Precautions before feeding:
Many people have experience in raising turtles, but more than half of them are either dead or given away or released, which is not good for the environment and turtles. Therefore, I hope everyone will think twice before buying turtles to raise at home. The following are the key points. I hope everyone will think carefully before buying turtles, so as not to harm them and fill the pockets of businessmen.
1. Measure your economic ability (tortoise+equipment+feed+medicine).
2. Ask yourself how much you know about the turtle you want to raise (habits, whether it is to protect animals).
3. Whether there is enough space (calculate the size of the tortoise when it grows to the maximum).
4. Do you have patience and love to raise them?
It's best to find an expert as a consultant.
How to choose:
If you decide to buy one or several Brazilian turtles, the following characteristics will help you buy red or other varieties of colored turtles:
First, carefully observe the turtle you want to buy! Does it show a natural action of escape (as long as it is in the basin, escape is allowed)? When people approached the basin, did it try to dive and escape? Turtles with difficulty in swimming or diving, and those with blocked nostrils or swollen eyes are dying turtles. Don't buy them.
Second, the vast majority of healthy turtle shells are not injured, that is to say, the shell shape is even and normal, and there is no shortage of links. If it feels "soft" to touch the turtle shell, it is rickets. Although this defect can be saved to a limited extent, it carries an asymmetric carapace for life.
Third, please feed the turtle seller some feed. You should pay attention to which one or several of them are the first to eat, which can also judge their health. It is wise to be cautious about turtles that refuse to eat feed, because they are either sick or have not adapted to the new feed.
If you still like your favorite turtle, you should also consider that these cute little guys will not be little guys forever, and they need more space in the future. If the conditions are better, it will grow quickly. Under your care, the length of the carapace will grow to 25 or 30 kilometers! A pair of adult red turtles need a swimming space of about 100 liters of water, and adult turtles no longer look so bright and green. But in the eyes of people who really love to keep colorful turtles, they will always be lovely. The "weak shell disease" caused by calcium deficiency and vitamin deficiency can press the nails on the back with your fingers, and even cause sunken pits. It is "rickets".
Water quality maintenance:
Although the Brazilian tortoise is the easiest and least picky aquarium animal to raise, it has one disadvantage: it excretes too quickly, and the temperature is high, and the rest of the feed is easy to rot, so the water always stinks. After only two days of changing the water, it became turbid soup, and even the Brazilian tortoise was almost invisible. This is because unicellular algae reproduce, the water is rich in nutrients, the temperature is suitable, and green algae reproduce very quickly.
Several experiments have tried to keep the pool water clear with chemicals, but the effect is not ideal. CHlNOSOL (one gram to thirty liters of water) can keep the water clear and odorless for a week, but the crumbs and rotten feces stirred up by turtles make the water dirtier. Whether the Brazilian tortoise living in this water for a long time is harmful to coliform bacteria is inconclusive, and whether this water containing chemicals will harm the internal organs of animals is uncertain, so it is best not to use chemicals.
The easiest way is to change the water completely. After feeding for four hours, drain, pump out and dump the old dirty water. Then scrub the wall and bottom of the container with a medium hardness brush and clean water. When cleaning, put the Brazilian tortoise in a plastic basin or on the land in Chi Pan-of course, it can't run away. Before putting the turtle back into the water, inject clean water with proper temperature.
Some species of swamp turtles or water turtles can't fully adapt to changing water, but Brazilian turtles will soon get used to this practice and its interference. Completely changing water still has disadvantages. Second, it will induce the colorful turtle to speed up the excretion of feces in the intestine and make the newly changed water dirty again. Therefore, it is best to check the incubator (pool) and remove the feces shortly after changing the water.
The need for light:
Many turtles need to bask in the sun, just like some Brazilian turtles released in the pool. They can often be seen stretching out their limbs and closing their eyes in the hot sun. Sunbathing can kill some bacteria on the turtle shell, prevent the turtle shell from becoming soft and brittle, and keep warm. These functions mainly need ultraviolet rays, and the ultraviolet green in sunlight is very important to turtles. So, when you want turtles to enjoy the warm sunshine, don't just let them stay in the water, try not to be separated from the glass, because ultraviolet green is easily blocked. If you are afraid of drying out because you have forgotten to take it back for too long, you can set up a semi-water place and let them be completely exposed to the sun or soaked in water. It is best to let it bask in the sun for one or two hours every day, and brush the turtle's back regularly with a soft toothbrush to remove parasites.
Feeding of young turtles:
Young Brazilian tortoises can be kept in flat-bottomed containers without any difficulty. Plastic pots, plastic cans or boxes and aquariums are all suitable, and the water should not be too deep. Commercial flat plastic cans with an island and plastic coconut trees in the middle are the least suitable because (1) is too small. (2) The electric heater cannot be installed. (3) Misleading users to regard the island as a foraging place. Because the Brazilian tortoise is completely foraging in the water, the result may be that the island is full of feed, while the Brazilian tortoise is starving.
An ideal nursery must have some specific minimum elements. Each young turtle should have five liters of water, and the water depth should not exceed the length of the turtle, so that the turtle can support its feet when breathing on the water. At the same time, we must also build an island for them with bricks and stones. Floating islands are not suitable, because young turtles often can't climb up and waste energy. On the other hand, we should also pay attention to islands and decorations not to become dangerous obstacles, which will jam the turtle and drown it.
The water temperature that young turtles can adapt to is about 25 degrees Celsius. When it is cold, the air above the container should also be heated. Adding a cover lamp to the breeding box can kill two birds with one stone. If the water temperature is still too low, you can add an electric heating tube to the water-the temperature can be adjusted as much as possible. If you buy an electric heating tube with high heat energy (100 to 150 watts) now, a bigger Brazilian turtle will be enough to cope with a bigger sink. The electric heating pipes sold in aquarium stores should be placed underwater, and it should be noted that the electric heater and power cord will not get stuck on the Brazilian turtle.
For Brazilian turtles, direct exposure to the sun is particularly important. The incubator can be placed on the balcony or windowsill. If this is not possible, young turtles should be exposed to ultraviolet rays once or twice a week for about three to five minutes each time. The ultraviolet lamp should not be too close to the Brazilian tortoise, so as to avoid injury caused by too strong light. It is best to irradiate with sunlight, but be careful not to filter out the required ultraviolet rays from the container glass. Little turtles can be kept on the balcony all summer. In order to prevent birds from taking it away, you can cover the box with a net. It is absolutely necessary to prevent the Brazilian tortoise from climbing out of the feeding box, otherwise you will find the wiring of the mummy electric heater under the bed or in a corner, or even a bridge for the Brazilian tortoise to escape, because the Brazilian tortoise's "climbing" skills are very clever.
It doesn't matter if algae (moss) grows on the culture box, but you can't make the water in the box stink. It is very important to change water regularly, otherwise, due to the high temperature, excrement and leftover feed in the water, young turtles will live in a pool of smelly water, which will promote the growth of germs, so change water at least once a week.
Breeding of adult turtles:
Adult turtles need a much larger incubator so that they have enough room to move. In order to create an ideal environment, a pair of adult Brazilian turtles need at least 100 liter of water.
The size of the breeding box will make Brazilian tortoises fat and dull quickly. If it falls into the water on all fours, it will drown because it can't turn over.
There are also cases where the turtle shell is stunted due to the size of the culture container. Large plastic pots, aquariums or wooden boxes covered with plastic sheets can all be used as turtle tanks. The water tank with drain hole is the most convenient, because it is easy to change water and it is often cleaned. If the cement tank is new, for the sake of caution, it can be coated with safety paint or thoroughly cleaned for many times to prevent harmful substances from seeping out of the cement and entering the animal body after dissolving in water. There must be a fixed (non-floating) "island" in the sink, which can also be hung up, and it is easy for turtles to climb up. You can use wooden boards or plastic boards, and you can also use bread artificial turf or brown mats. Or put stones or sand in a plastic basin and hang them in the trough as "ground".
Part of the land or island in the trough can be filled with soil, peat or sand, and this part will be heated up every few days. The eggs laid by female turtles in this land have the best chance to hatch, and it is best to illuminate this land with light (when it is cold). It is best not to use sand or stones to assist in the bottom of the tank, because it will increase the difficulty of changing water and cleaning. In addition to changing water frequently (changing water every day if necessary), adding filtration equipment can remove suspended solids from water. Because the dissolved substances in water have a great influence on the health of soft-shelled turtle, filtering equipment can not completely replace changing water.
In order to make the water temperature in the culture tank reach the temperature that the Brazilian turtle likes, it is necessary to use the electric heating tube used in the aquarium and prevent the equipment and lines from blocking the Brazilian turtle. An electric blanket can also be placed at the bottom outside the breeding box, and the electric blanket is padded with synthetic resin rubber as insulation material. However, the water temperature should not be higher than the outdoor temperature (about 25 to 30 degrees Celsius), so as to avoid the Brazilian tortoise catching cold. On land, colorful turtles also need warm places, because they are warm animals, and they need sunlight to reach proper body temperature. If there is not enough sunshine on the balcony or in the open air, the land part should be heated by lampblack machine lamps. Colored turtles raised indoors or in places with insufficient sunshine lack ultraviolet rays, so they should be irradiated with ultraviolet lamps two or three times a week for five minutes each time. This kind of lamp tube is best installed on the lid of the culture tank.
Diet: What does the tortoise eat? Many profiteers who buy and sell pets recommend "special turtle food". When I got back, I found that turtles didn't like eating, or even didn't eat at all. In fact, those so-called "turtle food" are basically cheating money. In order to make money, profiteers only sell you garbage that turtles don't eat. They are eager to buy another one as soon as you die, so don't buy the so-called "turtle" recommended by profiteers when buying a turtle. Sisby red-eared turtle mainly eats meat, such as small fish, shrimp, loach, earthworm and insects. I often give a fly a snack when I kill it. Generally, newly bought turtles have weak eating ability and won't prey on live food, so you need to feed them a little at this time. Be patient when feeding it. Cut the fresh meat into mung beans, clamp them with tweezers and slowly reach the front of the turtle's nose. It will smell carefully before eating. Practice makes perfect. Generally, it is enough to feed one cigarette butt at a time. When you are young, you should feed it three or four times a week to make it adapt to the environment quickly, because it will sleep when it is hungry for a long time, while the turtle who is too young often won't wake up when sleeping, so you should feed it more to prevent it from sleeping. When it's bigger than a matchbox, you usually eat it yourself. It can put some small ones at this time. Don't put too much, or you will kill a lot but don't eat it, so the water will stink as long as it is put for one day at most, and the same is true for feeding meat. Don't waste it and don't feed it as much as possible, or it will collapse. My turtle used to tilt its head and limbs back, which is very funny. I vomited several times, showing how worthless the turtle is! Overfeeding will make turtles grow too fast. It's not fun and cute when it grows up, unless you save it for eating, hehe! I have a friend who bought a turtle with me. I ended up feeding too much. In less than two years, it grew to the size of a bowl. All the patterns on my body are gone, which is very ugly. It also makes a gasping sound, like a dinosaur. When I was that big, I could eat a basin of loach in a week, which shows its horror. So when I grow up, I can feed it once a week. It's best to feed some small fish to make its shell grow harder.
Daily life: Turtles will encounter some special physiological phenomena during their growth, which will have a great impact if they are not handled properly, among which molting is the one that impressed me the most.
Turtles and snakes are close relatives, so they shed their skin, but unlike snakes, turtle scales will also fall off! ! My turtle shed its skin when it was about four years old. There was no digital camera at that time, so I didn't record this strange appearance. What I want to warn you here is that you should not help it artificially in the process of molting, it will take care of itself. I just don't know that "helping" it has caused lifelong harm to it. I'm here to apologize to this poor turtle. Here, I will carefully introduce what your turtle looks like when it molts.
Molting: Turtle scales will peel off first, just like fragments of fish scales stick to them. Attention! Don't help him take off those scales! ! Ripe fruits will fall off naturally. My turtle shell was injured only because some scales that seemed to fall off were removed. It will grow up in a year or two. When it grows well, there will be scars there, and there will be no beautiful patterns. If it is not infected with bacteria, the rotten shell will kill it directly. When it molts, its old skin will also fall off, just like a snake molts, but it will not be completely replaced by new skin. It's fun to hang on it like a wedding dress. Molting is a sign that turtles grow up. After the turtle sheds its skin, its color and pattern will become worse, which is different from that of the ugly duckling.
Cleanliness: turtle nests need to be cleaned frequently, because not only water breeds algae, but turtles also poop. Not only change the water, but also bathe the turtle, otherwise the turtle's shell will grow sticky moss, because the turtle's shell is difficult to grow hard, so it will not rot and fall off because it is too dirty. How to take a bath? Brush both sides of the turtle shell with clean water with a small brush that is not too hard. Better use an old toothbrush. The work is simple, but it will scare the timid turtle, and its head, limbs and small tail will all shrink tightly together. Be careful not to brush your teeth on your head, because 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 turtle. My turtle was like this one summer. Later, because it was difficult to clean up a lot of fat when feeding meat, it brushed off all the green hairs.
Disease prevention: Many turtles died of illness. Some diseases are visible, such as skin ulcers, crustacean decay and eye diseases, while others are hard to detect, such as digestive diseases and parasites. Because the tortoise is small, once it is sick, it is difficult to treat or there is no rule of law, so we can only focus on prevention. First of all, keep the fish tank clean, and then change it when the water stinks. When there is too much moss on the turtle shell, brush it clean. We often put the tortoise in the sun and feed it with fresh and clean food. The bought loaches, small fish and earthworms must be washed, and it is best to keep them for a few days, and then wash the dirty things in the body before giving them to turtles.
The diseases that can be treated are mainly skin ulcers, crustacean decay and eye diseases. After discovery, the turtle can be bathed with potassium permanganate solution. Be careful that the solution is not too strong, and be careful not to let the turtle drink it. The light one should be cured, but the heavy one depends on luck.
Turtles are omnivorous animals, feeding on animals, insects, worms, small fish, shrimps, snails, mussels, tender leaves of plants, duckweed, melon skin, wheat grains, rice and weed seeds. Strong hunger tolerance, not eating for several months will not starve to death.
Types of turtle feed
1. Animal feed. Including all kinds of freshwater fish and marine fish, mollusks, eggs, aquatic insects, meat and water of all kinds of livestock and wild animals, silkworm chrysalis, etc.
2. Plant feed. Including corn, wheat, soybeans, millet, rice, various cakes, fruits and vegetables in green feed, aquatic plants and so on.
3. Feed additives. It includes bone meal, calcium powder, salt, high-efficiency fast-growing additives, vitamins, veterinary multivitamins, sulfanilamide drugs in oxytetracycline and Hangmycin, dry yeast, mother food, koji and so on. Among the drugs for strengthening the stomach.
At present, there are many kinds of Brazilian tortoises in China.
But most of our turtles are red-gill turtles or yellow-gill turtles, which belong to semi-aquatic turtles.
Usually carnivorous, such as small fish, shrimp or lean pork and beef. Turtles are very dependent on water when they are young, and they need to live in water for more than 2/3 of the time. With the increase of age, it is less and less dependent on water, but it still needs to live in a humid area near the water source. Because the Brazilian tortoise is a tropical turtle, we should not only pay attention to water quality and food, but also master the temperature of water in daily feeding. The deterioration of water quality is one of the main causes of the death of Brazilian tortoise. The container for breeding Brazilian turtles should not be too small. You can put a small piece of foam in the water for turtles to climb and rest. Keep changing water every day (except for fish tanks with filtration system), the water temperature should be kept above 25℃, and the water must be dechlorinated to ensure the water quality. In spring and autumn, soft-shelled turtle can bask in the sun properly every morning and evening to enhance its physique, but it is not suitable for exposure in summer.
Nowadays, many people like to keep lovely Brazilian tortoises, especially those with students at home. Under the comparison of classmates, maybe one day they will take a little turtle home. Although Brazilian tortoises are easy to raise, they have one disadvantage: they eat too much and excrete too quickly. Coupled with the high indoor temperature, the rest of the feed and feces are easy to rot when mixed together, so the water always stinks. It's only been changed for two days, and it becomes muddy soup. Even the Brazilian tortoise can hardly be seen. Green algae will grow if there is enough light. In particular, some people use relatively small glass jars or washbasins to raise them. If they don't pay attention, it stinks, and it's not healthy for people to disturb the tortoise.
The simplest way to solve this problem is to completely change the water. Generally, all dirty water should be replaced four hours after feeding. When changing water, first take the turtle out and put it in the bucket. At the same time, it is best to brush the wall and bottom of the container with a brush, then inject clean water with appropriate temperature, and then put the turtle back into the water. It should be noted that not all species of swamp turtles or water turtles can fully adapt to changing water, but Brazilian turtles will soon get used to this practice and its interference. After completely changing the water, the Brazilian tortoise can be induced to speed up the excretion of feces in the intestine and make the newly changed water dirty again. So if necessary, it's best to change the water for the Brazilian tortoise again before going to bed at night. Although it feels a little troublesome, it can be guaranteed.
Young Brazilian tortoises can be kept in flat-bottomed containers without any difficulty. Plastic pots, plastic cans or boxes and aquariums are all suitable, and the water should not be too deep. A flat and shallow plastic pot with an island and a plastic coconut tree in the middle is the least suitable because (1) is too small. (2) The electric heater cannot be installed. (3) Misleading users to regard the island as a foraging place. Because the Brazilian tortoise is completely foraging in the water, the result may be that the island is full of feed, while the Brazilian tortoise is starving.
An ideal nursery must have some specific minimum elements. Each young turtle should have five liters of water, and the water depth should not exceed the length of the turtle, so that the turtle can support its feet when breathing on the water. At the same time, we must also build an island for them with bricks and stones. Floating islands are not suitable, because young turtles often can't climb up and waste energy. On the other hand, we should also pay attention to islands and decorations not to become dangerous obstacles, which will jam the turtle and drown it.
The water temperature that young turtles can adapt to is about 25 degrees Celsius. When it is cold, the air above the container should also be heated. Adding a cover lamp to the breeding box can kill two birds with one stone. If the water temperature is still too low, you can add an electric heating tube to the water-the temperature can be adjusted as much as possible. If you buy an electric heating tube with high heat energy (100 to 150 watts) now, a bigger Brazilian turtle will be enough to cope with a bigger sink. The electric heating pipes sold in aquarium stores should be placed underwater, and it should be noted that the electric heater and power cord will not get stuck on the Brazilian turtle.
For Brazilian turtles, direct exposure to the sun is particularly important. The incubator can be placed on the balcony or windowsill. If this is not possible, young turtles should be exposed to ultraviolet rays once or twice a week for about three to five minutes each time. The ultraviolet lamp should not be too close to the Brazilian tortoise, so as to avoid injury caused by too strong light. It is best to irradiate with sunlight, but be careful not to filter out the required ultraviolet rays from the container glass. Little turtles can be kept on the balcony all summer. In order to prevent birds from taking it away, you can cover the box with a net. It is absolutely necessary to prevent the Brazilian tortoise from climbing out of the breeding box. Otherwise, I don't know which day, you will find the wiring of the "mummy" heater under the bed or in a corner, and even a bridge for the Brazilian tortoise to escape, because the Brazilian tortoise's climbing ability is very smart.
It doesn't matter if algae (moss) grows on the culture box, but you can't make the water in the box stink. It is very important to change water regularly, otherwise, due to the high temperature, excrement and leftover feed in the water, young turtles will live in a pool of smelly water, which will promote the growth of germs, so change water at least once a week.
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Turtle selection
The selection of turtles can be seen from the aspects of appearance, activity and physique.
1. When the weight of female turtle is 1000g and the weight of male turtle is above 250g, the appearance of red-eared turtle is mature. The appearance is neat, the back nail and abdomen nail are not damaged, and the skin on the body surface is not mildewed. The eyes are bulging, but not red and swollen.
2. Active and healthy turtles jump into the water or escape immediately after being disturbed when climbing on the shore, and sink into the water or swim after being submerged. On the other hand, turtles that are slow to respond after being disturbed, do not escape, and float on the water after being submerged should not be selected.
3. A turtle with strong physique, large body, active eating and full limbs. When crawling, the limbs are propped up, and the abdominal armor is suspended in the air, instead of the abdominal armor sticking to the ground. Pull the turtle's leg with your hand, and your hand feels that the turtle's leg is strong and contracts inward.
fodder
Although the red-eared turtle is omnivorous; However, under the condition of artificial feeding, the partial eclipse is mainly the internal organs of poultry, pigs and other animals, as well as maggots and breadworms. Properly mix fruits, vegetables and mixed feed to enhance nutrition in the body. Vitamin E powder and antibiotics are added in spring and autumn to increase the amount of eggs conceived by turtles and enhance their physique. Daily feeding should be regular, fixed and qualitative.
(1) The feeding time is fixed. Generally, it is 10- 14 in spring and autumn and 7-9 o'clock in summer or 18- 19. When the temperature is too high or too low, the tortoise will eat less or not.
(2) The fixed feeding position should be fixed, which is convenient for observing the feeding and activities of turtles. When feeding, healthy turtles can climb to the food table to eat. Those turtles who are slow to respond or don't eat should pay attention to observation, and those who are serious should be kept separately. Not adjusting nai,
(3) The fixed feed must be fresh and tasteless, and the leftovers should be washed first, and then the extra tendons and skins should be removed to avoid indigestion.
Water quality management
Red-eared turtles live in water most of the time and like to live in clear water. So the quality of water is very important. In summer, change water every 10- 15 days/time. If the water color is brownish green or blue-green, it means that the water quality is too "fat" and all water should be changed in time. From June to September, due to the high temperature, water change should be carried out 3-4 hours after feeding. In winter, turtles can change water less or not during hibernation.
Winter management
Before hibernation, when the water temperature reaches 22℃, human antibiotics are mixed into the feed to enhance the disease resistance of soft-shelled turtle. When the water temperature drops to 14℃, the activity of soft-shelled turtles decreases, most soft-shelled turtles sink to the bottom and stop eating, and a few soft-shelled turtles only eat a small amount. At this time, it is necessary to thoroughly clean the pond and check the soft-shelled turtle, including skin, head, feces and parasites. Unhealthy turtles can't hibernate, so they should be raised separately. The water temperature should be raised above 20℃ before they can eat, and at the same time, they should be treated accordingly. During hibernation, if the water temperature occasionally rises above 18C, don't feed it, so as to avoid the temperature drop at night and cause indigestion and other diseases. During hibernation, some abnormal turtles, such as floating on the water and weak limbs, should be fished out in time and kept in isolation. After hibernation, with the increase of temperature, the water temperature reached about 16C, and some turtles were able to eat. At this time, it is not appropriate to feed in a hurry. Wait until the temperature difference between day and night does not exceed about 6℃. Before feeding 1, thoroughly change the dressing and disinfect it.
Don't eat!
In recent years, the Brazilian tortoise is the main breed in many provinces (regions) in southern China. For example, many farmers in Hunan, Hainan, Guangxi, Fujian and our province raise Brazilian tortoises on a large scale. At present, the market space of Brazilian tortoise is still very broad, but like other turtle species, the market risk of Brazilian tortoise still exists. The author believes that winning in quantity and quality is the key to success. In order to make it easier for turtle breeders to understand and raise Brazilian turtles, this paper introduces the breeding of Brazilian turtles from three parts: living habits, advantages of artificial breeding and disease prevention.
First, living habits
Brazilian tortoise has an active life habit, likes to live in water, is not afraid of people, and has strong adaptability to the environment. The suitable water temperature for growth is 20-32℃, and the optimum water temperature for growth is 25-30℃. When the temperature is lower than 20℃, the food intake decreases and the activity is less; When the temperature is lower than 65438 05℃, the feeding is basically stopped; The activity decreased obviously below 10℃, and it was in a semi-dormant state. Brazilian tortoise is an omnivorous turtle, which mainly eats meat in artificial culture, especially in the larval and larval stages, mainly eat small fish, shrimp, lean meat of animals and so on. In the adult stage, you can also eat plant feed (bananas, fruits, etc. ) and workers compound feed. Brazilian tortoises eat a lot and grow faster than turtles. Generally, young turtles hatched from July to September can reach an average of 25-40 grams before overwintering in that year, more than 200 grams of turtles can be cultivated in the next year, and more than 400 grams of commercial turtles can be cultivated in the third year. However, the growth rate of male and female Brazilian tortoises is different, and the latter is obviously faster than the former.
Second, the advantages of artificial breeding
1. The Brazilian tortoise is very bright in color, with obvious erythema on the eardrum behind the eyes. It is an almost indispensable fine species in the pet ornamental fish market at present.
2. Breeding is easy to grow quickly, has strong adaptability to the environment, and is easy to raise artificially, but the market price is lower than other soft-shelled turtles. Compared with the same specifications of Brazilian tortoise, tortoise, Maureen tortoise and crocodile tortoise, Brazilian tortoise is cheaper, almost a popular commodity, and more easily accepted by market consumers.
3. The market development space is not saturated. Although the Brazilian tortoise is the largest species at present, with an annual output of more than 65,438+100000 tons and an output value of 400 million yuan, its seedlings are mainly imported, and the number of seedlings supplied in China is in short supply, resulting in a big gap. With the upsurge of turtle breeding, it is bound to aggravate the situation that the supply of turtle seedlings is in short supply.
In addition, soft-shelled turtle has edible and medicinal value.
Third, disease control.
Judging from the current breeding practice, the Brazilian turtle has strong disease resistance. As long as early introduction and disease prevention measures are taken, reasonable feeding mode is adopted, diseased turtles are isolated in time and treated actively, better breeding benefits will be obtained.
1. The prevention of turtle diseases is generally related to the environment, turtles themselves, feed and pathogens. Keeping a good turtle breeding environment, such as the water quality meets the breeding requirements, the surrounding environment is quiet and the turtle habitat is reasonable and scientific, can reduce the occurrence of turtle diseases. Similarly, when introduced, seeds should be planted nearby to avoid long-distance transportation and from farms unfamiliar with the recent breeding situation. The soft-shelled turtle is healthy without defects, and the feed meets the growth needs of soft-shelled turtle, which is fresh, comprehensive and nutritious. Cutting off the transmission of pathogens to healthy turtles can play a preventive role.
Step 2 deal with
(1) white eye disease
Etiology: Due to the high density in artificial breeding, turtle trauma or deterioration of water quality are caused, and the young turtles and young turtles of Brazilian turtles are more likely to be infected with white eye disease.
Symptoms: the eyes of the sick turtle are inflamed and congested, and gradually turn gray and swollen. The cornea and its surroundings are eroded by inflammation, and the outside of the eyeball is covered with a layer of white secretion. After illness, turtles often wipe their eyes with their forelimbs, so they can't eat anything. In severe cases, they will be blind, have difficulty breathing, and die of emaciation.
Prevention and control methods: strengthen feeding management and focus on disinfection. Strict disinfection of soft-shelled turtles, water bodies and utensils for raising soft-shelled turtles; Strengthen the nutritional components of turtle feed and enhance the disease resistance of turtle. Soak the sick turtle in 40ppm erythromycin solution for 60 minutes; Apply chlortetracycline eye ointment to the eyes of sick turtles.
(2) Gastroenteritis
Etiology: Most of them are feed deterioration or tableware and water are contaminated by bacteria such as Escherichia coli, which leads to turtle disease.
Symptoms: The sick turtle has dull eyes, thin body, dislike crawling, like drinking water, loose bowels and loose stools. The disease mostly occurs in spring, summer and autumn, and it is more popular in summer and high temperature season.
Prevention and control methods: improve water quality, keep water fresh, feed fresh feed, and strictly disinfect utensils. Soak the sick turtle in 30ppm erythromycin solution for 60 minutes, and then mix an appropriate amount of oxytetracycline into the feed to feed the sick turtle.
(3) onychomycosis
Etiology: After the shell was damaged, bacteria invaded the wound, causing the shell to rot.
Symptoms: the surface crustaceans rot, or caves are formed, and even muscles can be seen. Don't eat and move less.
Control method: soak the sick turtle in 40ppm potassium permanganate solution for 65438 0.5 minutes, and then gently smear a small amount of potassium permanganate crystal powder on the sick turtle.
(4) Overwintering death.
Etiology: Most of them died because of insufficient nutrition and weak constitution before wintering, so that they could not resist the long-term cold attack. A small number of postpartum parents and turtles with chronic diseases died because of overwintering.
Symptoms: Before overwintering, soft-shelled turtle lost weight and muscle atrophy. It's light to pick up a sick turtle. Often floating on the water.
Prevention and control methods: In the southern region, from July to August every year, especially after the parents stop laying eggs, the feeding of meat and other concentrate is gradually strengthened, and appropriate trace elements are added to restore the physique of turtles and reserve enough nutrients for the winter. Sick turtles are cured quickly; Young turtles should take certain heat preservation measures for the winter.
(5) parasites in vivo and in vitro
Etiology: Most of them live in water for a long time, resulting in parasites such as ticks, fleas and trypanosoma on the surface or internal organs of turtles.
Symptoms: there are worms on the turtle's body surface and it is emaciated.
Prevention and control methods: Remove worms from body surface immediately, soak them in copper sulfate solution (0.5 mg/L) for 30 minutes, and feed them once every six months.
Fourth, the prevention of enemy harm.
Brazilian tortoises are more vulnerable to attacks by snakes, mice and cats. In the larval and larval stages, facilities should be used to prevent the destruction of the enemy. In pond culture, attention should be paid to the species and specifications of fish so as not to endanger the safety of soft-shelled turtle.
Adult turtles have a wide range of food habits, including small fish, shrimp, snails, mussels, vegetables, rice, wheat and so on. Generally, when the water temperature rises above 15 degrees, it begins to eat. June-September is the peak period of food intake, and the food intake starts to decrease from 165438+ 10. When the water temperature drops below 15 degrees, it goes into hibernation. The temperature is low in spring and autumn, and the feeding time is 8-9 am. In midsummer, turtles move in the morning and evening, and feeding should be at 4-5 pm. Turtles swallow edema when eating. Turtles swallow about 4% of their body weight and should be fed every other day. Clean up the leftovers in time after feeding to prevent pollution from causing harm. Change the water frequently to keep the water fresh. The growth of turtles is related to the quality of feeding. Generally, animals are often fed with bait, which can increase their weight by about 50 grams per month.
The main enemies of the tortoise are snakes, water rats, weasels and wild cats. In summer, turtles often move at night, and mice and weasels also go in and out at night. Although turtles are protected by hard shells, they are still vulnerable to enemy attacks.