Mexican turtle

Staurotypus triporcatus

Family: Staurotypinae

Genus: Staurotypus

Alternative names : Mexican giant tortoise, Mexican giant musk turtle, three-stringed giant eagle-billed mud turtle, three-stringed musk turtle, three-stringed giant tortoise

Distribution: Lives in Central America and Mexico

Body length: 30 ~ 35 cm

Moving habits: Aquatic

Suitable temperature: 25 ~ 30 degrees

Conservation level: Least Concern (IUCN 3.1), non-convention species< /p>

Characteristics

The size of the Mexican turtle is much larger than other types of musk deer Turtles can reach 36 centimeters in length, and their carapace is generally long and oval. This is probably why they are called "giant turtles". The carapace is mainly brown, black or green, with three ridges. The carapace of young turtles will have white radial lines, but they will fade with age; the bottom carapace is yellow.

The snout of the Mexican turtle is aquiline-shaped, and its bite force is very strong. Especially when it is an adult, it has a ferocious temperament and will often open its mouth to demonstrate when grabbing. Be careful of being bitten.

Of course, as long as they are kept for a long time,

Most individuals can become tame

It is not difficult to distinguish between male and female turtles after they reach adulthood. First, the male is significantly smaller than the female. Second, the male's tail is thicker, and there are obvious anti-slip blocks on the inside of the two hind legs (to facilitate attachment to the female turtle's carapace); the opposite is true for the female, with a shorter and smaller tail and no anti-slip blocks on the hind legs.

Yellow anti-slip blocks on male hind legs

Raising

The living environment of turtles varies depending on the species.

Mexican turtles prefer slow-moving or still waters. These areas usually have soft river beds covered with sand and silt, and have abundant aquatic plants. Special living environments can lead to complex interactions, even between some special species and subspecies. Essential elements include the type of subsoil, the presence of vegetation, and the flow of water.

The normal breeding temperature for Mexican turtles is 25 to 28 degrees, and the larvae are kept at 35 to 30 degrees. The water temperature must not be too low, otherwise they will reduce their activity, not like to eat, and become dark in color.

Mexican turtles do not have very high requirements for water quality. The water quality remains clear, the color is pure, the water surface is clean, no oil film and no foam, and a good microecological self-purification system is maintained, such as spreading sand at the bottom of the tank. Aquatic plants can also be placed in the water to provide a good shelter environment for the larvae. This species is huge and basically moves in the water, so it is very necessary to have a good filtration system.

Currently the most popular way of raising turtles is in bare tanks (with filtration), which are clean and easier to appreciate the charm of this turtle

Mexican turtles are large Turtles require a lot of space. Generally, larvae can use a 60 cm long breeding box, and adults need an 80 to 100 cm long tank.

When arranging the environment, place sunken wood or sedimentary rocks and let part of them protrude from the water. Although they are very good at water, they also need to rest. They like to take a nap on the water.

Mexican turtles are highly aquatic. Except for laying eggs, they usually move at the bottom of the water, so they need a slightly higher water level than ordinary aquatic turtles for them to move in the water.

The water level of larvae is slightly lower than that of adults

The heating rod should be made of metal because their beaks are very sharp and their bite force is strong. They can easily break the glass, so it is necessary to Avoid accidents. (Avoid placing glass thermometers in the tank)

It is recommended to keep this species alone

Light is also indispensable for raising Mexican giants, but when raising them, it was found that they do not like to "dry their shells". They often provide floating islands or sunken trees, which they rarely visit, so when there is not enough sunlight, You still need to have UVB lamp to cooperate, and the exposure time is 5 or 6 hours each time.

Problems that should be paid special attention to during breeding: problems of acclimatization of wild-caught turtles; problems caused by improper feeding and management.

1) Virtually all species encountered have individuals captured from the wild, and all turtles should be checked for external or internal parasites. In newly captured individuals, internal parasites can also cause problems, and turtles can be infected with nematodes and protozoa.

Stress and weakness caused by capture and transportation can make internal parasites a potentially fatal factor, especially if the turtle is treated roughly. All newly arrived individuals should have appropriate examination and treatment, especially those thought to be parasite-laden.

After this kind of turtle is in the hands of players and raised for a while, all the problems will gradually appear. If possible, try to raise artificially hatched turtles to avoid these problems.

2) For most turtles from Mexico, if detailed information on feeding habits and living environment is not available, it is important to conduct careful experiments during the breeding process. Unfortunately, due to lack of careful observation or mere formality, most people repeat various feeding deficiencies year after year, and most of them are not discovered until it is too late.

Food habits

Like other musk turtle species, the Mexican turtle is basically carnivorous. Young turtles are carnivorous, while adults are omnivorous. In the wild, they will eat different types of aquatic invertebrates as well as fish and carrion, and adults will eat fleshy fruits and vegetables.

Although Mexican turtles have good swimming skills, they do not chase fish and shrimps. They mostly prefer to prey on slower-moving crustaceans (such as aquatic snails and shellfish).

The Mexican turtle is a predatory turtle with a vicious personality and insatiable appetite. Because it eats a lot, it will not let go of any food that can be eaten, including mice and small turtles.

Hatchlings should be fed once a day. After they reach adulthood, they must be fed less often and the feeding spacing should be as wide as possible. Young seedlings should be fed every day, with small meals and frequent meals! Feed the young seedlings every other day, about three days every ten centimeters. The larger the turtle, the longer the feeding interval should be.

When raising, it is necessary to ensure food diversity and maintain food stability. The food includes small fish, shrimp, high-quality aquatic turtle feed, dried shrimp feed, various shellfish, and melons. Fruits and vegetables are fine.

Mexican turtles eat a lot of food. After eating in the water, the water can easily deteriorate, so you should pay attention to this (so it is necessary to add a water circulation system). Another problem with eating a lot is to be careful to avoid excessive obesity.

Teach you how to choose ink seedlings (by Mark 2)

First of all, you need to check whether it is a complete product, whether it is in good condition, and whether it can be eaten. These three items are the most basic.

Then look at the condition. The chicken claw pattern on the carapace is clear and beautiful. The head is large and the head pattern is worm-shaped, full and clear. This is considered to be in good condition.

As for the shell color, many people like white, so just pick white seedlings and raise them in a white environment. If you don’t pay attention to white, it doesn’t matter.

The color changes of turtles are dominated by genes. During the feeding process, the breeding environment can be adjusted appropriately through the color tone. For example, you can try raising them in an opaque white storage box.

But don’t believe that if the growth lines are white, they must be white ink. Almost all turtles have white growth lines. Some ink seedlings are super black, but the growth lines are white. The merchants will I told you that it will definitely turn white in the future and just put it in a light-colored breeding box. In fact, this is all lies.

Although the environment can change some body colors, the fundamental genetic problem is the real reason that determines whether you are white or not. Therefore, do not be superstitious. If you have carefully raised your dog for a long time and it is still not white, others will If you raise it casually, it will turn into a dog. This is fate and cannot be controlled by people. .

Let’s talk about the head pattern. There are two main types of Mexican glans pattern, the labyrinth pattern and the worm pattern.

Worm pattern has stripes on the head like worms and full pattern of worms. Generally, the more uniform the size and the less messy the size, the higher the price. Worms also have large worm patterns and fine worm patterns. Personally, I think large worm patterns are very beautiful when they are 20 to 30 cm long. Thin worm marks can develop on the mouth and sides of the face. Thin worms are so delicate that they can cause trypophobia.

In the Mexican turtle seedling period, some head patterns are dim and inconspicuous. You can use a strong light flashlight to judge the seedling head patterns

Finally, when it comes to the choice of carapace pattern, I personally don’t like it. A particularly regular style. When you grow up, there is actually only a small piece at the root of each nail, which will appear very small. What I personally prefer is the kind of chaotic, yet very arrogant back armor pattern that blooms when the fireworks bombs hit the sky. In this regard, it’s up to the beholder to choose what you like.

Finally, the order of personal selection of ink is to look at the head pattern first, then the carapace, and finally the body color.

The growth rate of hatchlings depends on local conditions, including food. amount, the length of time in a year that the food can be fed, and other factors.

Reproduction

Mexican turtles generally mature after being raised for five years. Female turtles produce 6 to 10 eggs per clutch, which takes about 120 days to hatch, and four clutches can be produced in a year.

Mating

It is not just Mexican turtles that are large in size as adults, even the hatchlings that have just hatched are larger than the average turtle hatchlings.