Help with Indian Stars please

MickeysMummy

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I'm wondering if everything is ok with my baby Indian Stars. I've had them about a month now and haven't really had any issues but I have noticed that they spend the whole time on the hot side of the vivarium, not directly underneath the basking light but just on the hot side in general. I actually very rarely see them go directly underneath the basking light.

Temperatures I'm getting are 36c in basking spot, 31c on the hot side, 29c in the middle and 26c on the cool side. I try to keep humidity up by spraying 3/4 times a day but it never drops below 50%

They have good appetites and often get up even before the lights come on in the morning and go over to the food plate, looking for breakfast! But it does concern me that they basically just eat and sleep, they don't tend to be very active at all. They don't willingly drink or soak themselves, I soak them 2/3 times a day.

Another thing, I have only found one little bit of poo the whole time I've had them! I look in the Viv daily to spot clean but never find anything. I'm pretty certain that they are "going" because they eat like horses so it's gotta be going somewhere! I have seen them urinate a few times though and it's perfectly clear, like water. So I'm guessing that's a good sign?
I forgot to say, I have 2 hides, one on the hot side and one on the cool side but they only ever use the one on the hot side.

Sorry for all the questions, I'm just keen to make sure they're ok and I'm doing things right!
 

jockma

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They're probably eating the poop. It's what they do. And hey, less cleanup for you. :)

All babies sleep a lot. Human babies, dog babies, cat babies, tort babies. It's normal. As long as they don't appear sluggish when they eat or during soaks you should be okay.

One concern I have is that housing them together can lead to bullying. Sleeping together in the same hide is actually a sign of bullying. I would be even more concerned if they seem to spend a lot of time around each other, just constantly together. They don't make friends so that behavior is aggressive behavior, constant harassment and emotional abuse. I know. It sounds ridiculous because we're talking about torts here. Bullying leads to problems like weight loss, stress-induced illness and a myriad of other bad things. If that's the case it may be best to separate them.
 

MickeysMummy

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Thank you for your response, Jockma.

Unfortunately, I didn't realise until it was too late that torts are better off alone or in groups rather than pairs so the plan is to keep an eye on their behaviour and if/when I think there's some bullying going on, move one of them to an identical Viv I have stored. At the moment they seem ok, they do on occasion sleep next to each other or eat together but most of the time they eat and sleep separately.

I'm glad to read you think their behaviour is normal, I was just a little concerned that maybe they were sleeping too much but I guess not! I am surprised that they don't willingly drink or soak themselves though. Everywhere I've read says they love to drink and soak!

Again, thanks for your response.
 

jockma

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They could be drinking when you're not watching, like the poop eating ;) If their pee is clear, they're well-hydrated.

I own a redfoot and RF hatchlings practically live in their water dish, don't know about stars. If stars also love sitting in the water dish and yours simply don't, it could be because they're intimidated by each other and don't want to tick each other off by "hogging" resources (bullying symptom). RFs are a very "wet" species though so I wouldn't be surprised if other species don't like to hang around in water dishes as much.
 
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