cm thick thin sponge is placed. This sponge is required to be soaked in water and squeezed until it stops dripping. The moisture content of the upper and lower sponges is controlled to 45% and 80% respectively.

During the incubation process, the temperature is automatically increased by the "temperature control device" and the air temperature is controlled at 34°C and the sand temperature at 32°C. When the natural air temperature is higher than 37°C, the sand temperature is rarely higher than 33°C. Therefore, temperature-controlled incubation turtles do not require refrigeration. The relative humidity of the air can generally meet the requirement of 80% relative humidity through air heating and evaporation of water in the cement pool under the incubation rack.

Because the air circulation in the incubator is fast, the sand loses water quickly, so more attention should be paid to the replenishment of water in the sand. The interstitial humidity of the sand is mainly achieved by artificial spraying or watering, and the principle of watering is to spray water in small amounts and multiple times. In order to avoid excessive watering at one time, the sand humidity is too high, the ventilation conditions are restricted, and the normal development of the turtle embryo is affected. Especially in the late stage of embryonic development, attention should be paid to the stability of environmental ecological conditions. During the incubation process, the sand is sprayed with water regularly. The amount of water sprayed should be determined according to the dryness and humidity of the sand, and the humidity of the sand should be maintained at 10% (about 8% in the later stage). The spraying water must be clean. If the water is dirty, it is easy to cause the growth of mold and various other pathogens. When the surface of the turtle egg shell is found to be rough and sticky, and there are black spots on the egg shell, it means that there is contamination by miscellaneous bacteria. It should be removed in time to prevent the spread of pathogens. Eggs infected with pathogens basically cannot complete normal embryonic development.

3. Hatchlings hatch

Generally, they hatch naturally. When the embryo completes its development, it first uses its snout to break the eggshell, sticks out its head, and then uses its forelimbs to support its entire body and sheds its shell. Therefore, when the accumulated temperature reaches about 38°C, the hatchlings should be moved to the bottom layer, closer to the ground pool water, so that the newly hatched turtles can fall into the water. Or a plastic basin with water is placed under the hatching tray, and the hatchlings will naturally fall into the basin after they hatch. The hatchlings usually hatch around 3 to 9 o'clock in the evening and before or after dawn.

Another method is to artificially induce hatching. When the accumulated temperature reaches about 38°C and the hatchlings have not yet hatched, immerse the eggs of the same batch that are about to hatch in a water bath for 20 to 3 hours.

In warm water at 0℃, stimulate the young turtles to hatch after 10-15 minutes. If they have not hatched after 20 minutes, they should be put back to continue hatching. This method can make the young turtles hatch in a concentrated manner, which is convenient for management, but it may have an adverse effect on the acquired growth and development of the young turtles, so it is not recommended. In addition, there are cooling and shelling methods, air exposure methods and shelling methods (suitable for weak turtles). These methods have a common disadvantage, that is, they are very stimulating to the young turtles that can hatch normally, causing some young turtles that have not fully absorbed the yolk to hatch prematurely. After hatching, they cannot absorb the yolk substances normally and are susceptible to diseases, which can easily cause death. After the young turtles hatch, some of the umbilical cords have been rubbed off, while some have not fallen off, but the yolk takes 2-3 days to be absorbed. Newly hatched baby turtles stretch in the water for a few minutes. Their initial weight is generally 70% to 75% of the egg weight. When just hatched, turtles generally have a carapace length of more than 2.6 cm, a width of more than 2.2 cm, and weigh more than 3.5 g (most are between 2.8 and 6.1 g); the yellow-throated turtle weighs 6.5 to 9 g; the rainbow turtle has a carapace length of more than 3 cm and weighs 6 to 8 g.

4. Discussion

The length of time for turtle incubation is closely related to the type of turtle, the size of the eggs, the incubation temperature, humidity, etc. Generally, the accumulated temperature required for the incubation of turtles is about 38°C, but different scholars have obtained different results. Liu Guoan reported that the accumulated temperature calculated by the sum of the temperatures required from fertilized eggs to hatching is about 37°C, which is slightly higher than the accumulated temperature for the hatching of turtles (36°C); while Luo Jilun believes that the accumulated temperature required for the hatching of turtles is 38-41°C. Under the same conditions, the time required for the incubation of golden coin turtles is longer than that required for the hatching of turtles. The difference in accumulated temperature is related to external factors. The higher the incubation temperature, the less accumulated temperature is required, while the lower the temperature, the more accumulated temperature is required. Large temperature fluctuations require more accumulated temperature than small temperature fluctuations. At the same time, the incubation time is also related to the depth of the covering sand. Under the same conditions, the thicker the covering sand, the longer the incubation time, and vice versa. Yang Jianchun (1997) believes that this is related to the change in oxygen content. The thicker the sand, the less dissolved oxygen in the sand, the slower the growth and reproduction of cells, and the longer the incubation time. The required accumulated temperature for constant temperature and humidity can be further shortened. The longest incubation period for natural incubation is more than 80 days; for constant temperature incubation, most of them are about 50 days (temperature 32℃, humidity 85%), and the shortest incubation period does not exceed 40 days (temperature 33℃～34℃, humidity 90%). The temperature range for natural incubation of turtle eggs is 22～35℃, and the optimum temperature for incubation is 32℃±1℃. When the incubation temperature is 37℃±1℃, the embryo can only develop to the stage of optic vesicle formation and then die; when the temperature rises to 42℃, the embryo will be burned to death in 4 hours.

The incubation temperature determines the sex of turtles, and its mechanism needs further study. According to the research of Liang Qisang of Jinan University, when the incubation temperature of turtle eggs is 31℃, all the hatched individuals are female, while when the incubation temperature is 26℃, 90% of the hatched individuals are male. However, there are differences between turtles. For example, when the incubation temperature is above 30℃ and below 20℃, the hatched turtles are female, and when it is 22-28℃, the hatched turtles are male. Under the condition that there are enough male turtles in the turtle farm, raising the incubation temperature of turtle eggs and hatching more female individuals are beneficial to the expansion of the turtle farm and the sales of turtles. Female turtles are more popular with consumers because of their bright colors, fast growth rate, plump meat and no odor. In addition, the high incubation temperature and short incubation time allow the hatched turtles to have time to absorb enough nutrients to survive the cruel winter before wintering, thus improving the survival rate of turtles overwintering.

Temperature, humidity, ventilation and shockproof are the four key factors to improve the hatching rate of turtle eggs. Among them, the shockproof factor was easily overlooked in the past. In fact, the embryonic development of turtle eggs is in a highly sensitive period within 30 days after laying, and the embryonic development is not yet complete. Therefore, when introducing breeding eggs, it is especially important to pay attention to the gentle handling of the plane and avoid bumps as much as possible during transportation. Even when collecting turtle eggs in this field, attention should be paid to shockproof. The turtle eggs cannot be turned over at will during the incubation process. The hatching rate is relatively high when the animal pole is facing up. Do not turn them upside down easily. The sand should not be too fine, and it is recommended to place a layer of turtle eggs in each tray during sand incubation to ensure ventilation between the sand and maintain the turtle eggs' need for oxygen during the incubation process. The "Automatic Heating and Temperature Control Device for Raising Turtle Greenhouse" (Patent 95239104.X) is used for turtle egg incubation. The temperature control is highly accurate and the temperature difference is extremely small, only ±0.5℃. Control the sand temperature at 32℃, adjust the relative humidity of the air to 80%, the interstitial humidity of the sand to about 10%, and ventilate at appropriate times. The baby turtles will hatch in about 50 days. As long as the temperature, humidity, ventilation, shockproof and other factors are controlled reasonably, the hatching rate can reach more than 90%.