ARheoTexrheometer (SunScientific, Tokyo, Japan) equippedwith a
spherical probe (Chen and Huang, 2013; Chou and Huang, 2013) was
used to measure the effects of dietary treatments on the strength of
the turtle carapace. Turtles were placed on the instrument's platform
and the spherical shaped probe measured 1/3 the carapace's length beginning
at the shell's front edge. The probe applied a 200 g force on the
carapace and the distance (mm) traveled by the probewas pressed into
the carapace and automatically measured by the rheometer. The data
was converted to g-force/mm, the force required to push the shell
down permm. The probe needs greater force to travel 1mmin a strong
carapace than in a weak carapace.