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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
Tidbits: In the 1800's Captain T. Hutton observed Indian Star tortoises in their native habitat and described their hiding habits with words: "these reptiles select a sheltered spot, where they conceal themselves by thrusting their shells into thick tufts of bushes or scrubs." * * *
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 enclosure photos to share, email me to add yours. |
Outdoor Housing for Star Tortoises outdoor pens
I am fortunate to live in a warm climate, so my tortoises Stars outside I keep my Sri Lankan and Burmese Star tortoises outside when the temperature is at least 70 °F (21 °C). If the sun feels very warm and it's not windy, I also often put them out when the temperature stays above 65 °F. For very small babies, like hatchlings, you might want to wait until it's closer to 75 °F (24 °C). Ideally, never keep Star tortoises outside overnight if the temperature falls down to 60-65 °F (15-18 °C), unless they have a heated house they can retreat to. I do not leave my Star tortoises out overnight for temperature and security reasons. Evenings, when they come back in, they usually get a quick bath for wash-up and rehydration. Star pens It's a good idea to supply the tortoises with plenty of plants to eat and hide under, variations in the ground level, several hiding places, and a choice of substrates. Obstacles, like rocks or logs, and small mounds of dirt create many different paths for the tortoises to follow. Typically, Indian/Sri Lankan and Burmese Star tortoises like to hide under bushes. Beneath the scrubs, they may scrape the surface of the soil a bit, but that's it. All my Stars love to hide under grassy bushes when outdoors. :O) For babies and small juvenile tortoises, the enclosure should have a predator-proof cover.
Bird and deer netting allow plants to grow
through them for Note: Indian/Sri Lankan and Burmese Star tortoises are not superior climbers and they won't be able to scale stone or wood pen walls, but you have to be careful with good climbers like Box Turtles and Russians which also like to dig. Climbers need pens with high, escape-proof walls and/or a cover, and diggers need a dig-proof floor or perimeter.
The mushroom garden statue and patio table not only provide additional shade but also support the netting. The water dish is stable, shallow, and large. It won't tip when my tortoises walk over it. Avoiding cross-contamination I don't keep huge tortoise species, so I like to build my outdoor tortoise runs long and fairly narrow. This way I can reach all parts of the pen without having to step into it. This helps avoid cross-contamination between pens of different species. However, I don't want the pens too narrow either. That may encourage tortoises to pace the walls instead of exploring the enclosure. Now, if I only kept one tortoise species and had only one outdoor pen, I would build it large, roundish, wide, and with irregularly shaped walls (not straight). Wide areas with irregular borders would look and feel more natural to the tortoises. With very large tortoise pens, it's useful to have a pair of garden clogs next to each pen. Having a designated pair of shoes for each enclosure helps prevent transferring microorganisms and parasites between pens. Remember to wash your hands thoroughly in between, too. Also, do not share water and food dishes between different pens, and especially not between different species. When building pens for different species, it's a good idea to leave several feet of buffer zone between the pens to avoid cross-contamination. The wider, the better. For example, if the pens share a wall, soiled water may seep from one pen to another. I give each tortoise species its own reserved area of the backyard. I don't mix species or overlap their outdoor living quarters. Predators & security Birds and neighborhood cats are the only predators I (may) have to worry about, so I cover my little tortoises' pens with bird netting, deer fence netting, or plastic hardware cloth. Bird netting However, bird netting is not sturdy enough to keep serious predators away, especially if you leave your tortoises outside overnight. I don't. I bring all my tortoises in at night. Pay attention to the strength and quality of the mesh, not all bird netting is the same. Some bird nets are made of weaker material that may tear. Also, plastic nets may degrade in the hot sun over time. I replace mine every spring. Deer fence netting is made of thicker, stronger plastic than bird netting, but it usually has larger mesh openings. It's stiffer and easier to work with than flimsier bird netting which gets caught on every little snag and spur. I use the Easy Gardener Deer Barrier fence netting a lot. It's not the cheapest netting, but it's very sturdy. The enclosure cover netting should be securely attached. I also place large, angry-looking garden owls The safest outdoor enclosure cover probably would be a tight-weave steel hardware cloth Gadgets My tortoise enclosures are planted with grass and various edible Stone block pens I have used both wooden and stone pens outdoors. I like enclosures build with natural looking stone blocks better than ones made with plain concrete construction bricks (cement blocks, cinder blocks). I just casually place the stones on top of each other. This makes my backyard look like it's full of ancient Greek ruins. Maybe an archeological dig site. :O) The advantage of blocks is that pens can be build in any shape, moved, and enlarged as needed. Small tortoises cannot push or move these blocks because they weigh about 20 lb each. Stone blocks also retain heat from the sun. During the spring and fall afternoons, tortoises can stay warmer by sticking close to the warmth radiating stone walls.
Stone pen with edible plants.
I often just sprinkle some edible plant seeds into the tortoise pens, water them, and they grow! :O) I water my tortoise pens early in the morning, and on really hot summer days, I water the pens during the day as well to help keep them cooler and less dry. Can you find any Stars in the photo? Wooden pens Here's an example of a simple wooden tortoise enclosure. If you use good quality wood to build the pen, it will last many years. The pen in the photo looks very weathered because it's almost 20 years old! Covered corners (not shown) provide shady hiding places and help prevent any climbing attempts. Enclosure corners are favorite climbing spots for tortoises who like to scale walls. This type of enclosure works well for Star tortoises because they are not big diggers or wall-climbers.
Concrete block pens Large, hollow-core, concrete construction blocks (16"x8"x8") are a popular, easy-to-use building material for outdoor tortoise pens. They can also be called concrete masonry units, foundation blocks, cement blocks, cinder blocks, or breeze blocks. Concrete blocks can be be gray or brown in color. All you need to do is to stack them. You can finish the top of the wall with thinner 2" block caps to hide the holes on the top of the walls. These blocks are very heavy, 20-30 lbs each, and require no mortar to install, unless your tortoises are jumbo size or super excavators. For example, big sulcatas can push the walls down and burrowing tortoises may dig under the block walls to cause them to collapse. Concrete blocks cost less than $1 a piece, but they are not very attractive looking. A more appealing looking alternative to plain concrete blocks are slump block units (concrete slumpstone blocks). They are available in various sizes, shapes, and colors. They have a slightly slumped appearance and may look like chiseled stone or old adobe bricks. The surface is usually textured. Wood or plastic timber kits A fast and easy way to construct an outdoor enclosure for a small tortoise is to use ready-made sandbox Some raised bed garden kits even have a wire net bottom and a top frame. All you need to do is to attach some wire mesh or netting to the top. In the model If you use wire netting with large gaps, like chicken wire, on the bottom of the outdoor pen and your tortoise is an energetic digger (Stars are not), be sure to put a think layer of dirt on top of it. Otherwise your tortoise may dig down to the wire mesh and get caught in the netting. Garden wagons Some tortoise keepers use a steel mesh garden cart as an Rabbit cages and pens For small baby tortoises who are not diggers or climbers, a large rabbit cage can be used as temporary outdoor tortoise pen. However, even the largest cage is only big enough for a small baby tortoise. Always provide cooler, shady areas! You could put a large flower pot next to the cage or attach a sheet of shade cloth to a side wall to provide shade. Preferably, you should also cover the bottom perimeter of the pen so that the tortoise cannot see through the walls. For added stability and safety, you can stake the pen to the ground with dog exercise pen stakes or garden pins.
Rabbit cage as a temporary outdoor pen for a little baby. This cage has no bottom grid, so the tortoise can freely walk on the dirt. It should be staked to the ground for security. If the pen comes with a metal or plastic bottom, remove it (unless you fill it with a thick layer of dirt). Metal and plastic can get very hot in the sun. You don't want to cook your baby! Some outdoor rabbit runs have an attached wooden hutch that looks like a dog house. During hot weather, the hutch part of the This small, portable rabbit playpen (pic) made by the Ware company works well for baby tortoises. It's 24.5" x 56" in size, and assembles easily with a screwdriver. Zoo Med also makes a similar, slightly smaller, triangular tortoise outdoor pen. Dog crates and pens For babies and small tortoises, dog play pens Dog runs I have also used chain link dog kennel runs Heated tortoise houses If you leave your tortoises out in colder weather, they will need a heated house. Dog houses Plastic-type houses are easier to clean and disinfect, but they can get very hot in the sun. Wooden houses are likely to absorb tortoise pee and poop, and thus more difficult to clean. During the hot summer months, keep the dog house in a shaded area and install a top flap for air exchange if needed. Use a thermometer to check that inside temperatures stay at acceptable levels both during summer and winter. Hi Tech Building Systems (Premium Pet Products) manufactures a dog house climate control system Other outdoor tortoise house heating choices include ceramic heat emitters When installing heat emitters on the inside of the tortoise house, be careful. You don't want your tortoise to burn himself or the heating unit to become a fire hazard. If you are using a dog house with high-pitched, removable roof, you can put a sheet of metal mesh in as a lower, inner ceiling, and then install the heat lamp above it. Moving tortoises between pens Some tortoise keepers are strongly against moving tortoises between pens. There are tortoises that do find this kind of Interestingly, I found an article on husbandry and breeding of Golden Greek tortoises that addresses this issue. It was written in 2007 by David S. Lee and Mike Lowe of the Tortoise Reserve. Excerpt: "Group wintering indoors: Despite being moved in and out, and from pen to pen on a regular basis these turtles show no sign of stress and seem content with the routine, often feeding and mating within minutes of being moved. This is contrary to what some authors have suggested as they insist that the captive tortoises should be handled and moved as little as possible in order to assure consistency and to achieve maximum reproductive success." |
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is cheap, almost invisible from far away, available in many widths, can be cut with scissors, and it prevents cats from using the tortoise pens as their toilets.
Otherwise, dogs, cats, and other potential predators may rip it off or sneak into the pens under the netting. I weigh the netting down by putting several stone blocks around the pen. Garden stakes can also be used to secure the nets.
plants. My Stars are not big grass eaters, so I need to periodically cut some of the grass to keep it short. I use a handheld Black & Decker 
outdoor or indoor/outdoor enclosure for babies. They line the bottom, put soil in the cart, and plant flowers and weeds in it. Any enclosure on wheels is easy to roll in and out of the house, or around the yard as needed. If used as an indoor/outdoor tub, there's no need to disturb the baby by picking him up for transport. A typical mesh wagon has a 48" x 24" floor space.
pen should be positioned in a shady spot to prevent overheating in the sun. Check the temperature inside the hut to be sure.
bricks or other dig-proof materials along the wall below the surface level. To prevent your tortoise seeing through the chain links and trying to get out through them, cover the bottom one foot of the run or use chain link fence slats along the bottom. Fence slats are great because they will prevent climbing attempts better than boards on the outside. A top netting or panel may be added to make the pen predator proof. You can attach pieces of cardboard or shade cloth to the dog run walls to provide more shade.
environmental change distressing while other tortoises are fine with it. Mine seem to have adapted to it without problems. Switching between indoor and outdoor pens is a familiar routine for them.