CATDOLL : CATDOLL: How to keep soft-shelled turtles at home?

1. The pool bottom should be flat and leak-proof, the water source should be sufficient, the water quality should be fresh and pollution-free, the water filling and drainage should be convenient, and it should be equipped with oxygenation, water intake and drainage equipment.

2. Before stocking the fingerlings in summer, feed some soft-shelled turtle bait appropriately. The bait types include fish meat, snail meat, animal viscera and scraps, etc. Check the feeding situation in time. The daily feeding amount accounts for 3% to 10% of the total weight of the soft-shelled turtle. After stocking the fingerlings in summer, feed the fingerlings according to the conventional method, and the soft-shelled turtle does not need to be fed specially.

3. For normal disease prevention and control of fish species, it is forbidden to use drugs that are expressly prohibited. The stocking rate of soft-shelled turtles is low, and diseases usually do not occur, so no special prevention and control is required.

4. Add water to the pond appropriately according to the fertility of the pond water, add 20-30cm of water each time, and apply 50-100kg/mu of decomposed manure every half month. At the same time, sprinkle the whole pond with 10g/m3 of quicklime water 1-2 times a month.

Additional information:

Living habits of turtles:

1. Turtles are amphibious animals that breathe with lungs. Turtles have no gills and use their lungs to breathe when crawling out of the water. They have a complete respiratory system including nostrils, trachea, bronchi and lungs. The lungs are large, foamy and spongy, and are very adapted to life in water. The mucous membrane of the pharyngeal wall of turtles is also covered with capillaries for gas exchange in water. As water flows in and out of the mouth, gas exchange in water can also be carried out.

2. In the water system of warm areas, the growth period of turtles is very long; in the northern region, when the north wind howls, the frost covers the ground, the grass withers and the reeds wither, and the water is cold, turtles hibernate in the mud and sand at the bottom of the water, not eating or moving. Turtles usually live on the mud and sand at the bottom of the water, with their heads and necks hidden in their bodies, and their eyes peeping at the underwater world. When fish and shrimps swim to their side, they suddenly stretch their necks to attack and bite them tightly.

3. The living habits of turtles can be summarized as "three likes and three fears", that is, they like quietness and fear being startled, they like sunshine and fear wind, and they like cleanliness and fear dirt. They react sensitively to the sounds of the surrounding environment. As long as there is a slight movement around them, turtles will quickly dive into the mud at the bottom of the water, so the environment of the turtle farm or turtle pond must be kept quiet. If turtles are often frightened, it will be very detrimental to their growth and reproduction.

References Sources:

Baidu Encyclopedia - Turtle

Baidu Encyclopedia - Complete Soft-shelled Turtle Farming Technology

. Things to know before raising:

Many people have experience raising turtles, but more than half of them either die halfway through raising them, or give them away or release them into the wild. This is bad for both the environment and the turtles, so I hope you will think twice before buying a turtle to raise. The following are some key points that I hope everyone will think carefully before buying a turtle, so as not to harm the turtle and fill the pockets of the merchant.

1. Assess your own financial capacity (turtles + equipment + feed + medicines).

2. Ask yourself how much you know about the turtle you want to keep (its habits, whether it is a protected species).

3. Is there enough space (the size of the turtle when it grows to its full size must be taken into account).

4. Do you have the determination, patience and care to raise them?

5. It is best to find at least one expert as a consultant.

How to buy:

If you decide to buy one or more red-eared sliders, the following characteristics should help you choose a red-eared slider or other painted turtle species:

1. Observe the turtle you want to buy carefully! Does it show natural movements to escape (as long as the basin allows it to escape)? When people approach the basin, does it try to dive away? Turtles that have difficulty swimming or diving, or have blocked nostrils or swollen eyes that cannot open are near the end of their life span, so don't buy them.

2. Most healthy tortoise shells are intact, which means that the shape of the shell is uniform and normal, with no missing links. If the shell feels "soft" when touched, it has rickets. Although this defect can be cured to a limited extent, the tortoise will have an uneven shell for life.

3. Ask the turtle seller to order some feed, and pay attention to which one or which ones eat first, which can also be used to judge their health. Be cautious with turtles that refuse to eat, because they are either sick or have not yet adapted to the new feed.

4. If you still like the turtle you have chosen, you should also consider that these cute little guys will not always be little guys. They will need a larger space in the future. If the conditions are good, they will grow very fast, and under your care, the length of the carapace will grow to 25 or 30 centimeters! A pair of grown red turtles need about 100 liters of water to swim, and the grown turtles will no longer look so cute. But in the eyes of people who really love to raise colored turtles, they will always be cute. "Weak shell syndrome" caused by calcium and vitamin deficiency can even cause a small concave pit when pressing on the carapace with your fingers. That is "rickets".

Maintaining water quality:

Although the red-eared slider is the easiest and least picky aquarium animal to keep, it has one drawback: they excrete too quickly and in large quantities, and the high temperature makes the remaining feed easily corrupt, so the water always stinks. Just two days after changing the water, it turned into a pool of turbid soup again, and even the red-eared slider was almost invisible. This is because of the reproduction of unicellular algae. The water is rich in nutrients and the temperature is appropriate, so the green algae reproduces very quickly.

Several experiments have tried to keep the water clear with chemicals, but the results have not been satisfactory. Although CHlNOSOL (one gram to thirty liters of water) can keep the water clear and not smelly for a week, the debris and rotten feces stirred up by the turtles make the water even dirtier. It is still unclear whether the long-term living of red-eared sliders in this water will harm E. coli, and it is also uncertain whether this water with chemicals will harm the internal organs of the animals, so it is best not to use chemicals.

The simplest way is to completely change the water. Drain, pump out, and pour out the old dirty water four hours after feeding. Then use a medium-hard brush and clean water to scrub the walls and bottom of the container. When cleaning, first put the red-eared slider in a plastic basin or on land near the pool (of course, a place where it cannot escape). After adding clean water of suitable temperature, put the turtle back into the water.

Some species of swamp turtles or water turtles are not very accustomed to the complete change of water, but the red-eared slider will soon get used to this practice and the disturbance it brings. There is still a disadvantage of completely changing the water. It will induce the painted turtle to excrete feces in the intestine faster, which will make the water just changed dirty again. Therefore, it is best to check the breeding box (pond) soon after the water is changed to remove the feces.

Lighting requirements:

Many turtles need to bask in the sun, just like the red-eared sliders released in some ponds, which are often seen stretching out their heads, feet and limbs in the hot sun, closing their eyes and looking leisurely. Basking in the sun can kill some bacteria on the turtle shell, prevent the shell from becoming soft and brittle, and keep warm. These functions mainly require ultraviolet rays, and the ultraviolet green in the sun is very important for turtles. Therefore, when you want to let the turtle enjoy the warm sunshine, don't just let it stay in the water, and try not to put it through the glass, because ultraviolet green is easily blocked. If you are afraid that it will dry out if you forget to take it back after too long, you can set up a semi-water place so that it can be fully exposed to the sun or soaked in the water. It is best to let it bask in the sun for one to two hours every day, and regularly brush the turtle's back with a soft toothbrush to remove parasites.

Feeding of young turtles:

Young red-eared sliders can be raised without difficulty in a flat-bottomed container. Plastic basins, plastic troughs or boxes, and aquariums are all suitable. The water should not be too deep. A commercially available flat shallow plastic trough with an island and a plastic coconut tree in the middle is the least suitable because (1) it is too small. (2) it is impossible to install an electric heater. (3) it misleads users into thinking that the island is a place for feeding. Because red-eared sliders eat entirely in water, the result may be that the island is piled with feed while the slider is starving.

An ideal enclosure has certain minimum requirements. Each hatchling should have five litres of water to move around in, and the water should not be deeper than the length of the turtle, so that the turtle can reach the ground with its feet when it comes to the surface to breathe. It is also necessary to build an island for them with bricks or stones. Floating islands are not suitable because the turtles often cannot climb up and the effort is wasted. On the other hand, care must be taken that the island and decorations do not become dangerous obstacles that could trap the turtles and cause them to drown.

The water temperature that the young turtles can adapt to is about 25 degrees Celsius. When it is cold, the air above the container should also be heated. Installing a cover lamp on the breeding box can achieve the best of both worlds. If the water temperature is still too low, you can add an electric heating tube to the water. If possible, the temperature should be adjustable. If you choose a high-energy (100 to 150 watt) electric heating tube now, it will be enough to cope with a larger tank when the red-eared slider is larger. The electric heating tube sold in aquarium stores should be placed under the water surface, and the installation should also be careful not to have the electric heater and power cord stuck to the red-eared slider.

It is especially important that the red-eared slider should have the opportunity to be directly exposed to sunlight. The breeding box can be placed on the balcony or windowsill. If this is not possible, the young turtles should be exposed to ultraviolet light once or twice a week for about three to five minutes each time. The ultraviolet light should not be too close to the red-eared slider to avoid damage caused by excessive light. It is still best to irradiate with sunlight, but you should pay attention to the glass of the container used not to filter out the necessary ultraviolet light. The young turtles can be kept on the balcony throughout the summer. To prevent them from being taken away by birds, you can cover the box with a net. You must prevent the red-eared slider from climbing out of the breeding box, otherwise you will find the "mummy" under the bed or in a corner one day. The lines of the electric heater may even be a bridge for the red-eared slider to "escape", because the red-eared slider is very good at "climbing".

If algae (moss) grows on the breeding box, it is fine, but the water in the box must not become smelly. The important thing is to change the water regularly, otherwise the baby turtles will live in a pool of strong smelly water due to high temperature, excrement and leftover feed in the water, which will promote the growth of bacteria, so the water should be changed at least once a week.

Feeding of adult turtles:

Adults need much larger enclosures to allow them to have enough room to move around. To create an ideal environment, a pair of grown red-eared sliders will need at least 100 liters of water to move around.

The size of the breeding box will cause the red-eared slider to quickly become obese and sluggish. If it falls into the water with its four legs facing up, it will not be able to turn over and will drown.

The size of the breeding container can also lead to cases of stunted shell development. A large plastic basin, an aquarium, or a large wooden container covered with plastic sheeting can all be used as a turtle tank. A tank with drainage holes is the most convenient because it is easy to change the water and clean frequently. If the cement tank is newly made, for the sake of caution, it can be coated with safe paint or thoroughly cleaned several times to prevent harmful substances from seeping out of the cement and dissolving in water and entering the animal's body. A fixed (non-floating) "island" must be set up in the tank. It can also be suspended, and it must be easy for the turtle to climb up. Wood or plastic boards can be used, covered with artificial turf or palm mats. Or a plastic basin filled with stones or sand can be placed or hung in the tank as "land".

The land or island part of the tank can be filled with soil, peat or sand. Keep this part warm every few days. The eggs laid by the female turtle in this soil have the best chance of hatching. It is better to illuminate this land (in cold weather). It is best not to use sand or stones to fill the bottom of the tank, because it will increase the difficulty of changing water and cleaning. In addition to changing the water frequently (daily if necessary), adding filtering equipment can remove suspended matter in the water. Because substances dissolved in water have a great impact on the health of turtles, filtering equipment cannot completely replace changing water.

In order to make the water temperature in the breeding tank reach the temperature that the red-eared slider likes, the electric heating tube used in the aquarium is used. When installing, it is necessary to prevent the equipment and lines from getting stuck on the red-eared slider. It is also possible to place an electric blanket on the bottom outside the breeding box, and a synthetic resin rubber can be placed under the electric blanket as an insulating material. However, the water temperature should not be higher than the outside temperature (about 25 to 30 degrees Celsius) to prevent the red-eared slider from catching a cold. Painted turtles also need a warm place on land, because they are cold-blooded animals and need sunlight to reach the appropriate body temperature. If there is not enough sunlight on the balcony or in the open air, the land part must be heated with a cover lamp. Painted turtles raised indoors or in places with insufficient sunlight lack ultraviolet rays and should be irradiated with ultraviolet lamps two or three times a week for five minutes each time. This type of lamp is best installed on the lid of the breeding tank.

Diet: What do turtles eat? Many people buy "special turtle food" recommended by unscrupulous pet sellers, only to find out that the turtles don't like it or even don't eat it at all. In fact, those so-called "turtle food" are basically scams. Unscrupulous merchants only care about making money and don't care about the life or death of the weak turtles they just bought. They sell you garbage that turtles don't eat at all. They just want you to kill the turtle so that you can buy another one. So when buying a turtle, don't buy the so-called "turtle food" recommended by unscrupulous merchants. I won't be responsible if it dies! The Sissipe red-eared slider mainly eats meat, small fish, shrimp, loach, earthworms, insects, etc. I often give it killed flies as snacks. The eating ability of newly bought turtles is generally weak, and they cannot prey on live food, so you need to feed them a little bit at this time. Be very patient when feeding them. Cut the fresh meat into mung bean sizes, hold it with tweezers and slowly extend it to the nose of the turtle. It will smell it carefully before eating. Sometimes the reaction is very slow, so don't be anxious. Try a few more times and practice makes perfect. Generally, you can feed it as much meat as a cigarette butt at a time. When it is young, you need to feed it three or four times a week to allow it to adapt to the environment quickly. The turtle will be big, because it will hibernate if it is hungry for a long time. If it is too small, it will not wake up after hibernation. So you need to feed it more to prevent it from hibernating. When it grows bigger than a matchbox, it will usually eat by itself. At this time, you can put some very small fish and shrimp in the water for it to practice hunting. Don't put too much, otherwise it will bite a lot but not eat, so the water will stink in just one day. The same is true for feeding meat. Don't waste it, and don't feed it as much as it can eat, otherwise it will be bloated. My turtle used to be so bloated that its head and limbs could not be retracted. It was very funny. There were several times when it even vomited. It can be seen how useless turtles are! Feeding too much will also make the turtle grow too fast. When it grows up, it will not be fun and cute at all, unless you are raising it to eat, haha! A friend of mine bought a turtle together with me, but he fed it too much, and in less than two years it grew to the size of a bowl. The patterns on its body disappeared, and it became ugly and gray. It also made wheezing sounds like a dinosaur. When it was that big, it could eat a basin of loaches in a week, which shows how terrifying it is. So you only need to feed it once a week after it grows up. It's best to feed it some small fish, which can supplement its calcium and make its shell grow harder.

Daily life: Turtles will encounter some special physiological phenomena during their growth, which can have a great impact if not handled properly. The one that impressed me the most is shedding.

Turtles and snakes are close relatives, so they also shed their skins, but unlike snakes, turtles also shed their scales!! My turtle shed its skin when it was about four years old. There were no digital cameras at that time, so I didn’t record this weird appearance. What I want to warn everyone here is that you should not help the turtle during the molting process. It will handle it by itself. I didn’t know how to "help" it and caused it lifelong damage. I apologize to the poor turtle here. The following will carefully introduce what it looks like when a turtle sheds its skin. If your turtle has reached the age of shedding, then congratulations, this shows that the way you raised the turtle before was correct, otherwise it would not live to this day, haha!

Molting: The scales of a turtle will peel off first, just like fish scales sticking on it. Be careful! Never help it peel off those scales! ! The melon will fall off naturally when it is ripe. My turtle was injured because I helped it peel off some scales that seemed to be about to fall off. It took one or two years to grow back. After it grew back, there would be scars there, and there would be no beautiful patterns. If it is not properly infected with bacteria, the shell will rot and it will die directly. When it molts, its old skin will also fall off, just like a snake molts, but it will not be replaced with a new one all at once, but it will hang on it like wearing a wedding dress, which is quite interesting. Of course, don't help it tear it down, the reason is the same as above, so when the turtle molts, what you need to do is to keep the fish tank clean and change the water frequently. Molting is a sign that the turtle has grown up. The color and pattern of the turtle after molting will become worse, which is different from the ugly duckling.

Cleaning: The turtle's nest needs to be cleaned frequently, because not only will algae grow in the water, but turtles will also poop. Not only do you need to change the water, but you also need to bathe the turtle, otherwise sticky moss will grow on the turtle's shell. Because the shell of this turtle is difficult to harden, it needs regular maintenance so that it will not rot and fall off due to being too dirty. How to bathe it? Just use a small brush with not too hard bristles and dip it in clean water to clean both sides of the turtle's shell. It is best to use an old toothbrush. The work is very simple, but it will scare the timid turtle so much that its head, limbs and tail will shrink tightly. Be careful not to brush the head when brushing, because the bristles may hurt the turtle's eyes and nostrils.

If you are lucky, filamentous green algae will grow on the turtle's carapace, and it will become a green-haired turtle. My turtle looked like this one summer. Later, when I fed it meat, a lot of fat got on the green hair, which was difficult to clean, so I brushed off all the green hair.

Disease prevention and treatment: Many turtles die of diseases. Some diseases are visible, such as skin ulcers, shell rot, and eye diseases. Some diseases are difficult to detect, such as digestive system diseases and parasites. Because turtles are relatively small, once they get sick, they are difficult or impossible to treat, so we can only focus on prevention. First of all, you must keep the fish tank clean. Don't change the water when it becomes smelly. If there is too much moss on the turtle's shell, you must brush it clean. Put the turtle in the sun often. The food you feed must be fresh and clean. The loach, small fish, and earthworms you buy must be washed clean. It is best to keep them for a few days to drain the dirt in the body before feeding them.

The diseases that can be treated are mainly skin ulcers, shell rot, and eye diseases. Once discovered, you can bathe the turtle with potassium permanganate solution. Be careful not to make the solution too concentrated, and be careful not to let the turtle drink it. Milder cases should be able to be cured, but if it is serious, it depends on luck.

Turtles are omnivorous animals, feeding on insects, worms, small fish, shrimps, snails, clams, tender leaves, duckweed, melon rinds, wheat grains, rice grains, weed seeds, etc. They have a strong ability to withstand hunger and will not starve to death even if they do not eat for several months.

Types of turtle feed

1. Animal feed. Including all kinds of freshwater and marine fish, mollusks, large eggs, aquatic insects, meat and offal of all kinds of poultry, livestock and wild animals, silkworm pupae, etc.

2. Plant feed. It includes corn, wheat, soybeans, millet, rice, various cakes, fruits, vegetables, aquatic plants, etc.

3. Feed additives. They include bone meal, calcium powder, salt, high-efficiency fast-growing additives in minerals, multivitamins, cod liver oil, malt, etc. in vitamins, oxytetracycline, sulfonamides, etc. in streptomycin, dry yeast, motherwort, koji, etc. in stomachic drugs.

There are actually many types of red-eared turtles in China.

But most of the turtles we raise on a daily basis are red-gilled painted turtles or yellow-gilled painted turtles, which are semi-aquatic turtles.

Usually carnivorous, such as small fish, shrimps or lean pork and beef. The turtle is strongly dependent on water when it is young, and needs to live in water for more than 2/3 of the time. As it grows older, its dependence on water gradually decreases, but it still needs to live in a humid area near a water source. Because the red-eared slider is a tropical turtle, in addition to paying attention to water quality and food, it is also necessary to control the water temperature in daily feeding. Deterioration of water quality is one of the main causes of death of red-eared sliders. The container for raising red-eared sliders should not be too small. A small piece of foam plastic can be placed in the water for the turtle to climb and rest. Keep changing water every day (except for those raised in fish tanks with filtration systems). The water temperature should be kept above 25C°. The replaced water must be dechlorinated to ensure water quality. In spring and autumn, the turtle can be properly exposed to the sun every morning and evening to enhance the turtle's physique, but avoid exposure to the sun in summer.

Nowadays, many people like to raise cute red-eared sliders, especially those with students in their families. Under the comparison of their classmates, they may bring a little turtle into their home one day. Although red-eared sliders are relatively easy to raise, there is a disadvantage: they eat a lot, excrete quickly and a lot, and the indoor temperature is high, and the remaining feed and feces are easily corrupted when mixed together, so the water always stinks. Just two days after changing the water, it turned into a pool of muddy soup again, and even the red-eared sliders were almost invisible. If there is sufficient light, green algae will also breed. In particular, some people use relatively small glass tanks or washbasins to raise them. If you don’t pay attention, it will be even more smelly, which is annoying and unhealthy for people and turtles.

The easiest way to solve this problem is to completely change the water. Generally, all dirty water should be replaced four hours after feeding. When changing the water, first take the turtle out and put it in a bucket. At the same time, it is best to use a brush to scrub the walls and bottom of the container, then inject clean water of suitable temperature and put the turtle back into the water. It should be noted that not all types of swamp turtles or water turtles can adapt to completely changing the water, but the red-eared slider will quickly get used to this practice and the disturbance it brings to it. After completely changing the water, it is possible to induce the red-eared slider to accelerate the excretion of feces in the intestines, and make the water that has just been changed dirty again. So if necessary, it is best to change the water for the red-eared slider again before going to bed at night. Although this feels a bit troublesome, it can be guaranteed.

Young red-eared sliders can be raised without difficulty in a flat-bottomed container. Plastic basins, plastic troughs or boxes, and aquariums are all suitable. The water should not be too deep. A commercially available flat shallow plastic trough with an island and a plastic coconut tree in the middle is the least suitable because (1) it is too small. (2) it cannot be equipped with an electric heater. (3) it misleads users into thinking that the island is a feeding place. Because the red-eared slider eats completely in the water, the result may be that the island is piled with feed, while the slider is starving.

An ideal enclosure has certain minimum requirements. Each hatchling should have five litres of water to move around in, and the water should not be deeper than the length of the turtle, so that the turtle can reach the ground with its feet when it comes to the surface to breathe. It is also necessary to build an island for them with bricks or stones. Floating islands are not suitable because the turtles often cannot climb up and the effort is wasted. On the other hand, care must be taken that the island and decorations do not become dangerous obstacles that could trap the turtles and cause them to drown.

The water temperature that the young turtles can adapt to is about 25 degrees Celsius. When it is cold, the air above the container should also be heated. Installing a cover lamp on the breeding box can achieve the best of both worlds. If the water temperature is still too low, you can add an electric heating tube to the water. If possible, the temperature should be adjustable. If you buy a high-energy (100 to 150 watt) electric heating tube now, it will be enough to cope with a larger tank when the red-eared slider is larger. The electric heating tube sold in aquarium stores should be placed under the water surface, and the installation should also be careful not to have the electric heater and power cord get stuck on the red-eared slider.

It is especially important that the red-eared slider should have the opportunity to be directly exposed to sunlight. The breeding box can be placed on the balcony or windowsill. If this is not possible, the young turtles should be exposed to ultraviolet light once or twice a week for about three to five minutes each time. The ultraviolet light should not be too close to the red-eared slider to avoid damage caused by excessive light. It is still best to irradiate with sunlight, but you should pay attention to the glass of the container used not to filter out the necessary ultraviolet rays. The young turtles can be kept on the balcony throughout the summer. To prevent them from being taken away by birds, you can cover the box with a net. It is absolutely necessary to prevent the red-eared slider from climbing out of the breeding box, otherwise you will find the "mummy" under the bed or in a corner one day. The lines of the electric heater may even be a bridge for the red-eared slider to escape, because the red-eared slider is very good at climbing.

If algae (moss) grows on the breeding box, it is fine, but the water in the box must not become smelly. The important thing is to change the water regularly, otherwise the baby turtles will live in a pool of strong smelly water due to high temperature, excrement and leftover feed in the water, which will promote the growth of bacteria, so the water should be changed at least once a week.

A warning to websites and individuals who plagiarize articles and pictures from the Pet World website: you will bear legal responsibility!

Turtle's Choice

When selecting a turtle, you can examine its appearance, activities, and physique.

1. Appearance: Female red-eared sliders reach sexual maturity when they weigh 1,000 grams, and male red-eared sliders reach 250 grams or more. They have a neat appearance, with no damage to the carapace and plastron, and no water mold on the skin. The eyes are bulging, but not red or swollen.

2. A healthy and active turtle crawling on the shore will immediately jump into the water or run away when disturbed, sink into the water or swim in the water. On the contrary, a turtle that is slow to react after being disturbed, does not run away, and floats on the water after entering the water should not be selected.

3. A strong turtle is large, eats actively, and has plump limbs. When crawling, the limbs support the turtle, and the plastron is suspended in the air, rather than flat on the ground. Pull the turtle's legs with your hands, and you will feel that the turtle's legs are strong and retracted inward.

Feeding

Although red-eared sliders are omnivorous, they prefer animal feed. Under artificial breeding conditions, they mainly feed on animal viscera, maggots, and mealworms, such as poultry and pigs. They should be properly matched with fruits, vegetables, and mixed feed to enhance the nutrients in their bodies. In spring and autumn, vitamin E powder and antibiotics should be added to increase the number of eggs carried by the turtles and enhance their physical fitness. Daily feeding should be done at regular times, fixed locations, and with regular quality.

(1) The feeding time is fixed, generally 10-14 o'clock in spring and autumn, and 7-9 o'clock or 18-19 o'clock in summer. When the temperature is too high or too low, the turtle will eat less or not eat at all.

(2) The feeding location should be fixed so that it is easy to observe the turtles' eating and activities. After feeding, healthy turtles can crawl to the feeding table to find food. Turtles that are slow to react or do not eat should be carefully observed, and those with serious problems should be kept separately.

(3) The quality feed must be fresh and odorless. The leftovers should be washed first, and then the excess tendons, skin, etc. should be removed to avoid indigestion.

Water Quality Management

Red-eared turtles spend most of their time in water and prefer clear water. Therefore, the quality of water is very important. Change the water every 10-15 days in summer. If the water color is brown-green or blue-green, it means that the water quality is too "rich" and all the water should be changed in time. From June to September, due to the high temperature, it is advisable to change the water 3-4 hours after feeding. In winter, the turtles can change the water less or not during hibernation.

Winter management

Before hibernation, when the water temperature reaches 22°C, antibiotics should be mixed into the feed to enhance the turtle's disease resistance. When the water temperature drops to 14°C, the turtle's activity decreases, most turtles sink to the bottom of the water, stop eating, and a few turtles only eat a small amount. At this time, the pool needs to be thoroughly cleaned and the turtles should be checked. The inspection content includes skin, head, feces, and parasites. Unhealthy turtles cannot hibernate, and should be selected and raised separately, and the water temperature should be raised to above 20°C to make the turtles eat, and appropriate treatment measures should be taken at the same time. During hibernation, if the water temperature occasionally rises above 18°C, do not feed them to prevent the temperature from dropping at night and causing indigestion and other diseases. During hibernation, some abnormal turtles such as floating on the water surface and weak limbs should be fished out in time and isolated for feeding. After hibernation, as the temperature rises, the water temperature reaches about 16°C, and the turtles have a small amount of activity, and some turtles can already find food. At this time, do not rush to feed them. You should wait until the temperature difference between day and night does not exceed about 6°C before feeding. Before the first feeding, the water needs to be fully changed and disinfected.

Don’t eat!

In recent years, the red-eared slider is the main breeding species in many provinces (regions) in South China. For example, many farmers in Hunan, Hainan, Guangxi, Fujian and our province have practiced large-scale breeding of red-eared slider. At present, the market space for red-eared slider is still very broad, but like breeding other turtle species, the market risk of red-eared slider still exists. The author believes that winning in quantity and quality is the key to success. In order to help friends who raise turtles understand and raise red-eared sliders well, this article introduces the breeding of red-eared slider from three aspects: living habits, advantages of artificial breeding, and disease prevention and control.

1. Living habits

The red-eared slider is active, likes to live in water, is not afraid of people, and has a strong adaptability to the environment. The water temperature suitable for growth is 20-32℃, and the optimal water temperature for growth is between 25-30℃. When it is below 20℃, it eats less and is less active; when it is below 15℃, it basically stops eating; when it is below 10℃, its activity is significantly reduced and it is in a semi-dormant state. The red-eared slider is an omnivorous turtle. When it is artificially bred, it mainly feeds on meat, especially in the juvenile and young turtle stages, where small fish, shrimp, animal lean meat, etc. are the main food. In the adult turtle stage, it can also eat plant feed (banana, fruit, etc.) and worker compound feed. The red-eared slider has a large appetite and grows faster than the tortoise. Generally, the young turtles hatched in July-September can reach an average of 25-40 grams before the winter of the year under normal temperature, sufficient food and normal breeding conditions. The turtles can grow into turtles of more than 200 grams in the next year, and generally reach the commercial turtle specifications of more than 400 grams in the third year. However, the growth rate of male and female red-eared sliders is inconsistent, and the latter is significantly faster than the former.

2. Advantages of artificial breeding

1. Highly ornamental: The red-eared slider is very brightly colored, with conspicuous red spots on the eardrums behind its eyes. It is an excellent variety that is almost indispensable in the current pet ornamental fish market.

2. It is easier to breed and grows faster. It has strong adaptability to the environment and is easy to raise artificially, but its market price is lower than other turtles. Compared with the same-sized red-eared slider, tortoise, yellow-throated terrapin, and alligator snapping turtle, the red-eared slider is cheaper and is almost a popular commodity, which is more easily accepted by market consumers.

3. Market development space is not yet saturated. Although the red-eared slider is the largest breed currently, with an annual output of more than 10,000 tons of commercial turtles and an output value of 400 million yuan, the turtle seedlings are mainly imported. The supply of turtle seedlings after the introduction of the species in China is in short supply, and there is a large gap. With the upsurge of turtle breeding, the situation of turtle seedlings in short supply is bound to intensify.

In addition, the turtle has both edible and medicinal value.

3. Disease prevention and control

Judging from current breeding practices, red-eared sliders have strong disease resistance. As long as early introduction and disease prevention measures are carried out, a reasonable breeding model is adopted, and sick turtles are isolated and treated in a timely manner, better breeding benefits can be obtained.

1. Prevention of turtle diseases is generally related to the environment, the turtle itself, feed, and pathogens. Maintaining a good turtle-raising environment, such as water quality that meets breeding requirements, quiet surroundings, and a reasonable and scientific turtle habitat, can reduce the occurrence of turtle diseases. Similarly, when introducing species, purchase them from nearby, avoid long-distance transportation, avoid purchasing from the market or from farms that are not familiar with the current breeding situation, ensure that the turtle species are healthy and free of defects, and that the feed meets the turtle's growth needs, is fresh, comprehensive, and nutritious. Cutting off the path for pathogens to spread to healthy turtles, etc., can all play a certain preventive role.

2. Treatment

(1) White eye disease

Cause: Due to the high density during artificial breeding, turtle trauma or water quality deterioration, red-eared sliders are more susceptible to white eye disease in their juvenile and young stages.

Symptoms: The eyes of the infected turtles become inflamed and congested, gradually turning gray and swollen, the cornea and surrounding areas are eroded due to inflammation, and the outside of the eyeball is covered with a layer of white secretions. After the disease occurs, the turtles often rub their eyes with their forelimbs and cannot eat. In severe cases, they become blind, have difficulty breathing, and die of emaciated body.

Prevention and control methods: Strengthen feeding management and focus on disinfection. Strictly disinfect turtles, water bodies, and feeding utensils; strengthen the nutritional content of turtle feed to enhance the disease resistance of turtles. Soak sick turtles in 40ppm erythromycin solution for 60 minutes; apply chlortetracycline eye ointment to the eyes of sick turtles.

(2) Gastroenteritis

Cause: Most of the time, turtles become sick because of spoiled feed or contamination of eating utensils and water with bacteria such as E. coli.

Symptoms: The sick turtle has dull and lifeless eyes, is emaciated, does not like to crawl, likes to drink water, has diarrhea, and has snot-like feces. This disease often occurs in spring, summer, and autumn, and is more prevalent in the hot summer season.

Prevention and control methods: Improve water quality, keep water fresh, feed fresh feed, and strictly disinfect feeding utensils. Soak the sick turtle in 30ppm erythromycin solution for 60 minutes, then mix an appropriate amount of oxytetracycline into the feed and feed it to the sick turtle.

(3) Shell rot

Cause: After the shell is damaged, bacteria invade the wound and cause the shell to rot.

Symptoms: The surface shell rots, or holes are formed and muscles are even visible, the fish does not eat and moves less.

Prevention and control methods: Soak the sick turtle in 40ppm potassium permanganate solution for 15 minutes, then gently apply a small amount of potassium permanganate crystalline powder to the lesion area of ​​the sick turtle.

(4) Winter mortality

Cause: Most turtles die due to lack of nutrition before wintering and weak constitution, which makes them unable to resist the long-term cold invasion. A small number of turtles die after giving birth or turtles with chronic diseases due to wintering.

Symptoms: Before wintering, the turtle becomes thin, its muscles become shrunken, and it feels very light when you pick it up. It often floats on the surface of the water without moving.

Prevention and control methods: In the southern region, starting from July to August every year, especially after the parent turtles stop laying eggs, gradually increase the feeding of concentrated feed such as meat, add appropriate trace elements, so that the turtles can recover and store enough nutrition for the winter. Sick turtles should be cured as soon as possible; young turtles should take certain insulation measures to survive the winter.

(5) Internal and external parasites

Cause: It is mostly due to long-term living in water, which leads to ticks, fleas, trypanosomes, etc. parasitizing on the turtle's body surface or internal organs.

Symptoms: There are worms on the turtle's body and it is emaciated.

Prevention and control methods: Immediately remove the parasites on the body and soak them in copper sulfate solution (0.5 mg/L) for 30 minutes. Feed them with intestinal worm medicine once every six months.

4. Prevention of Enemies

Red-eared sliders are more vulnerable to attacks by snakes, rats, cats, etc. during their juvenile and young stages, so it is advisable to use facilities to protect them from predators. In pond farming, pay attention to the species and size of the fish species to avoid endangering the safety of the turtles.

Adult turtles have a wide range of diets, including small fish, shrimps, snails, mussel meat, vegetables, rice and wheat. Generally, they start eating when the water temperature rises above 15 degrees. June to September is the peak feeding period, and the food intake begins to decrease in November. When the water temperature drops below 15 degrees, they enter hibernation. The temperature is lower in spring and autumn, so the feeding time is 8-9 am. During midsummer, turtles are active in the morning and evening, so feeding should be done at 4-5 pm. Turtles swallow food in edema. The amount of food swallowed by turtles is about 4% of their body weight. They are fed every other day, and the leftovers should be cleaned up in time after feeding to prevent pollution and harm. The water should be changed frequently to keep the water fresh. The growth of turtles is related to the quality of feeding. Generally, they are often fed animal baits, and their weight can increase by about 50 grams per month.

The main enemies of turtles are snakes, water rats, weasels, wild cats, etc. In summer, turtles often move at night, and water rats and weasels also come and go at night. Although turtles are protected by hard shells, they are still easily attacked by enemies.

Can eat! Can keep alive! My baby turtle is already over 5 years old!

If you want to raise one, you must do your homework, find more information on it, and be responsible for it, because it is also a life.

If you only keep one, there will be no problem. It is very easy to keep. How big is your baby turtle? If it is a very small baby, feed it with fresh river shrimp, river fish, pig liver, wash and crush it for him to eat, feed it once or twice a day. He also likes to eat watermelon and pear melon. Put some water spinach in his water, he will eat it, and he can hide under the vegetables, and feel safe, because he is timid and afraid of people.

Every baby has a different personality. If he is afraid of you, don't observe him eating.

Soft-shelled turtles generally live in oceans or lakes. When raising them at home, it is recommended to use natural water such as river water and lake water.

When raising soft-shelled turtles at home, you need to prepare a large tank for it, preferably a rectangular glass fish tank or a large storage box. The healthy growth of soft-shelled turtles requires sufficient sunlight. It is recommended to place the fish tank on a south-facing balcony and lay a layer of expanded clay, pebbles, etc. on the bottom of the tank.

If you choose tap water at home, you need to let it sit for 2 days to remove the chlorine.

Every time you change the water for your turtle, be sure to only change 1/2 of the water, and the frequency should be once every 2-3 days.