Breeding techniques of soft-shelled turtle

Soft-shelled turtle, known as Chinese soft-shelled turtle, is an amphibious reptile with strong adaptability and resistance to adverse environment and diseases. it is a longevity in the animal kingdom, has an ingenious protective color and is difficult to be found by hostile animals. it is an omnivorous animal that eats both animals and plants and propagates artificially, which can greatly improve the hatching rate, shorten the incubation period and provide sufficient seedlings for artificial turtles.

Breeding habits of soft-shelled turtle

The soft-shelled turtle is an egg-laying animal. The eggs hatch without parental protection and the incubation period is long. The spawning time of the soft-shelled turtle is mostly between mid-April and October. A soft-shelled turtle can lay eggs three to four times a year. After 50 days, the small soft-shelled turtle will break its shell.

The hatching temperature of the soft-shelled turtle is 29 ℃. Below this temperature, the hatched soft-shelled turtle tends to transform to the female. When the temperature is higher than 29 ℃, the soft-shelled turtle with a certain chemical inducer will emerge, and the male rate is 77.03%.

Breeding techniques of soft-shelled turtle

1. The production of the incubator: pine is the best wood for making the incubator. It not only has insecticidal effect, but also does not decay easily after being exposed to moisture, does not breed mold, and will not affect the air permeability and filterability of hatching sand. The specifications of the incubator are generally 80 cm long, 50 cm wide, 40 cm high at the front end and 60 cm high at the back end, with an inclined upper mouth. There are 2-3 filter holes at the bottom of the box to facilitate the residual water to be filtered out of the box when hatching. In order to observe the hatching in the box, the upper cover and front baffle of the box can be used with flat glass device, which can be used after disinfection.

2. The choice of sand for hatching: in the breeding of soft-shelled turtle, the effect of pure river sand and pure medium sand (sand diameter 1.43-1.5 mm) is the best, because of its uniform thickness and good air permeability, it can make the water content, oxygen supply and heat transfer during hatching more uniform. The selected sand can only be used after exposure, boiling or bleaching powder disinfection and sterilization. It is necessary to test its water content before use, because the humidity of sand is an important factor to determine the hatching rate. Generally, the "hand sand test" can be used to identify its humidity. That is, hold the wet sand tightly with the hand, the finger seam does not drip water, after releasing the hand, the wet sand forms a ball, drop the sand mass gently, and disperse when it falls to the ground, indicating that its water content is about 5-12% and can be hatched in the box; if you hold the wet sand tightly with your hand, the water dripping at the finger seam or the sand does not form a mass after loosening the hand, indicating that the humidity is too large or too small to be used.

3. The laying of sand and eggs: in the breeding of soft-shelled turtle, the bottom of the incubator is laid with coarse pebbles (egg diameter 0.5-1 cm), coarse sand (sand diameter 2-3 mm) and medium sand 3-5 cm respectively. Then put 2-3 layers of fertilized eggs, the white spot of the egg (animal pole) upward is better, the distance between the egg and the egg is about 1 cm, and the "product" shape is laid between the upper and lower layers. The eggs are then laid with 5 cm medium sand and 1-2 cm thick fine sand, which is mainly used to maintain humidity and prevent moisture from evaporating too quickly. Spread a layer of towels on the fine sand and spray water on the towels to keep the humidity in the box uniform.

4. Incubator storage: in the breeding of soft-shelled turtle, the incubator can be stored in a room where the temperature is relatively stable, the environment is quiet and easy to manage, such as a plastic greenhouse, if there are only 1 or 2 boxes, it can also be placed in the living room. After the eggs and sand in the box are put away, a flume should be placed on a slope between the left and right edges of the box and the sand surface, and the young soft-shelled turtles will swim in the water by themselves after giving out the shell. In order to prevent ants and other insects from harming turtle eggs, you can put a large plate at the bottom of the box, fill it with water, and seal the bottom of the box with water. Under the condition that the temperature change is not affected, ventilation and indoor lighting should be increased as far as possible.

Reproductive management of soft-shelled turtle

1. Strictly control the water content of sand bed. The humidity of sand bed is too high or too small, which directly affects the hatching and survival rate. Generally, the hatching rate is the highest when the humidity is 80%-85%, so the humidity should be checked regularly and the moisture should be sprayed at the right time.

2. Keep the hatching temperature as stable as possible, the optimum temperature is 25-36 ℃, and the hatching rate is the highest when 30 ±3 ℃. If the temperature change during the incubation period exceeds the suitable range, the temperature should be adjusted by electric fans and stoves as far as possible.

3. The water for hatching should be fresh, non-toxic, harmless and pollution-free. The temperature of the sprinkler should be equal to or similar to that of the sand bed. Do not use hot water that is too cold or higher than 36 ℃.

4. In the breeding of soft-shelled turtle, it is necessary to prevent enemy organisms such as ants and mice from invading and harming fertilized eggs or young soft-shelled turtles.

5. In the breeding of soft-shelled turtle, the young soft-shelled turtle should be allowed to move freely in the sand plate for about 2 hours. After the serosa and umbilical cord of the body during the embryonic period are removed, the turtle should be watered and disinfected and put into the breeding pond.