How to raise brocade turtles

There are many species of golden turtles, and some of the subspecies have red markings, which makes them look naive, so many people will breed golden turtles at home. So how to raise golden turtles?

Brocade turtles like ponds, swamps, streams and lakes, where the flow is slow, the bottom is covered with soft mud, and there are suitable backgrounds and rich aquatic plants. Golden turtles are diurnal and sleep at night on the bottom of the pool or on objects partially immersed in water. When the sun rises, they become active, bask in their backs for a few hours, and then hunt for food later in the morning. They may forage again in the evening.

Brocade turtles like to bask in their backs. As many as fifty golden turtles once gathered on a log on top of each other. Even young turtles are seen tanning their backs. It is of great significance to bask in the sun. Heat keeps the tortoise at a proper body temperature. Ultraviolet rays can remove parasites from the skin and are also an element in the synthesis of vitamin D3. The courtship style of the brocade tortoise is quite beautiful, taking place from March to mid-June. The male will slowly chase the female, overtake her, and then turn around to face her face to face. He would shake his long front claws and hit her on the head and neck. If the female tortoise accepts the male's courtship, she will respond by tapping his outstretched limb with her front paws. Then the male will swim away and try to lure the female to follow. Eventually, the female will sink to the bottom of the pool to mate.

Nesting takes place from May to mid-July. Female turtles will nest in sunny places near the water, requiring the soil to be slightly moist fertile soil or sandy soil, in the shape of a long-necked bottle. The number of eggs varied from 2 to 20, and there were differences among subspecies. Under natural conditions and artificial feeding, the average incubation period was 76 days.

The effect of hatching temperature on the sex of juvenile turtles is obvious in golden turtles. When the temperature is relatively high (87 °F, 30.5 °C), female turtles hatch in the eggs. When the temperature is low (77 °F, 25 °C), male turtles are produced. At the intermediate temperature of 84 °F (29 °C), both females and males hatched.

Young turtles break their eggs with the help of broken egg teeth. The broken egg teeth fall off within a few days after hatching. Young turtles have ridges on their back and wrinkles on their abdomen, all of which disappear when they grow up. The colors and markings on their carapace are brighter and more prominent than adult turtles. They mature within five years after hatching, and they are thought to live up to 20 years.

Young turtles in the wild may winter in their nests. These 2.5cm-long creatures can survive even if frozen. Adult turtles are also quite hardy. They have been seen swimming under the ice. Most golden turtles hibernate in the cold winter. They dig holes in the mud at the bottom of the pond, or look for burrows or other hideouts for muskrats. When they hibernate, their need for oxygen is greatly reduced. They can absorb oxygen from the water by relying on the skin, the inner wall of the throat and the thin-walled air bags in the anus, which is enough.

Due to the wide distribution of golden turtles, they are found in the coldest and warmest places in the United States in winter. The northernmost subspecies hibernates regularly and hibernates longer than the southern subspecies. The southern and western golden turtles, which live at the southern end of the distribution area, may not hibernate.

Brocade turtles are relatively easy to raise, and it is also relatively simple in family breeding. The way of raising them is similar to that of Brazilian turtles. If you are interested, you can try to raise one.