Do reptile turtles hibernate? How can I survive safely in winter?

Tortoise, also known as grass turtle, is a common reptile in Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan and other places in China. It is widely used as medicine because it is rich in bone collagen, protein and a variety of trace elements. Does the tortoise hibernate? How can I survive safely in winter?

Do you hibernate?

1. Hibernation time

(1) start time

In most areas, in mid-early November, turtles with clear intestines are put into prepared containers, moved to darker places indoors to hibernate, or can be hibernated in their usual feeding boxes.

(2) end time

Take it out and put it in the breeding box in April of the next year.

2. Hibernation temperature

The water temperature dropped below 15 degrees.

Do you eat after hibernation?

Turtles preparing for hibernation should reduce the frequency and amount of feeding. In October (areas with high temperatures, such as Hainan, etc.), turtles can basically stop feeding. If turtles still have the desire to hunt, they can not be fed at this time. When the water temperature drops to about 20 degrees, begin to clear the intestines for the turtles, the method is to change the water for the turtles, increase the frequency of changing water, stimulate the intestines and stomach, and promote excretion, basically once every 3 to 4 days, there will be feces at the beginning, and slowly will decrease until there is no excretion, so it is basically done.

4. Hibernation mode:

(1) Natural overwintering

The tortoise begins to hibernate below the water temperature of 15 ℃ and does not eat. It is easier for turtles to survive the winter. Check the pond in the morning in winter. Turtle-fish ponds are also managed.

(2) cellar overwintering

Choose a leeward direction, 30 centimeters below the ground to dig a hole, the size depends on the number of turtles, turtles can overlap each other, but should not be piled too thick. Protrude a vent pipe from the hole, with the outer mouth facing south. Seal the hole with a board or cement board, pile it up and cover it with straw. Check every 20 days, if the temperature in the cave is more than 13 ℃, the heat preservation on the hole can be reduced; if the temperature in the cave is less than 2 ℃, thicken the heat preservation. This method of overwintering is simple and safe, and there is humidity in the cave, so there is no need to drench water. By the same token, caves and air-raid shelters can also be used to survive the winter.

(3) overwintering indoors

According to the indomitable vitality and resistance of turtles, they can survive the winter naturally indoors. The specific measures are as follows: when winter comes every year and the water temperature drops below 13 ℃, the turtles are picked up from the pond and placed in a quiet and empty room. The turtles are stacked with 2-3 layers, covered with 30 cm of warm straw that has been soaked for half a day, and watered once again, sealing the doors and windows and blocking the light. After that, the turtles are drenched every other week or so to keep the straw from drying. According to records, when the indoor temperature is below 0 ℃, it is also very safe, with a survival rate of more than 98%, and will not affect reproduction in the following year. The biggest advantage of this method is that it can be taken care of at any time and can accommodate a large number of turtle species to survive the winter.

(4) cylinders and boxes are insulated to survive the winter.

Put the turtle in the tank or box, cover it with a certain air vent, add some wet cloth or wet sponge to the tortoise and check it every 10 to 15 days to survive the winter without letting it dry. This method is suitable for tortoises (dry turtles), semi-aquatic turtles and small and medium-sized turtles to survive the winter. As long as the temperature in the tank is not lower than 0 ℃ (tropical turtles are not less than 5 ℃), most turtles can survive the winter safely.

In addition, small-scale family turtle overwintering management, turtles can be put in a water container, put indoors, keep more than 0 ℃ can be safe through the winter, stocking density can also be more than twice as high as usual, which is beneficial to raise a certain temperature. Such as outdoor courtyard micro-pool turtle culture, can be covered with plastic film on the pool, do not freeze the pool water is a very safe way to survive the winter. Properly deepening the water level also has the effect of heat preservation. The easiest way is to put some Styrofoam in the small pool and put straw on it to make the tortoise survive the winter safely.

Second, how to raise it?

1. Change of ambient temperature

Whether the tortoise hibernates or not depends on the ambient temperature. When the ambient temperature is below 15 degrees Celsius, the tortoise will go into hibernation. When the tortoise wakes up from hibernation, be sure to measure the indoor temperature first to prevent accidents from causing the tortoise to break off hibernation suddenly. If the outdoor temperature is still very low, well below 15 degrees Celsius, the turtle may wake up thinking that the hibernating habitat of the tortoise is heating up unexpectedly, making the tortoise mistakenly think that spring is coming, for example, the preheating of the heater leads to the heating of the turtle pond. If the outdoor temperature has exceeded 15 degrees Celsius and the temperature is stable, it proves that the tortoise has really awakened naturally from hibernation.

2. Whether or not to wake up completely:

After the tortoise wakes up from natural hibernation, many people think that it is very hungry, and the first thought is to feed the tortoise, and often overfeed, which can easily lead to the death of the tortoise after hibernation. In fact, the awakening process of the hibernating turtle is gradual. At the beginning of the activity, the tortoise did not enter a state of complete awakening, weak digestion and no defecation. It is best not to feed immediately, let alone overfeed. Instead, the tortoise should be allowed to move for a day or two to wake up thoroughly.

3. Fully absorb moisture

If the tortoise hibernates in a relatively dry environment, after fully awake, put the turtle in clean water and swim for a day or two, so that the turtle can fully absorb water and defecate thoroughly.

4. Control of feeding quantity

After defecating, the tortoise can begin to feed. In order to restore the turtle's physical fitness, the turtle should be fed high-energy food for the first time after hibernation, but the first feeding should not be too full, about 2/3 of the normal food intake.

5. Disinfection and sterilization treatment

After the temperature rises in spring, bacteria often begin to thrive. Many turtles are weak and their resistance decreases after they wake up in the spring, and they are prone to skin and carapace diseases. In order to eliminate germs, the turtle can be soaked in potassium permanganate solution for disinfection and sterilization after feeding for the first time.