Chinese name : Rattlesnake

Also known as: Hawk-billed Turtle, Big-headed Turtle, Big-headed Turtle, Hawk-billed Dragon TailFish, Sansui, Parrot Turtle

Kingdom: Animalia

Family: Ratidae

Genus: Ratite

Species: Ratite

Distribution: northern and southern Southeast Asia; mountain streams.

Named by, time: Gray, 1831

Economic value: edible, medicinal, ornamental, cultivating green turtles to earn foreign exchange for export, etc.

Morphological characteristics: The head is large and triangular in shape, and the back of the head is covered with a large horny hard shell. Carapace brown, long oval with flat center, front and rear edges not toothed. The plastron is olive-colored, small and flat, and the dorsal and plastron are connected by ligaments and have a lower angular plate. The limbs are gray, with tile-like scales, and the hind limbs are long. Except for the lateral fingers and toes, there are sharp long claws, and there are semi-webbed between the fingers and toes, which is conducive to crawling on land and swimming in water.

The length of the tail, some have exceeded the length of their own carapace, and the tail is covered with short ring-shaped scales. The head and limbs of this turtle cannot be retracted into the plastron. It is a special kind of turtles known in China.

Gender identification: The carapace on the abdomen of male ratites is relatively long, the center of the flat chest is slightly sunken, the tail is thick, and the cloaca hole is far from the edge of the rear of the plastron, about 2.5 cm from the base of the tail. The female's thorax is very flat in the center without depression, and the body is broad, with the anus close to the edge of the abdomen, about 1.5 cm from the base of the tail.

The flat-chested turtle, also known as the hawk-billed dragon-tailed turtle, scientific name of the big-headed flat-chested turtle, commonly known as the hawk-billed turtle, Also known as the British turtle, the dragon-tailed unicorn turtle, is a peculiar species of turtle. Its long tail is like a dragon's tail, with scales and armor, strong and powerful, and its head, eyes and mouth are like parrots, and some people call it a parrot turtle, which is cute. The head is large and triangular in shape, and the back of the head is covered with a large horny hard shell. The upper beak is hooked and curved in the shape of an olecranon. Carapace brown, long oval with flat center, front and rear edges not toothed. The plastron is olive-colored, small and flat, and the dorsal and plastron are connected by ligaments and have a lower angular plate. The limbs are gray, with tile-like scales, and the hind limbs are long. Except for the lateral fingers and toes, there are sharp long claws, and there are semi-webbed between the fingers and toes, which is conducive to crawling on land and swimming in water.

The length of the tail, some have exceeded the length of their own carapace, and the tail is covered with short ring-shaped scales. The head and limbs of this turtle cannot be retracted into the plastron. It is a special kind of turtles known in China. The limbs are strong and strong, and the claws are sharp. When crawling fast, it looks like a unicorn dragging its tail and hoofs. When squatting, it looks like an owl watching its prey, and when it walks sideways, it looks like a goshawk soaring. This turtle is basically a combination of dragon, unicorn and turtle. The four legendary beasts in the history of our country are dragon, phoenix, unicorn, and turtle. This turtle has three forms, only the phoenix is missing. Therefore, it is of great ornamental value. When this turtle encounters an animal larger than it, it will find a roar in its mouth to scare away the enemy, and it is not afraid of the attack of the mountain eagle. [1] The green-haired turtle bred with this turtle is also a rare commodity. Jiangsu has a record that the export price of the flat-chested green-haired turtle is as high as 3,000 US dollars. The ornamental value of the eagle-billed dragon-tailed green-haired turtle has surpassed other green-haired turtles, especially the green hairs can grow on its head, mouth, tail, limbs, and abdomen. The tail is really weird.

Amphibious, mainly living in water, generally living in the grass of streams, lakes and swamps. Due to its sharp claws and strong tail, it can easily climb over obstacles, and it can also climb trees to prey on small birds. When the weather gets warmer in March and April, they begin to hunt for food and come into heat. From May to September, they have the most appetite. In late autumn and early winter, they burrow into sandy soil, grass or dive underwater to hibernate. Wild ratites mainly feed on snails, clams, shellfish, shrimp, fish , crabs, frogs, insects and snails, also eat leaves and grass roots when hungry. Under artificial feeding conditions, animal scraps, snails, frogs, fish and shrimp meat, bran, bean cakes, fruits or fruit peels can be fed. Artificially reared flat-chested tortoises begin to mature sexually in about three years, and lay eggs from April to September.

The carapace on the abdomen of male ratites is relatively long, the center of the flat chest is slightly sunken, the tail is thick, and the cloaca hole is far from the edge of the rear of the plastron, about 2.5 cm from the base of the tail. The female's thorax is very flat in the center without depression, and the body is broad, with the anus close to the edge of the abdomen, about 1.5 cm from the base of the tail.

Foreword: Due to the basic research on ratites by various scientific research institutions, it is still in its infancy, and a large number of basic The data is not perfect. From a scientific point of view, there is no breakthrough in the artificial breeding technology of this turtle at present! A few seedlings that imitate ecological breeding and hatch cannot form a matching population and cannot be considered as successful artificial breeding. Due to the sharp decrease in the population of ratites in the wild, the 16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora has adjusted ratites to Appendix I from June 12, 2013, and the animals are protected as national first-class animals in accordance with the law. Execution protection.

hatchlings

The feed of hatchlings is basically the same as that of parent tortoises, but the pellets are required to be finer and softer, and the feeding amount is about the weight of hatchlings. 5% to 8%, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. If the hatchlings are fed with artificial full-price pellets,

feeding management should be 3% to 5% of the total body weight, sprinkled on the food table twice in the morning and in the evening. Such as artificial powdered compound feed, it should be fully wetted and kneaded for a long time to make it soft and sticky, and then fed on the food close to the water surface. There should be a shade shade on the turtle pond, and new water should be added frequently to keep the water quality fresh. In winter, young turtles should pay attention to keeping warm so that they can survive the winter safely. They can be covered with plastic film when the water temperature is below 15 °C.

Adult tortoise

Parrot tortoise eats a wide range of food, both animal feed and plant feed. Feed is the main feed, supplemented by plant feed, and multivitamins, trace elements and mineral feeds such as calcium and phosphorus should be added. The ratio of animal and plant feed should be 7:3 or 8:2, the feed should be fresh, and it should be fed on the same day of processing, and rotten and spoiled food should not be fed. The quality and quantity of the feed should also be changed according to the different growth stages and climatic conditions of the parrot tortoise. Every July to September is the peak period of feeding activities of parrot tortoises, with the fastest weight gain. Therefore, these three months should be supplied with sufficient nutrients, so that they can eat more and grow faster. The temperature in spring and autumn is lower, and the parrot turtle likes to feed around noon, so it should be fed before noon. In summer, the temperature is higher, and it mostly forages from 5 to 7 pm. In the approaching hibernation period, the amount of feeding should be increased to make the turtle grow fat, which is conducive to overwintering. Before and during the mating period of parrot tortoises, protein-rich and easily digestible feed should be fed, as well as vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin D, etc., to improve the fertilization rate and reproduction of parrot tortoises. After November every year, when the temperature is lower than 15 ℃, the parrot tortoise will lie in the sand and sand at the bottom of the pond, not eating or moving, and enter a state of hibernation. There is no need to feed or change the water at this time, but pay attention to heat preservation and cover the pool with straw and other things. Usually (referring to the three seasons of spring, summer and autumn), you should pay attention to changing the water in the rearing pond, every 2 days in summer, and every 5 days in spring and autumn to keep the water clean and prevent turtles from getting sick.

Tortoise selection

Healthy ratites have a smooth body surface, complete epidermis, dorsal and plastron, full muscles in the limbs, energetic eyes, and are sensitive to the outside world. It is sensitive to stimuli, has strong limbs when crawling, can support the body, escape quickly, and can swim quickly and sink to the bottom when placed in water. On the contrary, turtles that are weak in limbs, are weak in their hands, swim slowly in water, or float on the surface for a long time should not be selected for breeding.

Tortoise stocking

The ratite turtle is wilder than other turtles, and it is more difficult to adapt to the environmental conditions of artificial breeding. Newly introduced turtles should not be put into water immediately. After 3 hours of drying in a cool place, water should be properly sprinkled on the surface of the turtle body to keep the turtle body moist. After 1 day, the turtle can be put into the water and start feeding live food, such as live small fishShrimp, tadpoles, earthworms, etc., after feeding the turtles alone for 10 days, put them into the turtle pond, and the water depth is about 20 cm at the beginning, and gradually deepens to about 50 cm after adaptation. After the turtle takes the initiative to eat, it can be fed with bait such as chilled fish. Feeding sequence is first chilled fish and then live bait, both chilled and live bait should be put into water.

Feeding

In captivity, ratites feed on small fish and shrimp, earthworms, chilled fish and other bait. Before feeding, it is necessary to process large pieces of fish and shrimp and other bait into small pieces to facilitate the turtles to eat. The bait is placed in the water to accommodate the ratites' preference for underwater feeding. The amount of feeding each time is 2%~3% of the turtle's body weight, once a day in summer, once every two days in spring and autumn, and does not need to be fed when the water temperature is lower than 20 °C. The feeding time is basically fixed each time, and regular feeding is conducive to the formation of conditioned reflexes by the turtles, and it is also convenient to observe the eating conditions of the turtles.

Daily management

Good water quality is the environmental condition for raising flat-chested turtles. Therefore, part of the water must be changed frequently, and fresh water must be added; feeding Change the water in time. Flat-breasted turtles are not resistant to high temperature. When the water temperature may exceed 30 °C, the turtles must be transferred to a cool and low temperature place in advance to prevent the turtles from heat stroke.

Precautions

The biggest characteristic of ratites is that they are fierce and aggressive. They often bite and fight when they are raised in groups, causing injuries and disabilities. Therefore, it is best to keep them alone. When group rearing, 1 per square meter is enough. Turtles with trauma can be soaked in 40 mg/L potassium manganate solution for 30 minutes, and then soaked in 5 mg/L BoMix disinfectant for 1 day.