Chinese tortoise It is the most common native variety in China, which can be used as medicine or ornamental. It is a more economical variety. Generally, it is not expensive to buy. It may also be seen in some pools. The male tortoise has a certain chance to turn black, so it is also called turtle.

Chinese name: Chinese tortoise

Alternative names: Longevity turtle, golden turtle, ink turtle, mud turtle, mountain turtle, tortoise

Latin name: Chinemys reevesiis .

English name: Chinese pond turtle

Kingdom: Animalia

Domain: Chordate

Class: Reptile 

Order : Turtle

Family: Turtle

Genus: Turtle

Species: Turtle

Distribution area: mountain streams, lakes, wetlands, rivers, China, Japan, the Philippines and Europe and the United States.

Appearance characteristics: The tortoise body is oblong, the carapace is slightly raised, there are 3 longitudinal edges, and the ridges are obvious. The top of the head is black olive, with smooth skin on the front and fine scales on the back.

Life habits: amphibious. Turtles use lungs to breathe, and there are horny nails on the body surface, which can reduce water evaporation. Sexually mature tortoises lay their eggs on land and do not need to go through the fully aquatic stage.

Reproduction habits: oviparous, a female turtle lays 3 to 4 eggs per year, 5 per hole, 2 to 7 per hole

Diet: Turtles are omnivorous Animals, in nature, animal feeds are mainly worms, small fish, shrimp, snails, mussels, clams, earthworms and animal carcasses and internal organs, hot pig blood, carrion, etc.; plant feeds are mainly plant stems and leaves, melon and fruit peel, wheat bran, etc.

Chinese tortoise is relatively easy to identify variety, the three ridges on the back are the most obvious features, the head is covered with green patterns, the carapace is brown, the limbs It is stout and short, grows slowly, and the adult is not large, and the male adult may turn black.

The body of the Chinese tortoise is oblong, the carapace is slightly raised, there are three longitudinal edges, and the ridges are obvious. The top of the head is black olive, with smooth skin on the front and fine scales on the back. The plastron is flat and the rear end is notched. The neck, limbs, and exposed skin are grey-black or black olive. There are yellow linear markings on the side of the head and neck, with three longitudinal bulges, and the trailing edge is not serrated.

The male body of the Chinese tortoise is black on the back or black all over, and the female body is brown, with a little yellow on the ventral surface, all with dark brown markings; the limbs are relatively flat, with claws and fully webbed between the toes. Males are smaller, have long tails, and are foul-smelling. The female carapace is light brown to dark brown, the plastron is brown-black, the tail is short, and the body has no odor. Before sexual maturity, it is more difficult to distinguish male and female turtles, and by the time of sexual maturity, male and female turtles can be identified from the appearance characteristics. Chinese tortoises have strong adaptability to the environment, low water quality requirements, and greater tolerance to poor water quality. During high-density farming, there is no mutual killing and the prevalence is low.

Turtle is a reptile that breathes with lungs, and has horny nails on its body surface, which can reduce water evaporation. Sexually mature tortoises lay their eggs on land and do not need to go through the fully aquatic stage.

The tortoise is an omnivorous animal. In nature, the animal feed is mainly worms, small Fish, shrimp, snails, mussels, clams, earthworms, animal carcasses and offal, hot pig blood, carrion, etc.; plant feeds are mainly plant stems and leaves, melon and fruit peel, wheat bran etc.

First, the feeding stage begins in late April, accounting for about 2-3% of the turtle's body weight; the food intake is the most vigorous from June to August, accounting for about 5-6%; decline, accounting for about 1-2%. The second is the dormant stage. Turtles are ectothermic animals, their body temperature changes with the outside temperature. From November to April of the following year, when the temperature is below 15 degrees, the tortoise dives into the silt at the bottom of the pool or hibernates in the loose soil covered with straw; from May to October, when the temperature is higher than 35 degrees, the turtle's appetite begins subsides and enters the aestivation phase (short lunch break). At this stage, tortoises are busy mating, breeding, feeding, accumulating nutrients, and seeking overwintering places.

Turtles like to live in groups, sometimes because of too many groups, the carapace is polished and the limbs are still not scattered.

The tortoise is an omnivorous tortoise and can usually be fed some meat, or Feeding plants, some turtles can also be well adapted to turtle food, and tortoises that have been raised for a long time will ask their owners for food, and they can also be trained to feed them by hand.

The hatchlings are very delicate and should be kept individually and carefully managed. Generally, another cement pond is used, one third of which is inland, and two thirds of water. At the same time, cooked egg whites, egg yolks, cooked noodles, rice, broken .fish, shrimp and other fine feeds. In general, it is best for juvenile tortoises to overwinter separately from adult tortoises. Most of the methods of juvenile tortoise overwintering are to put a small wooden plate indoors, put 20-30 cm thick sand on the plate, put the juvenile turtle in the sand, and then sprinkle 0.5 cm thick spun yarn on the juvenile tortoise, cover it with gauze, Sprinkle some warm water in the right amount and you can safely survive the winter.

Adult turtles have a wide range of diets, such as small fish, shrimp, snails, mussels, vegetables, rice and wheat. Usually when the water temperature rises above 15 degrees, start eating. June-September is the food season, and the food intake begins to decline in November. When the water temperature drops below 15 degrees, it goes into hibernation. The temperature in spring and autumn is lower, so the feeding time is at 8-9 am. During the midsummer, when the tortoises are active in the morning and evening, the feeding time should be at 4-5 pm. Tortoise swallows in edema when eating. The amount of bait swallowed by tortoises is about 4% of their body weight, and they are fed every other day. After feeding, the residual food should be cleaned up in time to prevent damage caused by pollution. Change the water frequently to keep the water fresh. The growth of tortoises is related to the quality of feeding. Generally, animal bait is often fed, and the weight can be increased by about 50 grams per month.