Chinese name: Chicken Turtle
English name:DCChicken Turtle
Latin name:Deirochelys reticularia
Chicken Turtles
Geographic distribution: Rest In the freshwater environment of shallow pools and lakes with rich vegetation; it is also scattered in ditches and swamps in cypress forests. It is native to the coastal plains from southeastern Virginia to Ohio, west to Texas, and north to Oklahoma and Missouri.
Physical characteristics:Body length 4- 10" (10.2-25.4 cm). The neck is striped and extremely long. Its length is almost as long as the carapace. Based on this It can be easily distinguished by its slightly wrinkled carapace and a web-like pattern on its tail. There are also broad stripes on each forelimb. The male is smaller than the female and has a stripe on it. Thick and long tail
Reproduction: Spawning season varies with latitude; March in South Carolina and March in Florida. It lays eggs year-round. Several clutches are laid each year, with 5-15 eggs in each clutch. The eggs are oval, 13/8" (37mm) long, and are laid in a nest about 4" (10.2cm) deep. The male has 2-4 eggs. Years, or when they reach 4" (10.2cm), they reach maturity; while females reach maturity after 6-8 years and reach 7" (18cm) in length.
Chicken turtles are artificially bred in recent years. It has developed in many places in recent years, especially as the turtle market has flattened and the turtle market has stabilized, many turtle farmers have turned to raising chicken turtles. However, farmers have discovered that although some female turtles lay a lot of eggs, they do not. The fertilization rate is not high and the hatching rate is low, especially for first-time turtle eggs. Many people think that there is a problem with the female turtle, but they do not know that the reason does not lie with the female turtle, but mainly with the male turtle itself. Related.
Through experiments, people have found that the development times of the two sexes in nature are different. Generally, the female gonads mature early and the male gonads mature late. The same is true for turtles. , female turtles become sexually mature early, and male turtles become sexually matureLate, this results in the lack of effective mating by sexually mature male turtles in pre-sexually mature female turtles, resulting in a low fertilization rate of turtle eggs.
In view of the problem that the sexual maturation of female and male turtles is not synchronized, effective measures such as adjusting the sex ratio of male and female turtles, raising male and female turtles in a staggered position, and reducing nutritional supplements for male turtles have achieved remarkable results. The results have increased the fertilization rate of first-laying eggs from about 20% to more than 80%, and the efficiency has been greatly improved. The specific method is:
(1) Improve the sex ratio of female to male turtles from the conventional ratio of 2 to 3:1 to 2:1 to 2. Allowing each female turtle to be mated immediately with a male turtle can increase more mating opportunities due to the basically perfect ratio of the two sexes, thereby increasing the fertilization rate of female turtles.
(2) Mixed breeding of male and female turtles for one year. For female turtles that will be sexually mature in the first year, and male turtles that have matured in the first year, mixed breeding in the same pool can avoid the male turtles from being sexually mature. Mature late and lose the effective connection rate.
(3) Mixed breeding of male and female turtles. First, keep the male and female turtles in separate pools for a long time. Once the turtle's estrus period comes, these turtles should be mixed together immediately to make the turtle explode. Sexual excitement can encourage turtles to quickly develop their gonads and complete mating. After the mating period, they will be cultured in separate pools.
(4) Add nutrients and Chinese herbal medicines. Add vitamin-rich malt, freshwater shrimp, silkworm chrysalis, pig, cow, and sheep afterbirth to the feed; vitamins A, D, and E can also be mixed directly into the feed. and zinc; Chinese herbal powders such as pine needle powder, leek powder, epimedium, and actinolite can also be mixed into the feed, which can effectively improve the sexual function of male turtles, promote successful mating, and increase the fertilization rate of female turtles.
Livelihood customs:Chicken turtles mainly live in clear streams in mountain streams. It is also found in swamps, pools, riversides and fields. It is usually used at night to climb rocks and trees. It can climb walls and branches that are larger than itself with the support of its tail. According to the indoor breeding survey, it was found that they spend most of the day hidden in the pool water, begin to swim in the evening, and occasionally crawl out of the pool to swim on the sand. Observing Creation in the Wilderness: Mostly seen in the evening and early morning hours. We speculate that the daytime may be hidden at the bottom of the stream or under the rocks.
Chicken turtles are typical carnivorous animals; they especially like to eat live bait. In the wilderness, they mainly eat snails, earthworms, small fish, snails, shrimps, frogs, etc., and also eat dead fish. Shrimp and animal offal, no plant-based feed; if raised indoors, eels, loaches, small crustaceans, rat meat, pork, and other turtle meat can also be fed; there is no choice in the feeding time, and they like to eat in the water, depending on * Its front paws and healthy left and right jaws tear the food into pieces and swallow it with the help of its front paws.
Around November every year, when the water temperature drops below 10°C, it enters hibernation and does not wake up until the water temperature rises to about 15°C the following year. If this turtle is raised artificially, it should be strengthened before hibernation, because its ability to withstand hunger is worse than that of ordinary black turtles (according to breeding surveys, if it is not fed for just one month during exercise, it will die). Chickens and turtles kept indoors are mostly kept in poolsHibernate; in the wilderness, they often hibernate in stone caves with water flow.
Chicken turtles are the most violent of the freshwater turtles. Unlike other turtles that are passive-aggressive and defensive, chicken turtles often attack aggressively. When threatened, it will open its eyes wide with anger, hiss in its mouth, and open its mouth to bite. Once caught, it will scratch its mouth and bite with its claws, slap its tail parts, and resist fiercely. Chicken turtles have long claws and long legs, and can crawl very quickly, at 7 to 8 meters per minute. The swimming ability is also very strong. When on the water surface, the tail ends are raised, and the hands and feet are paddled to swim freely.
Feeding situation
1. Pool in the yard: To prevent them from escaping, a metal mesh can be set up around the pool or the edge of the pool can be raised. Make it invincible.
2. Raise at home: The best breeding container is a sink or washbasin. As long as the chicken turtle has not crawled out and the water can be changed, any container will work.
Key points of the feeding environment: The permanent location of the breeding box is best always in the house. Because if it stays in direct sunlight for a long time, the water temperature in the tank will rise, which will lead to the death of the chicken and turtle.
The ideal water temperature should be maintained at 25 degrees C. If the water temperature reaches 30 degrees, they will be very gorgeous. If you find that their physical condition is not good, you can use a 100-candle light bulb to illuminate the water to make the water temperature slightly higher, but not higher than 35 degrees. The water should be changed once a week.
Chicken turtles like to bask in the sun. This is because chicken turtles are also indifferent animals, and their body temperature will rise and fall with the temperature. Therefore, they use the sun to regulate their own body temperature. If the body temperature is too high, they will dive into the water. In addition, basking in the sun can also produce vitamins in the chicken turtle's body, which can help make its shell crisp, hard and strong. It is advisable to sunbathe for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
When a chicken turtle’s shell becomes soft or the area around its eyes becomes red or swollen, it means they are sick. It is often caused by poor nutrition. Therefore, feed them some vitamin drops or elixirs for babies every day, or use human eye drops to drip on their eyes.
Near winter, chickens and turtles do not eat. At this time, a place for overwintering should be prepared for them. Put about 30 centimeters of water in the sink, then put soil and a large amount of fallen leaves. However, if the water temperature is always maintained at about 25 degrees, there is no need for chickens and turtles to hibernate, and they must be given food on time.
Feeding skills
1. Food: Although chickens and turtles eat all kinds of food, they have always been fed cheap and low-nutrition food, which may cause Special attention must be paid to the situation of nutritional imbalance. Chicken turtles need a lot of calcium and should be fed food containing a lot of calcium. Recently, nutritionally balanced special feed for chickens and turtles has been launched on the market, which can be eaten with confidence. Other carp feed and dog food are also very suitable foods. Occasionally feeding some novel foods such as boneless fish, snake meat, mice, etc. will definitely win the love of chickens and turtles. Feeding only fish and meat slices will cause malnutrition and requires the addition of water-soluble nutrients. What is introduced above is that people should rest in water from time to time.The food of chicken turtles, such as tortoises and other chicken turtles that do not enter the water and like plant food, are less suitable for feeding with artificial feed. Generally, leafy vegetables, cabbage, carrots and other vegetables can be used for feeding together with nutrients. You can use Jiuguan bird feed to feed it.
2. Cage: Aquatic turtles can be raised in water tanks and other containers. The actual size of chicken turtles is larger than it looks, and the amount of movement is also large, so a larger cage is needed. On balance, a sink with a side length of 60 cm is still too small, and it is best to use a storage box for clothes.
3. Others: Chicken turtles are not exposed to ultraviolet rays and cannot use calcium. Compared with lizards, the methods to prevent chickens and turtles from escaping are relatively simple. As long as the water supply method is good and there is a cool place to rest, heat stroke is less likely to occur. The method for sunbathing is also relatively simple. If young turtles do not absorb enough calcium, their shells will easily become soft and tender; if they do not absorb enough vitamin A, their eyes may turn white. When the above situation occurs, in addition to the problem of insufficient vitamin A and calcium, it may also involve long-term feeding of low-nutrient foods, insufficient ultraviolet rays, etc., or there may be errors in the feeding methods. We must carefully provide nutritionally balanced food, use sun lamps for sunbathing, etc., and completely change the feeding environment.
Rare diseases
For aquatic turtles raised in captivity, ulcers may occur on the carapace. Although they are both carapace lesions, the symptoms are different and the types of causative bacteria are not widespread. Gram-negative bacteria. Gram-positive bacteria. Symptoms include carapace peeling, pigmentation, ulcers, numbness of the limbs, loss of toes, and necrosis of internal organs. Feeding animals such as crayfish, snakes, and sea worms, as well as soil and contaminated water, may be the source of the sensation. Bacteria enter the body through wounds. When adjusting, use medicated baths and apply appropriate antibiotics all over the body. However, chickens and turtles may be allergic to certain antibiotics and may be poisoned, so special care must be taken when using them.
Chicken turtles are originally temperate to cold creatures, so it is rare to see wild turtles in cold areas. The most common turtle in Taiwan is the grass turtle. In addition, the chicken turtle native to the Americas can also be seen and sold in aquariums.
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