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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
Tips:
Get THE Star tortoise book on amazon or eBay (direct links to book). It covers all aspects of Indian, Sri Lankan, and Burmese Star tortoise care. A must-have book for all current and prospective Star owners! * * *
* * * If you have Star Tortoise hidebox photos to share, email me to add yours.
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Hideboxes for Star Tortoises dry & humid hides
My baby Stars love Bark Bend logs! Indoor hideboxes All my indoor tortoise hides have to be odor-free and allergy-friendly. Various plastic boxes work well as hides. Ideally, provide the Star tortoises several hideboxes (moist and warm, dry and cool) in various locations, especially if you have more than one tortoise in the enclosure. A dark hide is better than see-through, and the hidebox should be big enough for the tortoise to turn around. Dry hides For baby tortoises, I like to use dens made by Zilla called Bark Bends. They are realistic looking hollow logs made of hard, synthetic material that's easy to disinfect. They are dark colored inside, and both ends of the log are open. If you have two tortoises in the same pen, each one always has a way out of the log without being blocked by the other one. For older youngsters, I use the largest size (giant, larger than XL) of Zoo Med's Turtle Huts I do not use natural wood logs inside because I am allergic to wood odor and molds. Wooden cage furniture may mold and rot over time if there's moisture in the enclosure. Outdoors, my Sri Lankan and Burmese Star tortoises love hiding under bushes and clumps of grass. To simulate the outdoor setting, I place many stemmed artificial plants into their indoor enclosures. I do not use real plants inside due to my allergies. All my indoor enclosure silk plants have water-proof rock bases, no wood. Indoors, my Stars like to spend time in their hides or under the plants. I have lots of these silk palm trees (pic) You can also use flower pots placed on their sides as indoor hides, especially pots made for wall display. They have one
Some of my other land turtles love these dry hides made from plastic Hershey's cocoa powder boxes (8 oz or 23 oz). I guess they like the snugness of small hides. They like to 'park' themselves into them at night. In the morning, they use reverse gear to back out. :O) My Stars, on the other hand, didn't much care for these hides. Humid hides Newer research suggests that humid hides are important for baby tortoises and juveniles to help prevent dehydration and excessive pyramiding (lumpy shell). However, some Indian Star tortoises, especially Sri Lankan Stars, may exhibit 'natural' pyramiding which may not be preventable. Plastic boxes filled with moist sphagnum moss or coconut coir are popular as humid hides for small tortoises. Moss, or any other damp hidebox substrate, needs to be changed frequently to prevent pathogen growth. Humid hides for Star tortoises should not be cold. Star tortoises are prone to respiratory problems if kept in too cold and damp conditions. A daytime heat bulb (e.g. a mercury vapor bulb) and a nighttime heater (e.g. a ceramic heat emitter) placed near the hide will keep it warm and cozy.
Plastic shoebox filled with moist sphagnum moss If you use moist sphagnum moss, coconut coir, or other loose substrate inside the hidebox, it may be easier to use the box right side up. This way you can just lift the box top off and remoisten or change the substrate easily. Leaving a small step, a little bit of wall that the tortoise can easily step over, beneath the doorway will help keep the substrate inside the box. Sphagnum moss is considered to be safe if digested in small amounts, but my Star tortoises didn't like moss filled hideboxes. I have tried other humid hide materials as well, including moist coconut coir (made my hands itch), wet paper towels (Stars ate it), and damp washcloths (Stars didn't like). I ended up using hides with wet sponges attached to the ceiling instead. My Stars like them the best. Some tortoise owners soak wooden log hides or clay flower pots in water overnight and then use them as humid hides. This method requires two hides, one to use and another one to soak. Switch as needed. I don't use either because of my allergies. Wet wood smells and may mold, and wet clay pots put out an odor as well. I tested them. :O) In addition to humid hides, I soak my Sri Lankan and Burmese Star tortoises frequently, keep water dishes in their enclosures, and also spray them with warm water on and off. I hope all this helps keep them well hydrated. Making a humid sponge hide A sponge hide is simple to make and it's allergy-friendly. The ceiling of the hide should be high enough to prevent the sponge from touching the tortoise's shell (could cause shell rot). If I use a see-through plastic box, I color the box walls with non-toxic permanent markers. I then let the marker ink dry and air out at least overnight before putting the hidebox into the tortoise pen. Plastic boxes made of softer, more bendable plastic are easier to cut than ones For hides in a one tortoise pen, I cut the door openings just big enough for the tortoise to fit through. This helps keep the humidity in. If two or more tortoises live in the enclosure, I cut the hidebox door openings larger to allow two tortoises to pass each other. I don't want one tortoise to block the others from entering or exiting the hide. I attach the sponge to the ceiling of the box with bag ties that come with plastic trash bags. They make it easy to switch the sponge to a new one when needed. Replacing the sponge frequently helps prevent bacterial and fungal growth. If you use the same sponge continuously, it will start to mold after a while. First, you will detect a slight moldy odor, and then you will see brown spots developing on the sponges. I keep a supply of new sponges at home and replace them when as soon as I smell a hint of mold odor. Kitchen sponges can also be sterilized by boiling.
I use these moist hides with wet sponges because my Star tortoises love them! My Stars utilize them all the time for resting, and they sleep in them almost every night. :O) Plastic kitchen dish pans and cat litter pans make great non-see-through hides for small and medium-sized tortoises. These pans are often made of softer plastic that can be easily cut with the snip scissors.
Hidebox made of a cat litter pan. Some pet litter pans come with high sides and a deep entry opening. For example, the Marshall high Also, stackable, solid-wall storage bins used upside down are ready-made hides. They have ready made door openings.
Plastic shoebox hide with wet sponges. As the tortoises grow, they will need larger and larger hides. This one is made from a clear plastic shoe box and has room for two or three flat kitchen sponges on the ceiling. These marker colored hides aren't pretty, but my Stars sure make good use of them. :O) Hidebox materials When possible, I like to use food-grade plastic containers. This way I know my tortoises won't be exposed to toxic plastic fumes when inside their hides. Before I buy any plastic box, I like to smell the inside to check that it is odor-free. I avoid PVC plastics. See the allergic keepers p.2 and allergy links pages for more PVC info. I have made tortoise hides from plastic dish pans, kitchen bowls, tissue boxes, juice cartons, milk jugs, and numerous other cardboard and plastic containers. I like plastic boxes better because they can be washed, disinfected, and used as humid hides. I have even used wooden and plastic kids' stepstools as hides. However, I do not use plastic hideboxes outdoors because they can get very hot in the sun. I am not a do-it-yourself builder, so I use whatever hypoallergenic containers and materials I can easily convert to tortoise tubs, hides, and other necessities. :O) Heated reptile hides Heated reptile hides may or may not be suitable for tortoises. For example, the Zoo Med Repti Heat Cave The big plus of the Repti Heat Cave is its low wattage (12W), but it's only large enough for a small tortoise. It does not replace a basking bulb (gives out no UVB). It should be used as a secondary heat source only. If you use a electrically heated hide, do pay extra attention to the hydration status of your tortoise. Do give him frequent baths and mistings, and provide a water bowl. A humid hidebox with a nearby heat lamp (e.g. MVB daytime, CHE nights) may be a safer choice for tortoises.
See also indoor housing, lighting & heating, substrates, outdoor housing, allergic keepers p.1 (more on substrates), and p.2 (enclosure materials, air quality etc.) pages for more Star tortoise housing info and photos. |
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. I wish they were dark inside though, instead of yellow. My Stars like the dark Bark Bends better, but they are only available in fairly small sizes.
because they are stable, low, easy to clean, and provide wide coverage for hiding. The branches and leaves can be adjusted high or low, but my Stars are too smart to eat artificial plants anyway. After the first nibble, my Stars realize they don't taste good at all. :O) My tortoises can also walk over the flat bases, so no wasted space there.
flattened side which helps prevent rocking of the pot hide. Wall flower planters are available in several shapes, e.g. round, 
made of hard plastic. Hard plastic tends to crack and shatter when cut as well. I use strong, all purpose 
back ferret litter pan is 12" x 14" in size and has 7" walls with a 5" deep opening. It is made of odorless, super sturdy plastic and it comes in several colors. Upside down, it makes an excellent medium-sized tortoise hide. I love these boxes! You can find them on 
ventilated area of the enclosure, and it should be used with a rheostat. It's available in two colors (gray and terra cotta) and one size (about 9"L x 7"W x 5"H). Read the product cautions and installation