CATDOLL : CATDOLL: Is there any nutritional difference between wild and domesticated soft-shelled turtles?

1. Is there any nutritional difference between wild and domesticated soft-shelled turtles?

There is a difference. Wild ones have higher nutritional value.

Wild turtles contain a lot of protein and vitamins, which can enhance the body's resistance. Eating wild turtles can speed up the recovery of the weak, pregnant women and postoperative patients, and can also improve the body's resistance and make the body less likely to get sick.

How to distinguish between wild and farmed soft-shelled turtles

First, the back of the artificially raised turtle is rough and dull, and feels uneven and pierced by the hand, while the back of the wild turtle is very shiny and smooth to the touch.

Secondly, the color of artificially bred ones is mostly dark black, thick, and a lot of fat can be seen in the cut meat, while the back and bottom of the wild ones are mostly dark yellow. Look closely at the limbs, the skin is also light yellow. There is rarely any cut. There is a lot of fat.

Third, after being processed and cooked, the shells of artificially raised turtles are broken by teeth and the bones are very loose, while the shells of wild turtles are very hard, which is completely different from breeding

Fourth, due to the high value of wild soft-shelled turtles, the market demand is huge, and the captured soft-shelled turtles are often less than adults. Therefore, it is rare to see soft-shelled turtles weighing more than one kilogram in the market. If it exceeds this weight, consumers should be extra careful.

2. What can small soft-shelled turtles eat to survive?

Turtle is an omnivorous animal, which can be fed with both animal feed and plant feed. Animal feed includes small fish, shrimp, clam meat, snail meat, insects, earthworms, maggots, silkworm pupae, animal offal, etc. Plant feed includes soybean, corn, sorghum, barley, pumpkin, beet, etc. When breeding turtle, the water level should not be too deep, because too deep water level will increase the pressure on the turtle's lungs.



1. What can turtles eat to survive?

1. Soft-shelled turtle is an aquatic omnivorous animal that can be fed with both animal and plant feeds, but it mainly feeds with animal feeds.

2. The animal feeds that can be used to feed soft-shelled turtles mainly include: small fish, shrimps, clam meat, snail meat, grasshoppers, insects, frogs, earthworms, maggots, silkworm pupae and animal offal, etc.

3. The main plant-based feeds that can be used to feed soft-shelled turtles include: vegetables, fruits, grains, etc., such as wheat, soybeans, corn, sorghum, barley, carrots, pumpkin, beets, etc.

4. Soft-shelled turtles are aggressive and aggressive by nature. During the breeding process, they should generally be fed well, otherwise hungry soft-shelled turtles may cannibalize their own kind. It is best to feed them enough food each time so that they can finish eating within 1-1.5 hours after feeding.

2. Do turtles need to be kept in deep water?

1. When raising soft-shelled turtles, the water level should not be too deep, because soft-shelled turtles are animals that mainly rely on their lungs to breathe. Once the water level is too high, it will increase the pressure on the soft-shelled turtle's lungs, which is not conducive to the healthy growth of the soft-shelled turtle.

2. Generally speaking, if the turtle is raised in a greenhouse, the water level is controlled at about 30-50cm. If the turtle is raised in an outdoor pond, the water level is controlled at about 50-120cm. During the breeding process, as the size of the turtle increases, the water level will be gradually deepened, and the specific depth also needs to be adjusted according to the structure of the pond.

3. If it is a small turtle being farmed, the water level should generally be controlled at around 20-30cm.

4. If you raise soft-shell turtles in a fish tank, the water level should be deep enough to slightly cover the turtle's back.

5. When breeding soft-shelled turtles, you need to build an "island" in the breeding area for the soft-shelled turtles to rest and bask in the sun.

Soft-shelled turtles are aquatic omnivores. Juvenile turtles feed on aquatic insects, tadpoles, and shrimps. Adult turtles eat mollusks such as snails and clams, fish, and shrimps, as well as vegetable, fruit, and grain feeds. Of course, the soft-shelled turtles in professional farms today basically eat feed.

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Generally, there are not too many turtles raised at home, only one or two, so there is no need to buy special turtle feed. You can just buy some small fish and shrimps and some pork when you buy vegetables. You can also eat some vegetable leaves.

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Generally, feed it twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. The amount of food to feed depends on the size of the turtle. If you can't decide the amount, you can test it a few times to make sure it finishes eating. Gradually, you will master its appetite.

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When the temperature is below 15℃, the turtle basically enters hibernation, rarely moves, and does not eat. Just put it in a fish tank with a small amount of water.

The water quality for breeding turtles needs to be guaranteed. When the water quality deteriorates, the water needs to be changed. The food that the turtles have not finished eating needs to be cleaned up in time. The small turtles purchased need to be cleaned up. Because turtles are aggressive by nature, large and small turtles should not be raised together.

Add some diced meat and insects, then put them in the water with a big stone for them to climb on, and the stone should be submerged in water.

Just eat diced meat.

3. When raising giant soft-shelled turtles over the winter, should sand and water be mixed together or is there a specific ratio?

No, but you must keep it warm during hibernation, otherwise it will freeze to death. You can put cotton to let it hibernate, cover it completely, but put some water to keep it moist at all times, otherwise it will die of thirst, but it is very troublesome. It is recommended to put sand, which is not so troublesome. Just put some water when the sand is dry.

4. How to distinguish wild and farmed soft-shelled turtles

Wild turtles are left to fend for themselves due to the harsh growth environment, limited food and indiscriminate hunting and killing. Their weight gain is significantly slower and their growth period is longer, generally three to five times that of artificially bred turtles. However, wild turtles have a rich variety of food and have been consuming a variety of baits for a long time, accumulating a variety of minerals and trace elements. They are energetic, nutritious, and delicious. Artificially bred turtles are significantly different from wild turtles in the above aspects. Under artificially created conditions of simulated suitable temperature, humidity and light, they are overloaded with artificially formulated mixed baits. Some even use means such as adding special growth hormones to promote rapid fattening and weight gain of turtle seedlings in a short period of time, making them a group grown in a greenhouse. Their vitality, nutritional value and taste are far inferior to those of wild turtles.

Due to the above reasons, the number and supply of wild soft-shelled turtles are far less than those of farmed soft-shelled turtles, so the price is much higher than that of farmed soft-shelled turtles. At present, the price of wild soft-shelled turtles in the market is about twice that of farmed soft-shelled turtles. In recent years, the scale of major soft-shelled turtle breeding areas in southern my country has expanded rapidly, and the market resources in various places have been abundant, showing a situation of "more farmed soft-shelled turtles than wild soft-shelled turtles". In order to facilitate consumers to distinguish the identities of the two and avoid price fraud, the author visited some breeders, distributors and experienced consumers and summarized several simple and practical identification methods for reference.

1. From the appearance of the carapace. The carapace of wild turtles is smooth and flat, with thin and even skin, waxy luster, and the outline of the shell can be seen faintly. However, the carapace of domestic turtles is slightly thicker, with rough warts and dull texture, and it is difficult to see the outline of the shell on the toad skin.

2. Look at the color of the carapace. Wild turtles are gray-black, khaki, brown with black spots, etc., while domestic turtles are mostly black with green, yellow with green, green moss, etc.

3. From the perspective of body shape. Wild turtles have been foraging for food in the natural state for a long time, so they are strong, slightly flat, and have firm muscles. However, domestic turtles are bloated, thick and clumsy, and have loose muscles.

4. Press the plastron. The elasticity of the ventral cartilage of wild turtles is relatively high, and the rebound force is large when pressed with fingers. However, the elasticity of the ventral cartilage of domestic turtles is weak, and it feels soft and weak when pressed with fingers.

How to distinguish wild and imitation wild soft-shelled turtles? Don't worry, the breeding uncle will teach you how to distinguish