Chinese Softshell Turtle

Chinese Softshell Turtle is the most common indigenous species in China. It can be used for both medicine and ornamental purposes, and is a relatively economically beneficial variety. It is not expensive to purchase and can be occasionally seen in some ponds. The male Softshell Turtle has a certain probability of turning black, so it is also called Black Turtle.

Chinese Name: 中华草龟

Also known as: Longevity Turtle, Golden Turtle, Ink Turtle, Mud Turtle, Mountain Turtle, Black Turtle

Scientific Name: Chinemys reevesiis

English Name: Chinese Pond Turtle

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Reptilia

Order: Testudines

Family: Geoemydidae

Genus: Chinemys

Species: Reeves's Turtle

Distribution: Mountain streams, lakes, wetlands, rivers; China, Japan, the Philippines, and Europe and America

Appearance: The turtle's body is long and oval, with a slightly raised shell and 3 longitudinal ridges. The top of the head is black olive, the front skin is smooth, and the rear part is covered with fine scales.

Behavior: Amphibious. The turtle breathes with its lungs and has a well-developed keratinized shell that can reduce water evaporation. Mature turtles lay eggs on land without going through a completely aquatic stage.

Reproductive behavior: Oviparous. A female turtle lays eggs 3 to 4 times a year, with 5 eggs per nest and 2 to 7 eggs per nest.

Diet: The Softshell Turtle is omnivorous. In nature, animal feed mainly includes earthworms, small fish, shrimp, snails, clams, worms, animal corpses and viscera, hot pig blood, rotten meat, etc.; plant feed mainly includes plant stems and leaves, fruit peels, wheat bran, etc.

Chinese Softshell Turtle, commonly known as turtle, is the most widely distributed species of turtles in China, with distribution throughout the country. The Chinese Softshell Turtle, also known as the snake-neck turtle, is very popular in the international market. It is considered a symbol of "auspiciousness and longevity" by the people of Japan, the Philippines, and various countries in Europe and America. Chinese name: 中华草龟 (Chinese Softshell Turtle), also known as turtle, gold turtle, gold thread turtle, ink turtle, mud turtle, mountain turtle, stinky green turtle, long-lived turtle.

The whole body of the Softshell Turtle is precious, which is regarded as the top-quality food supplement and medicinal supplement in ancient Chinese medical books such as "Shennong's Materia Medica" and "Compendium of Materia Medica". It is often used to make soup. Li Shizhen said, "There are 360 insects, and the turtle is the longest living among insects." Softshell Turtles are listed as endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and are threatened by over-harvesting. However, for Hong Kong and mainland China, there is a market for artificially bred Softshell Turtles, so there are large quantities of Softshell Turtles available for breeders. In the natural environment, the animal feed for Softshell Turtles mainly includes worms, small fish, shrimp, snails, clams, blood clams, earthworms, animal corpses and viscera, pig blood, etc.; the plant feed mainly includes plant stems and leaves, fruit and vegetable peels, bran, etc.

It is recommended to keep Chinese Softshell Turtle as a pet.

Chinese Softshell Turtle advantages: lively, generally gentle and unlikely to harm other turtles or fish, relatively gentle compared to Brazilian turtles, not suitable for people with soft hearts who cannot bear to see them being eaten by crocodiles or other similar turtles. It can withstand high and low temperatures, hibernate, and has strong adaptability. It is considered aesthetically pleasing among personal water turtles. Adolescent turtles can be kept in open spaces, and they can enter and rest in a water basin for drinking water of various sizes.

1. Nutritional Diseases

    1. Etiology and Symptoms: Diseased turtles move slowly, often float on the water surface, or live alone near the walls or on the land. They have decreased appetite to the point of refusal to eat, leading to death. When severely ill, the abdomen emits a foul smell, the liver becomes enlarged and blackened; edema appears under the skin, the body becomes swollen, and the muscles at the base of the limbs feel soft without elasticity when squeezed by hand. This disease is mostly caused by long-term excessive feeding of spoiled meat and other feed, leading to intoxication and metabolic disorders in the turtle's body.

    2. Prevention and Treatment: Do not feed spoiled feed, and the amount of feed should be enough for the turtle to finish eating about 1 hour after feeding. Add appropriate amounts of vitamins B, C, and E to fresh turtle feed.

2. Esophagitis

    1. Etiology and Symptoms: This disease is caused by the turtle feed not being palatable enough during processing, or by foreign bodies or hard spines of fish and shrimp in the turtle's throat and esophagus. It causes inflammation of the esophagus or swelling of the esophageal mucosa, decreased appetite, and lethargy. If it affects young yellow-throated softshell turtles, which mostly live in water, it easily leads to death.

    2. Prevention and Treatment: When preparing turtle feed, remove any thorns and other hard objects from the feed, and the size should be suitable for the turtle to swallow directly. When feeding turtles, strictly avoid external interference to prevent the turtle from being frightened and getting sick from overeating. In the feed for the diseased turtle, mix an appropriate amount of tetracycline or erythromycin. If a turtle is found with a bone spur stuck in its throat, carefully remove the spur with sterilized tweezers, and feed it 1/3 of a tetracycline tablet and 1 vitamin B tablet.

3. Gastroenteritis

    1. Etiology and Symptoms: This disease is a common disease that many turtles are prone to, mainly caused by bacterial infections such as Escherichia coli. Diseased turtles have dull eyes, emaciated bodies, dislike movement, like to drink water, have diarrhea, loose stools, and sometimes appear like protein.

    2. Prevention and Treatment: Intestinal and gastric inflammation in turtles is often caused by feed spoilage or contamination. Sudden changes in the environment, polluted air, and unclean drinking water can also cause turtles to get sick. Strengthen the hygiene management of turtle environments and turtles themselves, and ensure that turtle feed is freshly prepared and fed to reduce the chance of contamination. First, use Houttuynia cordata injection and let the turtle drip 2-3 drops in the mouth every day. If the effect is not obvious, use oxytetracycline. The specific medicine for symptomatic treatment is oxytetracycline, which can be soaked in water (1 tablet) or dripped in the mouth (2-3 drops per day).

4. Softshell Disease

    1. Etiology and Symptoms: This disease is caused by overwintering turtles being raised in a greenhouse or the turtle feed lacking calcium and other components for a long period of time, as well as other reasons. It easily occurs on the young turtles that survived the winter of that year if prevention is not done properly. Diseased turtles do not like to move or actively seek food, and their carapace and plastron become soft and deformed.

    2. Prevention and Treatment: During the wintering period of young turtles, let them bask in the sun regularly; add animal viscera to turtle feed or drop a small amount of cod liver oil into the feed. Shrimp (with shell) contains more calcium and can be used as one of the common feeds for turtles. Turtles with chronic diseases must be treated promptly. They can take calcium lactate tablets orally, 1 tablet twice a day, continuously for 1 week.

5. Skin Ulcer, Rotting Shell Disease, White Eye Disease

    1. Skin Ulcer Disease: Any part of the turtle's skin becomes ulcerated, and the affected area becomes swollen. If not treated in time, it can lead to death. Treatment method: Wash the whole body with 40ppm potassium permanganate solution, especially the affected area, for 15-20 minutes. After the water vapor dries, apply chloramphenicol or erythromycin eye ointment to the affected area twice a day. Keep the turtle dry for two to three days until it recovers.

    2. Rotting Shell Disease: White spots appear on the turtle's carapace and plastron and limbs (initial symptoms), gradually turning into red blocks. When pressed forcefully, there will be blood. If it becomes severe, the turtle's shell will become decayed and perforated. Treatment method: When the shell is rotten, do not dig out the bad parts, because while you dig, you are creating new wounds. The most effective method is to directly sprinkle powdered potassium permanganate on the damp rotten shell, letting the potassium permanganate "burn" the rotten and necrotic tissue, killing the bacteria inside. Then keep the turtle dry for 1-2 days (remember to rinse the turtle with water every day), and when the rotten shell has a "burnt" state, the turtle can be put in water with chloramphenicol eye ointment applied on the rotten shell.

    3. White Eye Disease: The eyes of diseased turtles become inflamed, congested, gradually turn gray-white and swell, and the cornea and surrounding areas become inflamed and ulcerated. The eyes are covered with a layer of white secretion, preventing the turtle from eating. When severe, the turtle may become blind in both eyes and die due to difficulty breathing. The cause is eye injury and infection due to poor water quality.

    Treatment method: Wash the whole body with 40ppm potassium permanganate solution, especially the affected area, for 15-20 minutes. After the water vapor dries, apply chloramphenicol or erythromycin eye ointment to the affected area twice a day. It takes three days to recover.

6. Pneumonia

    1. Etiology and Symptoms: Sudden large changes in the temperature of keeping turtles can cause the turtle's nostrils to run, and the throat produces heavy breathing sounds. White mucus can be seen around the mouth, mostly due to water aspiration.

    2. Prevention and Treatment: Try to maintain a constant turtle keeping temperature. First, use Houttuynia cordata injection and let the turtle drip 2-3 drops in the mouth every day. If the effect is not obvious, use oxytetracycline. The specific medicine for symptomatic treatment is oxytetracycline, which can be soaked in water (1 tablet) or dripped in the mouth (2-3 drops per day).

7. Internal and External Parasitic Diseases

    1. Etiology and Symptoms: Turtles become ill after eating contaminated feed or water containing worm eggs. Diseased turtles become restless, have weight loss, slow growth, and are inactive.

    2. Prevention and Treatment: Regularly do deworming for the environment and the surface of the turtle's body, rigorously select and clean turtle feed, and prohibit feeding spoiled turtle feed. Feed the diseased turtle with medicine-containing bait.

8. Fungal Disease

    1. Etiology and Symptoms: The turtle's body becomes infected by water molds when injured. Diseased turtles gradually become emaciated, have decreased appetite, and have gray-white mycelia at the affected areas. It becomes severe and decays and becomes congested.

    2. Prevention and Treatment: Move turtles carefully to prevent injuries. Wash the whole body with 40ppm potassium permanganate solution, especially the affected area, for 15-20 minutes. After the water vapor dries, apply chloramphenicol or erythromycin eye ointment to the affected area.

The softshell turtle belongs to the omnivorous turtle category. It can usually be fed with some meats or plants. Some turtles can also adapt well to turtle food. Long-term raised softshell turtles will demand food from their owners and can even be trained to be hand-fed.

The hatchlings of softshell turtles are delicate and should be kept and carefully managed separately. Generally, a separate cement pool is constructed, with land occupying one-third of the pool and water occupying two-thirds. In addition, it is appropriate to feed them with cooked proteins, egg yolks, cooked noodles, rice, minced fish, shrimp, and other fine feeds. In general, it is best to separate hatchlings from adult turtles during hibernation. The most common method for hatchlings to hibernate is to place them in a small wooden tray indoors, with 20-30 centimeters of sand in the tray. The hatchlings are placed in the sand, and then a layer of 0.5 centimeters of fine gauze is spread over them, which is covered with a layer of gauze cloth. Some warm water is sprayed in an appropriate amount so that they can safely hibernate.

Adult turtles have a wide range of diets, including small fish, small shrimp, snails, clams, vegetables, rice, and wheat. They generally start eating when the water temperature rises above 15 degrees Celsius. The period from June to September is the peak feeding period, and the feeding amount decreases starting from November. When the water temperature drops to below 15 degrees Celsius, they enter hibernation. The temperature is lower in spring and autumn, so feeding should be done in the morning from 8 to 9 am. During the hot summer, softshell turtles are active in the morning and evening, so feeding should be done in the afternoon from 4 to 5 pm. Softshell turtles swallow their food while in the water. The amount they swallow is about 4% of their body weight. They should be fed every other day, and leftover food should be cleaned up promptly to prevent pollution and harm. It is necessary to frequently replace the water to maintain its freshness. The growth of softshell turtles is related to the quality of their feed. Generally, animal feed is often provided, and they can gain about 50 grams in weight per month.