What is the difference between a soft-shell turtle and a tortoise? How do soft-shell turtles survive the winter?

The turtle is a cold-blooded animal, and is very sensitive to changes in ambient temperature. The winter temperature in most parts of my country is relatively low, and the temperature suitable for the growth of turtles is generally 25 to 30 degrees, and the lowest temperature cannot be lower than 10 degrees. What is the method for turtles to survive the winter? Let's find out.

Contents of this article

1. What is the difference between a turtle and a soft-shell turtle?

2. How do turtles survive the winter?

3. When is the best season to fish for soft-shelled turtles?

What is the difference between a turtle and a soft-shell turtle?

1. Turtle is the common name for turtle, which is a general term for soft-shelled aquatic turtles of the family Testudinidae in the order Testudinata. It is oval in shape, flatter than a turtle, with a soft outer membrane on its back and ventral carapace, surrounded by a delicate skirt, and its head, neck and limbs can be retracted, with five claws on each limb. From the color of appearance, the back and limbs of turtles are usually dark green, some have light brown backs, and the belly is white with red.

2. Turtle is commonly known as soft-shelled turtle, round fish, and tortoise. It is a general term for reptiles and amphibians of the family Testudinidae in the order Testudinata. Its habits are almost the same as those of fish, the difference being that it breathes with lungs instead of gills.

How do turtles survive the winter?

1. Temperature management. The temperature in most parts of my country is relatively low in winter, and the temperature suitable for the growth of soft-shelled turtles is generally between 25 and 30 degrees. The lowest temperature cannot be lower than 10 degrees, and the highest temperature cannot be higher than 32 degrees. The general temperature in winter is around 5 to 8 degrees, which poses a great challenge to the survival of soft-shelled turtles. Therefore, the only way to maintain the temperature in the farm is through artificial methods, such as injecting spring water, building windbreak walls, and building greenhouses.

2. Water quality management. In winter, soft-shelled turtles have stricter requirements on water quality than at other times. One of the reasons is that the temperature is low in winter, the water activity is relatively low, and ammonia nitrogen is easily produced, which has a great impact on water quality. Ammonia nitrogen is a great threat to the growth of soft-shelled turtles. It will cause gastrointestinal discomfort and rot all over the body. You can’t change the water frequently in winter, which will affect the temperature of the pool. First, we can plant some plants in the water, which have a certain effect of purifying the water quality. The second is to control the pH value of the water quality. You can sprinkle in an appropriate amount of quicklime, which is more conducive to the growth of soft-shelled turtles.

3. Light management. Many turtle farmers tend to ignore the light factor when breeding turtles in winter. They think that there is no light in winter, but wild turtles are still alive and well. So they think that light has no effect on the growth of turtles. In fact, reasonable light can improve the survival rate of turtle breeding in winter. Many people don’t know this. You can try it according to the method I said. Generally, there needs to be at least six to eight hours of light a day. We can do this by supplementing light in the greenhouse.

4. Feeding and management. Many people say that soft-shelled turtles hibernate in winter, that is, they enter a dormant state, so they do not need to be fed. In fact, as long as they hibernate, they do not need to be fed with natural hormones, but this does not mean that they do not need to be fed in winter. Usually, soft-shelled turtles will hibernate when the water temperature is about five degrees. Since we have adjusted the water temperature in the farm, they will not hibernate naturally. They still need to eat and fatten during this period, but it should be noted that soft-shelled turtles eat less in winter than at other times, so try to feed them with high nutrient content concentrates.

When is the best season to fish for soft-shelled turtle?

Summer and autumn, between April and October each year, are the best choices.

Analysis process:

The best time to fish is when the turtle grows best. The turtle's living habits are as follows:

The turtle is a cold-blooded animal, and is very sensitive to changes in ambient temperature. When the outside temperature drops below 15°C, the turtle stops eating and hibernates in the mud and sand at the bottom of the water (usually from October to April of the following year), and the hibernation period lasts for half a year. Therefore, if the turtle is raised under natural conditions, it will grow slowly, and generally only grow about 100 grams a year. In order to speed up the growth of the turtle, heating measures are often used in artificial breeding to break the turtle's hibernation habits and speed up its growth.

Therefore, it can be seen that it is best to catch soft-shelled turtles during the non-hibernation period.