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| Star Tortoise Treasury | * Indian, Sri Lankan, and Burmese Star Tortoises... plus a few other tortoises... |
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Indian/Sri Lankan Star Tortoise (G. elegans)
Burmese Star Tortoise Other Starred Tortoises Angulate Tortoise Misc. Pages
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Indian/Sri Lankan Star Tortoises miscellaneous care tips
Sri Lankan Star tortoise relaxing in her bath First, read the Star tortoise care pages about diet, indoor housing, outdoor housing, lighting & heating, substrates, hideboxes, and allergic keepers p1 (more on substrates), and allergic keepers p.2 (more on tubs, humidity etc). Star tortoises The Indian Star tortoise is closely related to the Leopard tortoise from Africa. Thus, most Leopard tortoise care info also applies to Star tortoises (Indian, Sri Lankan, Burmese). Both Stars and Leopards are herbivorous grazers and require warm, fairly dry conditions, but Leopards grow much larger than Star tortoises. Sulcatas and Mediterranean tortoises have similar diet and environmental requirements as well, but Sulcatas need large accommodations due to their huge adult size, and Mediterraneans often like to dig and burrow (unlike most Stars). Most of the so called Mediterranean tortoises hibernate, but Stars, Leopards, and Sulcatas do not. Learn about the species Learn as much as you can about your tortoise species' diet, natural habitat, and captive care requirements. For example, find out what the typical temperature and humidity ranges are in the wild, and what type of vegetation grows in the native area. Then build your habitat based on this info. Observe your tortoise in his enclosure to see what agrees with him and what doesn't, and then adjust your care accordingly. Now, there's a lot of conflicting tortoise care info in tortoise books and especially on the web. Read as many sources as possible, and then decide what's right for you and your tortoise in your specific circumstances. Be flexible and adjust your habitat and care if needed. There is no one correct way to care for tortoises, but do provide the correct temperature, humidity, and diet for your species to keep him healthy and active. Use common sense and create your own personalized care plan. In other words, do what works well for you and your tortoise. :O) New tortoise Ideally, set up the indoor enclosure before bringing your new tortoise home. This way everything will be ready when he comes, and you can sit back and enjoy watching your newest family member explore his new place. Or not... Many tortoises are shy and cautious in new surroundings and keep on hiding for a while. Others may be overactive for a day or two pacing the enclosure and trying to climb the walls in a desperately attempt to get out. If your new tortoise is hesitant to eat, offer him his favorite foods (ask his breeder what they are) and give him daily warm soaks before feeding. A warm bath often stimulates appetite. Otherwise, don't over handle a new tortoise, just let him be and settle into his new home. This may take a few days, several weeks, or even months. Caution: If your tortoise appears lethargic, doesn't bask, and otherwise seems ill, take him to the vet for a check up. Tiny babies can become dehydrated very quickly. Read more about hatchling failure syndrome and soft baby syndrome [offsite links]. General care tips for Stars In general, keep Indian Star tortoises warm and fairly dry, but do not allow them to become dehydrated. Stars are prone to respiratory problems if kept in too damp and cold conditions. Humid and warm is ok, but wet and cold is not. A warm, humid hidebox (or a warm, damp substrate area) is beneficial for Star tortoises. Babies, youngsters, and Stars living on a dry indoor substrates will especially benefit from the higher humidity they provide. For Indian/Sri Lankan and Burmese Star tortoises, put the moist hide in a warm location. Often, halfway between the hot and cool ends or near the heat source works well (depending on your enclosure temperature). You can put dry hides in the cooler area of the enclosure. Indian/Sri Lankan Star tortoises are also susceptible to pathogens carried by other species of tortoises. Always keep Star tortoises with their own kind, and quarantine any new additions for 3-18 months minimum. Humidity Many Star tortoise keepers maintain a moderate humidity level of 40-60% in the indoor enclosures. Still, some say humidity for Stars should be less than 40%, and some say it should be as high as 75-90%. In general, a 45-55% humidity level is recommended for Indian Star tortoises, but a higher humidity is beneficial for babies. If you are lucky to know the original location of your captive-bred Star's ancestors, you can try to adjust your enclosure temperature and humidity to match that specific area, and see if they agree with your tortoise. Observe your tortoise to pinpoint what conditions he likes, e.g. at what temperature and humidity level he is most active. Soaking Today, it's a generally accepted practice to soak and mist Star tortoises. However, even some older books share this advice. For example, Gerhard Mueller writes in the Turtles in the Terrarium book: "Misting and frequent bathing are important in keeping them [Indian Star tortoises] healthy." This book was originally published in German with the title Schildkröten (1987). Even though Star tortoises are native to dry areas, they need to be kept well hydrated. Hot basking lights and dry substrates (e.g. aspen, paper products) can be very drying. Because my Sri Lankan and Burmese Stars live on a dry substrate when indoors, I am always concerned about their hydration status. Some Star tortoise owners place a shallow water dish in the enclosure, some soak their tortoises, and many keepers, including me, do both. In addition, I furnish my Star enclosures with humid hides and spray them often. My Stars enjoy being misted with warm water. I always check the water temperature by spraying onto my arm first because my Stars do not like cold showers. In the evening, I empty the water sprayer and let it dry overnight to prevent bacterial growth inside the bottle. Baby tortoises can be soaked (bathed) daily in warm water for 10-20 minutes, and then less frequently as they grow older. This frequent bathing gives the tortoises many opportunities to drink. Soaking may also help keep the indoor enclosure cleaner because tortoises tend to poop while soaking in warm water. This concerns some tortoise owners, and they discourage constant soaking saying this frequent pooping may lead to reduction in nutrient intake. My Stars are used to frequent soaks, and they sometimes bathe without pooping. :O) Some tortoises may find soaking stressful, but my Star tortoises seem to enjoy their warm baths. It has become a familiar routine for them. In the winter, when my Stars live indoors, I usually soak them in the morning before feeding. In the summer, I usually bathe my tortoises briefly, for cleanup and hydration, when they come back indoors in the evenings. Afterwards, I provide them the opportunity to warm up under their heat lamps, if they so desire. I don't want my Stars to be wet and cold. All my tortoise groups have their own soaking & bathing pans to avoid potential parasite and pathogen transfer between groups and species.
Burmese Star enjoying a fake rain shower while bathing :O) Drinking water My tortoises drink regular tap water, but I often let it sit in a large pitcher for 24 hours before use to reduce the amount of chlorine. Sometimes, I put a few drops of ReptiSafe Growth chart If your tortoise is young, it's beneficial and fun to create a growth chart for your baby. Record his weight and length at regular intervals. I use the My Weigh 7001DX scale. It measurers up to 15 lbs and is great for smaller tortoises. You can also draw the outline of your tortoise's shell on a piece of paper. Do this monthly on the same paper, and you can instantly see how much your tortoise has grown! Cost of Stars Prices for Star tortoises vary by the individual tortoise, age, sex, type (Indian, Sri Lankan, Burmese), and breeder. Indian Star tortoises are at the low end and Burmese Stars at the high end of the cost range. Typically, prices for captive-bred Indian Star tortoise babies start around $300-$350, and for Sri's about $100 more. Captive-bred Burmese Star babies cost around $900-$1,000 and up. Sellers often offer discounts when purchasing multiple tortoises at the same time. |
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instant water conditioner into their bath water. It removes chlorine and chloramines, plus conditions the water in a few other ways.