Pig-nosed turtles are turtles without a hard shell on their carapace. It is highly aquatic and does not usually sunbathe on its back. However, it has high requirements on water quality, perishable skin and carapace. It is more difficult to raise. Prices are high and affordable.

Morphological characteristics of pig-nosed turtles

The carapace of the pig-nosed turtle has no hard shell, and the nose is the biggest feature. The nose of a pig-nosed turtle is like that of a pig. It has a lively personality and lives in the water like a strange fish, so many people like to keep it.

The pig-nosed turtle is one of the most exotic freshwater turtles. There is a grey stripe behind the eyes. The limbs are dedicated to the fins of aquatic creatures and cannot be retracted into the shell. This is also characteristic of the presence of two protruding claws near the midpoint of each forelimb. The tail is short and the back is covered with a row of crescent-shaped scales that taper from the base to the tip of the tail. There are distinct skin folds on the underside of the tail, extending from the base of the thighs to the hindquarters. Adult male turtles have longer tails and a more rearward cloaca; female turtles have shorter and shorter tails.

The length of the carapace of the pig-nosed turtle is generally 46~51cm, and the weight is generally 18~22Kg. The carapace of the largest pig-nosed turtle found so far is 56.3 cm long and weighs 22.5 kg. The carapace is round, dark gray, olive gray, or brownish gray with a row of white spots near the edge. The edges are slightly serrated, the exoskeleton is well developed, the structure is complete, and there is no tortoiseshell-like skirt. There is also no scutellum, but a continuous, slightly wrinkled skin. There is a row of spiny crowns in the middle of the carapace. The plastron is light in color, white, milky or pale yellow, slightly cross-shaped. The head is of moderate size and cannot be retracted into the shell.

Pig-nosed turtle breeding knowledge

Pig-nosed turtles are easier to keep, but more prone to disease. Generally speaking, pig-nosed turtles do not like to sunbathe on their backs, and they will not easily lie on the sunbathing platform. In this case, the water quality is difficult to control, and it is also the most important place to raise pig-nosed turtles.

Pig-nosed turtles will get bigger and bigger, try to replace them with larger square tanks, at least 600 tanks. He does not need sunlight and tries to avoid direct sunlight as it can cause green algae to grow on the water and pigs. So don't put it where the sun shines directly on the tank. The heating rod is set to 28 degrees and can be turned on all the time. He heats himself when the temperature drops and must be on all year round. Low temperature pigs are easy to get sick! It is best to use turtle food as the main food, usually with non-irritating fruits such as beef (loin), peeled shrimp, cherry tomatoes, and grapes. Pig-nosed turtles have the worst digestive system among sea turtles, so try to get small pieces of everything else you feed.

The above is not really the main thing. The most important thing is water quality. The nitrifying bacteria must be cultured, filtered for 24 hours to get the water flowing. If the nitrifying bacteria are well cultured, changing 1/3 of the water every week is enough. If there is a problem with the water quality, the pig-nosed turtle is easy to rot skin, and the rotten skin of the pig-nosed turtle is more difficult to treat, so prevention is very important.

Pig-nosed turtle breeding environment

Pig-nosed turtles prefer to live in rivers with relatively low water levels. Typically, they hide in sand with low water levels. Newly raised pig-nosed turtles usually hide in the sand, but they will get used to interacting with their owners after a long time, which is very cute.

Pig-nosed turtles must first know that adult pig-nosed turtles are more aggressive and will fight and bite people because they compete for hiding places. Therefore, the breeding density should not be too large, and sufficient concealed space should be prepared. Give each pig-nosed turtle a place to hide and avoid fighting each other.

Pig-nosed turtles are highly aquatic freshwater turtles, so the aquarium used to raise them should be higher, generally about 60-80 cm long when they were young. When the pig-nosed turtle grows to more than 25 cm, a larger aquarium is required. In addition, pig-nosed turtles are mostly lateral activities, so the selected aquarium should be wide enough.

Pig-nosed turtles not only have the habit of hiding, but also digging. Therefore, it is best not to use bottom filtering in the selection of filtering methods. The upper filter outside the box is the best way to filter. At the same time, in order to meet the digging habits of pig-nosed turtles, fine coral sand is the most suitable bottom sand. This kind of bottom sand is easy for pig-nosed turtles to dig, the surface is smooth, and it is not easy to bruise the skin of pig-nosed turtles.