How to tell whether a turtle is wild or farmed? The difference between wild and farmed turtles

Turtle, also known as turtle, is often called "turtle". It is an amphibian reptile and a very nutritious food. It can also be used as medicine. There are two types of turtles: wild and domesticated. There are not many wild ones on the market now, but it is inevitable that when you buy them, unscrupulous vendors will sell domesticated ones as wild ones at a high price. So how do you tell whether a turtle is wild or domesticated?

How to tell if a soft-shell turtle is wild or domestic

Look at the head features.

The head of a wild turtle is thin, flat and small with vertical stripes, while the head of a farmed turtle is relatively smooth and fat.

See if you can flip the cover yourself.

Since wild turtles have to forage for food in the wild, they are very active and react to stress quickly. When you turn the cover over, you can see their reaction. Wild turtles can quickly turn over on all fours, while farmed turtles are bulky and will not turn over on their own after the cover is turned over.

Look at the ability to act.

Because of their fierce nature and eating habits, wild turtles will quickly bite your hand or anything you hold out if attacked, while farmed turtles move slowly and react slowly.

Look at the toes and claws.

The toes and claws of wild turtles in rural reservoirs are very sharp because they are used to catch live fish and shrimp. The toes and nails of farmed turtles are rounded and blunted because they are kept in cement pools.

Look at the back texture.

The back of a wild turtle is very thin, and you can see that the texture of its shell is relatively smooth, its muscles are tight, and its skirt is rolled up. The edges of farmed turtles are loose, and their muscles are loose and thick.

Look at the color of the abdomen.

Wild turtles in rural reservoirs forage for their own food, move a lot, and swim frequently for exercise, so their blood flows quickly and their abdomens are bright pink. Farmed turtles, on the other hand, have less activity and their abdomens are whitish and soft.

Depends on the degree of reaction to the attack.

Wild turtles are relatively thin, quick to react, very ferocious and wild, and always want to bite people. Farmed turtles are relatively stupid and dull, with slow reactions, and will just act like turtles when attacked.

Taste the texture.

Wild turtles eat live fish and shrimp, so they have firm muscles and are not easy to stew. They have a delicate and smooth taste without any fishy smell. Farmed turtles will stew quickly and have loose meat because they eat dead fish and shrimp fed artificially, which have a strong fishy smell.

The difference between wild and farmed soft-shelled turtles

The claws of farmed soft-shelled turtles are smooth and look a bit blunt, because they live in cement pools, which have dulled their claws over time. The claws of wild soft-shelled turtles are sharper, and the base of the claws is dark gray.

From the color point of view, the back of the farmed soft-shelled turtle is a bit dark and the veins are not clear. The wild soft-shelled turtle is just the opposite, with fresh color and clear veins.

What kind of turtle is delicious?

When choosing a turtle, the color of wild turtles is darker and lighter yellow than that of farmed ones. Then we look at whether the limbs are strong and thick, and finally the sensitivity of the turtle. The higher the sensitivity, the better the quality of the turtle. There are fewer wild turtles on the market now, and most of them are farmed.

When handling soft-shelled turtles, they must be cleaned, otherwise there will be a fishy smell. Put the cleaned soft-shelled turtles in a basin, scald them with boiling water, tear off the surface membrane while it is hot, chop the rest into small pieces except for the shell, and be sure to remove the fat inside, then blanch them in boiling water, remove them, wash them, and drain them. You can put ginger slices, star anise, dried chili peppers and other seasonings and ingredients in the pot according to your taste.