Snapping Turtles

Snapping turtles are native to North America and Central America and were introduced to China in 1997. After rearing, they showed that many regions of China are adapting to its growth and reproduction. Snapping turtles require simple conditions for rearing environment, wide adaptability to temperature, strong resistance to disease, and fast growth. Snapping turtles are exquisite in meat quality, delicious in taste, and rich in nutrition. They have particularly high meat yield and can reach 85%-90%, which is twice that of other turtles. Snapping turtles average annual gain of 550-1100 grams, 1-2 times the average turtle. At present, many aquaculture farmers are optimistic about the prospects for breeding.

First, the characteristics and habits Snapping Turtle has an oval-shaped armor, the surface of the back jagged. The color of the carapace is yellow-brown, brown, olive, and black depending on the environment. There are three spines on the carapace longitudinally, with nodules or nodules under each scutellum on the spine, making the spine more prominent. The size of the spine and the nodule is related to the subspecies, but as the age increases, the carapace will become more and more smooth. The skin of snapping turtles is from brown to dark brown from top to bottom. There are many lice in the legs, neck and tail. The plastron degenerated, pale yellow cross-shaped bridge is very narrow, with a pale yellow or white complexion at the bottom. Snapping turtles have large heads and two jaws. The tail is long and there are three rows of book-like dice.

Snapping turtles are aquatic turtles that live in freshwater, such as lakes, rivers, swamps, and pools. They can also live in salty water with low salt content. It likes the pond on the sandy bottom. Like a soft-shelled turtle, it hides in the sand to look for food. Live in the water most of the time, and occasionally land activities. When the snapping turtle floats in the water, the protection color on its back is like a piece of rotten wood floating on the water and it is not easy to be found. It often sticks its nose out of the water and its head does not fully extend. During the day in the water, it floats on the sand or stones, and sometimes it floats on the water. Snapping Turtles are not afraid of the cold, hot and humid, normal temperature above 18 °C for food, 20-33 °C is the best activity, foraging temperature, activities above 34 °C decreased, summer weather in the bottom and sediment, 15 °C below Into hibernation, below 10 °C in deep hibernation. Snapping turtles have more food habits, like eating small animals in the water, fresh grass and flowers and fruits. Feeds under artificial rearing include: fresh fish, shrimp, snails, clams, cockroaches, insects, cockroaches, cocoon, all kinds of livestock and poultry internal organs and waste, as well as artificial compound feed and vegetables.

2. The shape of the breeding ponds for rearing ponds is determined according to the terrain conditions. The area can be determined according to the number of cultured species. The suitable stocking density for young snapping turtles is 15/m2, 4 snapping turtles per square meter, and 1 pro-backed snapping turtle. / Square meters or so. The pool is 1-1.5 meters deep. Leave 10-20% of the land on the side of the pool as a spawning ground for snapping turtles. Lay bricks around the pool and brush them with cement mortar to prevent snapping turtles from opening holes. The spawning pool is also leveled with a cement mortar. A layer of 20 cm thick sand is placed on the spawning ground. The spawning site should have a slope of 45 degrees and be covered with wood or plastic foam to prevent scratching the belly of the snapping turtle. A layer of sandy soil should be placed at the bottom of the pool. ,clay. A 1-1.5-meter-high fence was built on the land of the pool. Garden culture can be used cylinders, cover nylon net can be. The newly excavated snapping turtle pool is best built with different shades, which is conducive to the selection of the most suitable water layer habitat for different sizes of snapping turtles.

The specific approach is: shallow water areas can be built near the shore, accounting for 20% of aquaculture water surface, excavation soil layer should be 5-20 centimeters (a certain slope), followed by Zhongshui District, accounting for 30% of aquaculture water surface, excavation depth In the 20-60 centimeters, the deepest area is built into the deep water area, accounting for 50% of the water surface, and the excavation depth is 80-120 centimeters. The bottom of the deep water area should be covered with 30 cm of sand to facilitate the snapping of the snapping turtles into the sand and wintering. The shallow water areas can be stocked with some duckweeds, water hyacinths, etc., which can purify the water quality, and can also be used as a hiding place for snapping turtles. Above the cultivation pond, vine plants such as lentils, sponge gourds, and pumpkins can be planted, and summer can be used to cool the snapping turtles. The newly created snapping turtle pool can be sterilized with 15ppm bleach for three days before the snapping turtle can be introduced.

Third, breeding, hatching Snapping turtles mature in the field in the third year of spawning, artificial feeding for 18 months or mother snapping turtle to more than 1000 grams began to lay eggs, eggs nearly oval, white, hard shell. May-March and September-October natural mating, May-August spawning period, female snapping turtles spawn at night, egg production 3-120 per year, 3-4 batches of spawning, batch production 8-40 One.

Incubation method: The incubator is 80 cm high, 50 cm wide and 80 cm long. Several leak holes are drilled in the bottom of the box, 5 cm coarse sand is placed, and 5 cm fine sand is placed. The eggs are placed on the sand and covered with 5 cm thick sand. Both were first sterilized with boiling water. Eggs are inspected once a day. If the surface is dry on the surface of the sand, it should be moisturized and moistened. It is advisable to loosen the sand in groups. Hatchlings hatch at a natural temperature of 65-75 days. The hatching rate is 93%-96%. With a constant temperature of 30°C and a relative humidity of 80%-90%, hatchlings are hatched after 50-60 days. % After hatching, hatchlings are allowed to move in the incubator for several hours until the umbilical cord is detached, that is, transferred into 200 g/m3 of potassium permanganate solution and sterilized for 5 minutes before being placed in a clear water tank for rearing.

Fourth, feeding and management

1. Graded sub-pool stocking 2-3 stocking pro-backed snapping turtles per square meter, medium-sized snapping turtles 4-6, young snapping turtles 15 or so, juvenile snapping turtles 35 or so, divided into ponds according to size and size, avoiding In the case of insufficient feed, eat small.

2, fixed, regular, quantitative feeding in the early spring and early winter every day feeding 1 feeding, late spring to late autumn is the feeding season, feeding 2 times a day, 90% feeding 90%, 60% in the evening and then cast, feeding Several bait stations should be fixed. It is advisable to feed the bait in 150 minutes, and the amount of feed should not be wasted.

3, change the water, disinfection of large ponds, 20-50 days part of the water changes 1, small pond 2-3 days or 6-7 days part of the water, the transparency is maintained at about 20 cm, according to the situation in the winter as little as possible Change the water, but the culture in the cylinder basin should be changed in time. For 10-30 grams of bleaching powder (per cubic meter of water), the pool water is usually sterilized for 20-30 days to prevent the occurrence of snapping turtles.

4, summer and winter special management summer pool water must maintain 80 cm, the pool should be shaded 1/5 or more, the pool raise some duckweed, water hyacinth, etc., around the pond embankment planting trees and other objects, if necessary, inject new water cooling, so that The water temperature should not exceed 35°C. If the pool is frozen in winter, break the ice in the early morning.

Fifth, disease control As long as strict disinfection of small snapping turtles and pool water, generally have little disease, occasional minor illnesses, to deal with the disease. For example, traumatic inflammation and colds are treated with cephalosporin, gastroenteritis is given fluocin, indigestion is treated with multi-enzyme solution or yeast tablets, and hydromycosis is soaked with 100 g/m3 malachite green for 15 minutes. Or use salt water to soak a snapping turtle.