What should beginners pay attention to when raising turtles?
Tortoise bite
1. Acid excretion: that is, uric acid excretion. In the wild, pets store water in the kidneys and metabolize it to form uric acid. When the water intake is insufficient, the water in the body is recycled repeatedly. Over time, uric acid will form too high, and it will combine with calcium and other organic substances (such as oxalic acid) to form uric acid crystals (pet). Therefore, improper supplementation of calcium powder or other minerals (too much or too little) is also related to uric acid crystallization, but the most important thing is the intake of water and protein. Generally, under artificial feeding with normal appetite, the normal defecation and acid excretion cycle of 1-3 days does not exceed 7- 10 days, otherwise there may be a risk of stones.
The relationship between acid excretion and stones: If you often find white or milky paste uric acid in its excrement, it means that its metabolic function is normal and it is worth being happy.
Once it is found that acid is not excreted for a long time or uric acid has been lumpy or granular, attention should be paid to its water intake (not too little) and protein intake (not too much) to prevent the risk of urethral blockage caused by uric acid stones. If your feeding style, environment and diet are normal, there are no other bad symptoms, and you have not excreted white or milky thick uric acid, it may indicate that uric acid (urate) is excreted with urine in liquid form, so you can't easily detect it. Don't be too nervous.
Generally, stones are not seen at the initial stage, the excretion is normal, and there is granular uric acid, which can reduce appetite and occasionally stretch the limbs and neck at the same time; In the middle stage, the frequency and quantity of excretion decrease, uric acid decreases, granular stones or large stones are discharged, appetite decreases, and limbs and neck stretch frequently; In the later stage, there will be no uric acid, no excretion, obvious loss of appetite or stop eating, hind legs crawling or moving less, and severe cases will die. If conditions permit, if you are not sure whether there are stones, you can go to the pet hospital to take an X-ray to see if there are stones in your body (pat your navel nails).
But some stones can't be avoided and prevented even if the environment, acid excretion and defecation are normal. It can't be said that this is abnormal, because after all, it is life, just like the relationship between everyone's physique. Even if there are rules to follow in raising turtles, the state of each turtle is not exactly the same. But I'm afraid the stones won't come out and completely block the urinary tract and cloaca. That's terrible. Therefore, we have always suggested taking a bath regularly, strengthening the hydration in the body and the low intake of protein, as well as the multi-fiber and diversification of food, so as to minimize the retention time of stones in the body. If it is found that tortoise's appetite has decreased, and it fasted for a long time, or uric acid is granular, you can try to flush its lower abdomen with a faucet (the water temperature is slightly higher) or repeatedly brush it to stimulate the discharge of accumulated stones. If it doesn't drain into the cloaca, dig the cloaca out in warm water with an ear spoon to see if you feel stones. If there is, you can take it out gently bit by bit.
Under artificial feeding, the probability of stones is also related to its physiological structure and climate of origin. For example, turtles prone to stones are: Sukada, Star Tortoise, European Tortoise, and Gopher Tortoise. Other turtles are unlikely to have stones.
2. Long back: The turtle's back is shaped like a small earthen bag. For people with severe back augmentation, the turtle's back will be like a pyramid, so it is called "pyramid disease". However, back bulge can not be collectively referred to as "pyramid disease". Generally speaking, the slight fluctuation of back enlargement may be due to incorrect feeding methods or different breed attributes, while "pyramid disease" tends to be a deformity with a high incidence in the wild.
Back augmentation is also a manifestation of sub-health, but some turtles, such as Indian star turtle, leopard turtle and red-legged turtle, will have their backs augmented even in the wild. As long as the scale and concept of carina are properly controlled, their lives are usually not threatened.
3. Back sun exposure: The turtle is irradiated by UVB in the sun to form vitamin D3 in its body to fully absorb calcium (it needs to be done at a certain temperature, generally between 26 and 32 degrees). UVA can promote appetite and grow healthily and naturally. Usually, glass will block most of UVB, so it is recommended not to have glass to block back dryness. It is more appropriate to keep it for 20-40 minutes, and avoid it at noon to avoid body burns and dehydration. It is worth mentioning that many turtle friends, in pursuit of appearance, are afraid of drying their backs or concentric shields, so they do not dry their backs or rarely do so, and only provide artificial UVB ultraviolet rays in the breeding grounds. This move is undoubtedly ignorant and ridiculous. The tortoise must be exposed to the sun all the time without hindrance, otherwise it will be difficult to raise the tortoise well.
4. Bathing: Soak the soft-shelled turtle in warm water of 35-50 degrees (depending on whether it is hot or not) for 30-60 minutes, and the water level should not exceed 1/3 of the soft-shelled turtle height to avoid choking. It is best to do it once a day, or once every other day. The main purpose of bathing is to promote excretion, form a conditioned reflex of bathing excretion and prevent stones. It is best for two or more tortoises to bathe in the basin, which is beneficial to observe the defecation or acid excretion and prevent tortoises carrying infectious pathogens from cross-infecting healthy individuals. It is suggested that it is best to do it in the feeding box in winter, and at the same time, it is irradiated with ceramic heaters or heat gathering lamps to keep warm; You can do it in the sun in summer. You can kill two birds with one stone by taking a bath, keeping warm, drying your back and avoiding dehydration. It is best to use non-metallic materials for utensils, the edge is higher than that of turtles, and the area should be large rather than small.
A turtle friend said, "You don't need to take a bath often to keep a turtle. Where can wild turtles take a bath? My family's XX turtle does not soak all the year round and still lives well. " Yes, if you keep turtles just for the sake of keeping them, then you can get as close to nature as possible. If you keep a turtle as a pet, you have to consider some human factors. That is to say, the situation of turtles in the family environment is completely different from that of turtles living in the wild environment, so raising turtles in the family is bound to go against the characteristics of wild turtles in some ways. Moreover, it is not entirely advocated to take a bath every day, but it is suggested to take a bath regularly for those turtles that are prone to stones, and try to reduce some disadvantages of keeping turtles at home through some non-field means. This is also the helplessness and sadness of raising pet turtles.
5. Calcium deficiency: Calcium is one of the important nutrient elements for tortoise growth. If the tortoise lacks calcium for a long time, its carapace will become soft, its limbs will not crawl, its toenails will fall off and its appetite will decrease. The factors of calcium deficiency are single feeding, lack of sunlight and vitamin D3, long-term failure to supplement calcium and improper selection or dosage of calcium. The first few factors are introduced here, and the last two factors are mainly introduced: Many turtle friends choose calcium supplement products or cuttlefish bone to save money and trouble. If they are not used properly, they may cause stones, which is undoubtedly very dangerous. Because they are not easy to absorb calcium carbonate, calcium carbonate also contains phosphorus, which further hinders the absorption of calcium. Especially in cuttlefish bone, the ratio of calcium and phosphorus is too low. Therefore, it is suggested to use calcium products special for reptiles; Its dosage should not be supplemented too much or too frequently, and it is easy to cause stones due to insufficient absorption. Take Sukada whose breastplate is 10 cm as an example, the upper limit of calcium supplement powder per week is the frequency and dosage of two ear spoons at a time. If your feeding environment and food are suitable (for example, receiving sunshine all the year round, diversifying food, etc.). ), then the dose and frequency of calcium supplementation can be relatively low.
6. Refusing to eat, stopping eating and filling food: Refusing to eat refers to the performance of temporarily not eating because of environmental changes (including new turtles not eating) or initial inflammation; Stopping eating is the late performance of turtles when they hibernate or get sick. In case of refusing to eat, the feeding environment should be improved in time (new turtles can be lured to eat, such as fruit, steamed carrots+pumpkins or feed as bait), or corresponding treatment measures should be taken; Feeding is when the turtle can't take the initiative to eat because of illness, and it is artificially fed. This operation is difficult, even if it is successful, it can only maintain temporary physical strength and nutrition. The owner should treat or adjust the feeding environment in time and let it take the initiative to eat.
7. Sudden death: The tortoise died suddenly in a short time without obvious symptoms, which is called sudden death. As for the reason, there is no reasonable scientific explanation at present. If anyone knows, please discuss it here and try to reduce the death rate of sudden death.
8. The difference between turtles and tortoises: In China, many people habitually call turtles (except turtles) turtles. This title is extremely unscientific. Because the turtle is only one of the three species of water turtles distributed in some countries in East Asia, its taxonomic unit is species; Turtles are the general name of more than 30 species of turtles distributed all over the world, and their taxonomic unit is subfamily. Therefore, turtles are completely different from any kind of turtles or other turtles.
9. Judging male and female: Take Star Turtle, Myanmar Star and Myanmar Land as examples: (1) The male turtle is long and narrow, and the female turtle is round; (2) The tail of the male turtle is thick and long, and the tail of the female turtle is fat and short; (3) The reproductive orifice of the male turtle is far from the anal shield, while that of the female turtle is the opposite; (4) The carapace of the male turtle is sunken and the carapace of the female turtle is flat; (5) The male turtle grows slowly and is smaller than the female turtle. (6) Some people say that if the male turtle is caught, its tail will hook forward slightly (mating posture), while the female turtle's tail will face to both sides, but this is not entirely correct. For your reference. Take red legs and yellow legs as examples: (1) It is difficult to distinguish between sexes visually, even in terms of body shape and abdominal armor; (2) The male tortoise-tailed Babi female tortoise is flat and has four scales, which is the only identifiable part. Take the copepod turtle as an example: (1) It can be distinguished from its tail, but it is difficult to judge; (2) It needs a certain size to distinguish it from the abdominal nail; (3) Adult male turtles will actively sniff each other's cloaca to confirm each other's sex, while female turtles will not; (4) There is no special difference between male and female types and sizes. Take Sukada and Leopard Tortoise as examples: (1) The carapace of the male tortoise is sunken, while that of the female tortoise is flat; (2) The opening angle of anal shield of male turtle is larger, but that of female turtle is opposite; (3) The male turtle will physically impact other turtles (or males of the same species), and even attack people and things it thinks are suspicious. Take the European turtle as an example: (1) The tail of the male turtle is long and thick, while that of the female turtle is the opposite; (2) Male turtles are impatient in estrus and will chase and bite each other; (3) The male turtle is smaller than the female turtle. Take the bootlegged turtle as an example: (1) It is indistinguishable from the appearance; (2) When the male turtle meets the same kind, he will nod his head frequently to test the other's sex (but he must grow to be above sub-adult), but the female turtle will not.
10: a. The tail of the turtle is straight, and the position of the vent hole exceeds the edge of the tail shield, so the male turtle has high composition. Male turtles of most species are smaller than female turtles, while island turtles (Garaba, Adabora) and Sukada are the opposite. C. There is little difference between the sexes of some species, such as copepods, red-legged turtles and yellow-legged turtles. D. In most species, males are active, while females are calm. E. Male turtles of most species will take the initiative to sniff each other's cloacal foramen to confirm their sex in adulthood.
1 1. Subspecies: The so-called subspecies refer to taxonomic units below species in biological taxonomy, and are some taxa within species. However, they are different in some morphological characteristics, physiological characteristics, gene frequency and chromosome structure, and have different geographical distribution. In other words, some ethnic groups of a species have been significantly different from the original species in appearance because of long-term ecological isolation. Over the years, its surface color, scales and skin have changed a little. Those that can still reproduce naturally with the original species after the ecological isolation is lifted are called subspecies of this species. Subspecies classification of tortoises: animal kingdom-chordates-vertebrates-reptiles-tortoises-submerged tortoises-tortoises-tortoises-various tortoises-tortoises-tortoises subspecies.
12. Growth lines (lines): In the process of artificial feeding, due to the rapid growth of turtles, the space between the shields of the exoskeleton began to expand, and white or light yellow and light pink lines appeared before the pigment could be formed. After a period of time, with the increase of pigment and the formation of keratin, the growth line (line) will gradually disappear. But as the tortoise grows, it will still appear. The constant appearance of growth lines shows that your turtle is growing, which is the embodiment of health. If there has been no growth line (line), it may be because there is no back sun, calcium supplement or nail joint damage.
13. Growth speed: It is normal for the same species to have different growth speeds for each turtle due to individual differences (including genetic, physical and health factors); The growth rate of different species can't be judged by their own growth rate, because the growth rate of each species depends on the size of adults, such as the comparison between Sukada and Indian star turtle. In addition, we should know that turtles are long-lived animals, and their natural growth rate is not fast. Under artificial breeding, don't think that they grow slowly and "pull out the seedlings to encourage them", which will undoubtedly harm them. Therefore, it is suggested that the owner should try to avoid feeding a lot of rich food or supplementing some nutrients every day. Growing up too fast is not a good thing! On the contrary, starving for two or three days (healthy individuals) often does more good than harm to their long-term health.
14. polyculture: two or more turtles are kept in a breeding box. The most basic principle is that tortoises with similar temperature and humidity and body shape have no infectious diseases (including pneumonia, cold, swollen neck, internal and external parasitic diseases, etc. ) and different species without aggressive habits can live together for a long time.
15. Armor: When the tortoise shell looks dull, it mostly means that the body lacks nutrition or receives less ultraviolet rays, and it belongs to sub-health. Therefore, the luster of tortoise shells can reflect their health to some extent. Therefore, when the tortoise shell is dull, dull or dry for a long time, a variety of food supplies, sufficient ultraviolet radiation and a good feeding environment are mainly used for feeding. Vitamin AD or AE capsules (smeared) can be used as auxiliary drugs.
16. Tortoise (lack of armor): During hatching, irregular arrangement or lack of armor caused by gene mutation or genetic genes belongs to a congenital pathological malformation. Turtles with this phenomenon cannot recover their original appearance and grow slowly, but they are not life-threatening. Usually in small quantities.
17. Albinism and yellowing: During the hatching process of turtles, gene deletion leads to no or little melanin production, which makes the whole exoskeleton or limbs pale yellow, and the eyes are mostly red or a few black. Turtles with this phenomenon can't recover their original appearance, grow slowly and have a relatively short life span. Usually the number is small, but there are artificially propagated individuals abroad.
18. cervical spine guard: a small nail plate located in front of the dorsal nail spine guard and embedded between the left and right edge guards. The cervical shield of some individuals is located on the ventral side of the marginal shield. Some turtles, such as Indian Star Turtle, Sukada and Leopard Turtle, have no neck shield. The neck shield is sometimes one of the signs that distinguish tortoises with similar appearance but different species. For example, Adabola has a neck shield, but Galapagos does not; Burmese tortoises have neck shields, but some Celebes tortoises and most Indian tortoises don't.
19. Tortoise inhales: Tortoise breathes by stretching its neck and limbs, exhaling first and then inhaling. This special way of breathing is called "swallow breathing", which is called turtle breathing for short. We used the method of medical anatomy to analyze the experimental turtle, and found that the bronchi did not branch into the lung tissue step by step, but the left and right bronchi directly opened into the central cavity of the lung, and the small branches released from the network plane reported openings, forming a special way of gas exchange between the big bronchi and the small bronchi in the central cavity. Thin lung tissue is supported by a slender bronchial network and suspended between the central cavity and the airbag under the carapace, which constitutes the unique respiratory organ of turtle. The telescopic movement of the turtle's neck and limbs actually does not oppress the lung tissue, but oppresses the left and right airbags, which promotes the gas exchange in the central cavity bronchus. The basis of swallowing and sucking turtle is the dysplasia of turtle's lung, and the airbag and central cavity make up for the breathing function of turtle's lung. If your turtle often nods and stretches its limbs, it is breathing. Besides breathing with the lungs, tortoises. They also breathe through the skin.
20.CB (captive breeding) and WC (wild catching): Here refer to the individual turtles artificially bred (hatched) and those caught in the wild. Compared with WC individuals, CB individuals can adapt to the artificial environment faster, are not picky eaters, and rarely have bacterial diseases such as internal and external parasites. So try to choose CB individuals or WC individuals after artificial feeding for a period of time.
2 1. Countermeasures for temporarily being left unattended (short-term): If you and your family go out for a long time, there are several ways to refer to the placement of turtles: (1) Foster care with friends or relatives. If the box is not very big, you'd better move it. Before fostering, we must guide all aspects of turtle breeding to avoid unpleasant things. (2) carry it with you. First, find a small basket or a bigger shoe box, pad it with newspapers or other water-absorbing materials, and punch a number of air holes around it. It is best to bring a heating pad, which can be placed under the mat when the local temperature is low. If your turtles are too big or too many, you'd better foster or stay at home. (3) Stay where you are. If neither of the above methods is feasible, you have to stand still. Before you go, you must make some preparations. First, make sure there is enough water. It is necessary to fill the basin. If your turtle needs high humidity, you can put a small basin full of water in it. The second is the sufficiency of food. Put one or more cabbages and carrots before you go. Cabbage vegetables are wrapped in layers to prevent water loss, and carrots can be preserved for a long time. It's not expensive, and it can cure picky eaters. The third is the preparation and inspection of the environment, including smooth ventilation, ensuring temperature, whether the circuit is safe and so on. It's best to change all the bedding materials into newspapers (multiple layers), so it's easier to clean up the feces when you come back.