How to raise a turtle as big as a child's palm

Turtles are not afraid of cold, just put water in winter, but don't let the water freeze. When it is too cold, heat it properly, and add some boiling water to control the water temperature slightly when changing water. Buy turtle food to feed it in winter. People are kept from hibernating. I used to raise several big ones, and the small ones were only used by friends for a few days. Now she has kept it for three years, but she hasn't seen it for a long time. Spread some sand or bought pebbles under it and put them on the heated windowsill for the winter. It doesn't hibernate, but it can eat quite well. You can buy small fish to feed it in summer and turtle food in winter. It's easy to raise

For the overwintering management of family-raised soft-shelled turtle, soft-shelled turtle can be placed in an indoor water container and kept above 0℃. The stocking density can also be increased by more than 1 times than usual, which is conducive to raising a certain temperature. For example, it is a very safe way to cover the pond with plastic film without freezing the water. Appropriately deepening the water level also has the function of heat preservation. The simplest way is to put some foam plastic plates in the small pool and cover them with straw to keep the turtles safe for the winter.

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.

Tortoise's habit

1. Turtles are warm animals.

The tortoise is a temperature-changing animal, so it is very sensitive to the change of environmental temperature. Its food intake and activity are affected by the ambient temperature. Due to the limited heat produced by turtles' metabolism, they lack the control mechanism to retain the heat produced in their bodies. In order to overcome this defect, turtles rely on finding cold or hot places to control the fluctuation of daily body temperature. The artificial microenvironment temperature of the turtle is consistent with the natural habitat, so as to ensure the physiological and psychological health of the turtle. Generally, the suitable temperature for tropical turtles is 27-38℃, that for temperate turtles is 20-35℃, and that for semi-aquatic turtles is slightly lower. The lethal temperature of some turtles is about 5℃ outside the upper limit of suitable temperature. When the temperature is low, the tortoise doesn't move. In order to achieve the purpose of breeding turtles under artificial breeding conditions, the environmental temperature of turtles should be avoided from being too high or too low or fluctuating too much. When the temperature is about10 C, turtles begin to hibernate. When the temperature rises to about 15℃, the turtles begin to move, and some turtles can start eating. Generally speaking, when the temperature is 25℃, the feeding and activities of turtles are regarded as normal. The temperature around 30℃ is the best temperature for turtles to eat, move and grow. Therefore, in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China, April-10 is the feeding and activity period of soft-shelled turtles every year; 165438+ 10-March of the following year is the hibernation period of turtles.

Second, the classification of turtles

The species of turtles can be divided into five types according to their living environment: terrestrial turtles, aquatic turtles, semi-aquatic turtles, turtles and benthic turtles. The external morphological structure of different kinds of turtles corresponds to their living environment. For example, the toes and fingers of aquatic turtles have enough webbed feet to adapt to deep-water life. Terrestrial turtles, however, have thick cylindrical limbs to adapt to crawling in swamps and land; Turtles living in the sea all have paddle-like limbs and a pair of salt glands, which are beneficial to the secretion of excess salt in the body. Turtles can be divided into animal turtles, plant turtles and omnivorous turtles according to their food. The feeding habits of aquatic turtles are generally omnivorous, such as turtles and yellow-throated turtles. Semi-aquatic turtles are mostly animals, such as flat-breasted turtles, three-line closed-shell turtles and golden-headed box turtles. Yellow-rimmed box turtle and yellow-fronted box turtle are omnivorous. Terrestrial turtles are mostly plants, such as Burmese turtles and four-claw turtles. Tortoise has a strong hunger and thirst tolerance, but it is not easy to die if it doesn't eat for several years.

Third, turtles are all laid eggs.

Turtles are all oviparous, and the breeding season is generally from May to 65438+ 10 every year (except for constant temperature breeding). Eggs are laid on land, and the number of eggs laid by different kinds of turtles is different. Freshwater turtles lay 2-5 eggs at a time. The eggs are white and have calcareous hard shells. The eggs of different kinds of turtles are also different in shape and size. The eggs are mostly rectangular and the eggs of turtles are spherical. The turtle's egg hole is usually in a damp and warm place. The egg hole is pot-shaped, with a big top and a small bottom. The hatching of eggs depends entirely on natural light, heat and rain. Turtles have no habit of taking care of eggs.

Four. Water and humidity

In order for the semi-aquatic turtles to sink into the water, there should be enough water. Many turtles feed, breed and communicate with each other in the water. For turtles living in ports, the salinity of water should also be considered. For some turtles, the PH value of water should be adjusted to be the same as the water in their natural habitat. The metabolic end product of aquatic and semi-aquatic soft-shelled turtle is urea, and urea secretion leads to a large amount of water loss of soft-shelled turtle. Turtles born in a dry environment lose moisture through their skin. Similarly, turtles can absorb water through their skin. Many turtles drink water directly from pools or jars. Often spraying water to the turtle house helps the turtle to choose water freely. The humidity of the turtle house should be close to its natural environment. Too low humidity (70%) will lead to a large number of bacteria or fungi, which is prone to subcutaneous infection.

Verb (abbreviation for verb) light cycle

According to the natural circadian rhythm of turtles and the requirements of one-year activities, domestic turtles need regular illumination. The change of photoperiod and suitable living environment conditions are important environmental factors that enable turtles to breed under family rearing conditions. The variation range of photoperiod sunshine in temperate zone is 8 hours in winter and 16 hours in summer. In tropical areas, the fluctuation of sunshine is about 10 hour in winter and about 14 hour in summer. Practice has proved that the change of seasonal light intensity is beneficial to the reproduction of artificially raised turtles. It is best to use full-spectrum light and choose fluorescent tubes with spectral characteristics similar to natural light (including ultraviolet rays). Full spectrum illumination can improve the feeding behavior and reproduction of turtles. Incandescent lamps can be used as the light source of turtle houses, but direct contact with bulbs should be avoided to avoid scalding turtles. Conservation lights can also be used to locally heat turtle houses, but protective measures must be taken to be more than 35 cm above the ground where turtles move.

Main organs and physiological functions of turtles

First, the skin

The biggest feature of turtle skin (except the front end of the head) is rough, and the epidermis has fine or fine scales, which can protect the dermis, reduce friction with the outside world and reduce the evaporation of water in the body.

Second, the way turtles breathe.

The expansion and contraction of the neck and limbs directly affect the size of the abdominal cavity, thus affecting the expansion and contraction of the lungs. When the tortoise breathes, it exhales first and then inhales. This special way of breathing is called swallow breathing, also called turtle breathing. The process of turtle's breathing movement can be observed from the contraction of the skin membrane of turtle's hind limb fossa.

Third, the sense of smell.

There are two nostrils on the glans penis, but only one nasal cavity, and the bone in the nostril is covered by epithelial mucosa, which has olfactory function. Among them, the vomeronasal organ is their main olfactory organ. Therefore, when looking for food or crawling, turtles always stretch their heads and necks very long to explore the smell and then decide the direction to go.

Fourth, vision.

Turtle's eye structure is typical, the cornea is convex, the lens is round and the ciliary muscle is developed. The visual distance can be adjusted by adjusting the curvature of the lens. Therefore, turtles generally have a wide field of vision, but the clarity is poor. Therefore, turtles are sensitive to moving objects, but slow to respond to still life. According to the experiments of British zoologists, most turtles can distinguish colors like humans. Especially sensitive to red and white.

Verb (abbreviation for verb) listening

The turtle's hearing organs are only ears and inner ears, but no outer ears. The outermost layer is the eardrum. Therefore, turtles are slow to respond to air-borne sounds, but sensitive to ground-borne vibrations. So generally speaking, turtles are almost regarded as deaf-mute animals.

Reproductive habits of sea turtles

Turtles reproduce by laying eggs. When the female gonads are mature, turtles (except soft-shelled turtles) begin to mate in estrus at about 25℃ in late spring and early summer every year. Before mating, males chase or circle around females. After a long time, the male climbed onto the female's back, grabbed both sides of the female's back with his forelimbs, bit the female's neck with his mouth, and sometimes knocked the female unconscious with the back of the abdominal armor. The mating time is about 10 minute. Turtle mating can be done in water or on land. Keep quiet when mating, and don't scare the tortoise, so as not to affect the fertilization rate.

Turtles usually lay eggs every other year after mating in the same year, with May-10 as the spawning season, and the number of eggs laid each time varies from 1-20 (maximum 100). The egg is spherical or rectangular with a white calcareous hard shell. Turtles lay eggs in wetlands. Before laying eggs, the female turtle crouches on the ground, and her forelimbs and hind limbs dig into a hole with a big top and a small bottom. After the hole is dug, the cloaca hole faces the hole, the head and neck are elongated, and the mouth is slightly open, so that the eggs are laid in it. Every time you lay an egg, rest for about 2 minutes and regenerate one. After laying eggs, the hind limbs rotate and work to dig the soil into the hole until the eggs are covered. Finally, compact the soil with the back of the abdominal nail before leaving. Turtles have no habit of keeping nests. Eggs generally hatch naturally after 50-60 days depending on natural conditions such as temperature and humidity, and young turtles can hatch.

Identification of turtles

Age discrimination: It is often said that the Millennium tortoise is a Millennium tortoise, and turtles are well-known long-lived animals. The calculation method of turtle's age is generally based on the number of concentric rings on the tortoise shell shield, and each ring represents a growth cycle, that is, one year. The number of concentric rings on the shield, plus 1 (born one year after breaking the shell) is the age of the turtle. This method can only be more accurate if the concentric ring pattern of tortoise shell is clear. For an old turtle or a turtle with fuzzy concentric rings, only its approximate age can be estimated.

Sexism: The tail of a male turtle is longer than that of a female turtle. The male of a semi-aquatic turtle is small and has long claws, and the male's hind legs may be serrated. The shape of the turtle's navel also shows different characteristics. The navel of a male is concave, while that of a female is flat. Some male turtles only have a pair of enlarged outer pharyngeal scales.