How to build a pond for raising soft-shelled turtles?

Soft-shelled turtle is not only a precious food ingredient with high nutritional value and delicious taste, but also a common medicinal animal . With the reduction of wild resources, more and more users are using artificial ponds for aquaculture. Let’s learn how to build a pond for raising soft-shelled turtles.

1. Construction of turtle pond

1. Turtle pond:

It should be built in a quiet environment, with an area usually between 400 and 800 square meters, a pool depth of about 1.5 meters, and a water depth of 0.8 to 1.2 meters. The bottom of the pond needs to be covered with about 25 cm of loose soil to facilitate the turtle's habitation and wintering. If the pool bottom is too sticky, add an appropriate amount of sand. One or more spawning grounds should be set up beside the pond. The soil should be loose to facilitate the turtles to dig holes and lay eggs. The thickness of the soil layer should be about 30 cm. The spawning grounds should have a good drainage system to avoid water accumulation after heavy rain. Broad-leaved trees or tall crops should be planted near the spawning grounds to provide a cool and sheltered environment.

2. Juvenile turtle pond

The recommended area is 2 to 10 square meters, with 5 to 10 centimeters of fine sand on the bottom of the pool and a water depth of about 30 centimeters. It is recommended to build a cement pool indoors to facilitate management and control of the environment.

3. Juvenile turtle pond

The area should be larger than the juvenile turtle pond, usually 20 to 100 square meters, with a water depth of 0.8 to 0.4 meters. The bottom of the pool is covered with about 10 cm of fine sand. It is recommended to build a cement pool and set up a rest area beside or in the pool.

4. Turtle pond

Adult turtle ponds are breeding ponds for soft-shelled turtles over 3 years old and commercial soft-shelled turtles. The area is generally 300 to 1520 square meters and the water depth is about 1.5 meters. A resting area with a 30-degree slope can be left around the pond. The resting area can be protected by cement slabs or bricks and stones, or cement slabs or wooden boards can be set up in the pond as a resting platform.

5. Anti-escape equipment

Soft-shelled turtles are good at climbing, so the turtle pond must be surrounded by a sturdy escape-proof wall about 30 cm high. There should be an eaves on the top of the anti-escape wall, extending 10 to 15 cm into the pool, and the walls should be smooth all around. Corners of the escape-proof wall should be equipped with corner eaves to prevent the turtles from escaping from the corners. Anti-escape devices should be installed at the inlet and outlet of the turtle pond. The pool wall below the inlet needs to be 30 cm above the water surface, and an anti-escape net needs to be added to the outlet.

2. Simple turtle farming equipment

Utilize domestic fish hatchery ponds: They can be converted for raising turtles. The bottom of the loop can be covered with 3 to 5 cm of fine sand, and wooden or cement boards can be set up on the water as a resting area. If the ring is built indoors, it can be directly used as a wintering pond for young turtles.

Utilize domestic fish spawning ponds: They can be used to raise young turtles. Cover the bottom of the pond with fine sand and leave a slope as a resting area.

Anti-escape equipment needs to be installed. General fish ponds and adult fish ponds: can be used to release adult soft-shelled turtles, and escape-proof walls need to be built around the ponds. Smaller ponds can be used as turtle breeding ponds, and spawning grounds can be set up next to the ponds.

In summary, through these methods, soft-shelled turtle breeding ponds can be effectively constructed and managed to ensure the healthy growth of soft-shelled turtles.