Calling on indian star owners residing in INDIA

Prada and gucci

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Thanks for the help... Any specific reason why his eye got infection? And is it a serious concern? How to get rid of the infection.
 

Yvonne G

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Tortoise eyes are usually the first indication that something is not right in the way he's being cared for. It might be food related, heat related, vitamin a related. There's no way for me to know. So you just have to make sure that all controls in his habitat are up to par. I doubt there's an actual infection in the eye, just probably swollen shut. You can go online and try to find an eye ointment. These are the two I use:

eye ointment a.jpg

VETERICYN_Opht_Gel_2oz._V400395443_.jpg
 

Nik

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Please help I fond worms in my startortoise pops please help me wat is treatment or its normal
 

Linhdan Nguyen

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Please help I fond worms in my startortoise pops please help me wat is treatment or its normal
My russian tortoise also has worms in her poop. Not alot, i dont think. She eats regularly and is mostly active so i havent pressed the issue to get her dewormed. I read that small amounts is normal for tortoises, especially wild caught tortoises.
 

Abhinay

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Guys need serious help..

During winters my tort was very inactive, i thought climate might be the factor. But from past 1-2 months he is sleeping, i have to soak him to wake him up. he is also not eating anything from past 10 days. i tried everything but he just refuse to eat anything.

Though he open his eye but they are mildly surrounded with something of white color. He is barely active these days, infact he sleeps where i put/leave him in his enclosure.

i am really worried. what should i do?

do star hibernates?
 

Kartik

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Hey...now is the time for u to get to work..consult a vet if there is any in our town..or consult from the tortoise seller from which u bought our tortoise..i think ur tortoise is suffering from some disease
 

ZEROPILOT

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My russian tortoise also has worms in her poop. Not alot, i dont think. She eats regularly and is mostly active so i havent pressed the issue to get her dewormed. I read that small amounts is normal for tortoises, especially wild caught tortoises.
A light load of parasites is somewhat "normal".
Seeing worms in the poop is NOT normal. Only the eggs get passed when there is a light parasite load. Normally, you would never see an actual worm. Actual worms in the poop indicate that there is a very serious, heavy load of parasites.
Bring a fresh batch to a good reptile vet along with your tortoise. They will give you a cure that is both based on the type of worm and the weight of your tortoise. If your tortoise is still eating, it makes treatment much, much easier. You will just ad it to some food. It should work quickly and should not be very expensive.
I just battled round worms a few months back. EASY.
 

Kartik

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I want to clear something out..I live in Agra,up,India.I have a star tort of the size of a palm.he eats only..tomatoes and ladyfinger in the pure form..I feed hi mixture of 65%tomato and 35% spinach ..the local aquarium seller told me to feed him spinach.as the main part of his diet..but I have read certain posts and 2-3 people have told me that what I feed him is not adequate...as this blog is for Indian star owners ..plz tell me what to feed him as daily diet..I am quite confused..
 

rohit

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Its quite the same thing with my torts as well they only eat tomatoes and lady fingers. What ever else i feed is use less. Sometimes i feed them hibiscus flowers as well. Thats their favorite though.
 

Kartik

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I can feed feed my tort any healthy green leaves in a mixture of 60%leaves and 40 % tomato but actually I don't know what leaves or veggies to feed that are easily available in India..
 

rest7773

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I have got 2 indian stars frm the pet store 2 weeks ago. To this date i am keeping them in a basket which is 1.5f w and 2 f length...so i am planning to make a enclosure which is a size of 3 f by 7 f and will keep it in my balcony where there is ample of sunlight..i have ordered 100% organic cocopeat soil for his enclosure and will also plant wheat grass and other beneficial plants in it...

I need to knw how often i will need to change the top soil and as i live in mumbai the temp and himidity r perfect and i will be able to give him 6hrs of uninterupted sunlight..

Can anyone tell me if it is essential to have a mvb or a uv bulb evn after giving him 4 hrs of sunlight to bask on
 

Linhdan Nguyen

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I dont change my soil/substrate, i just spot clean it if my tortoise urinates or defecates inside the enclosure and every now and then ill add more (when the soil goes low) and moisten it some before i mix it up.
Im still a beginner with tortoises but I've read other posts stating a uvb lamp is not needed if they have access to a good amount of sunlight. Just make sure your tortoise has a place to hide from the sun when it wants and plants for shade, and access to water
 

Kartik

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My tort eats only tomatoes and lady fingers..today I took him to our colony park and he was attracted towards some kind of leaves..I think these leaves are mulberry leaves as I checked on net..can I feed him these leaves
 

Kartik

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Hey shanu,,what do u give ur tort for providing adequate amount of calcium..??plz help me!!?
 

Sara G.

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Usually putting a cuttlebone in the enclosure is enough calcium for your tortoise. They seem to sense when they need it and will nibble on it as needed.
But if you're worried about calcium then you could sprinkle some on their food twice a week I think (though some species might need more/less calcium). Don't over do it on calcium though.
 

shanu303

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I currently don't have my tortoise but i never supplied anything extra for calcium or any supplement for that matter. just veggies and natural sunlight.
diet:
Hibiscus leaves
DSC03969.jpg

Hibiscus flowers
4155786_orig.jpg

Dhaniya(coriander)
Coriander11.jpg

Mulli ke patte(radish greens)
img_1006.jpg

Gajjar ke patte(Carrot green)
carrot-leaves3.jpg

Kheera(normal cucumber)
cucumber.jpg

Kakdi(the thin light green cucumber)
Armenian-Cucumbers.jpg

Methi(Fenugreek)
Fenugreek-Leaves.jpg

Romaine Lettuce (seeds available online)
Romaine-lettuce.jpg

wheat grass
Fresh-wheat-grass.jpg

Grass
kikuyugrass4.jpg

Kadi patta(sometimes only)
kadi-patta-long-live-the-curry.jpg

Bhindi/Okra(sometime)
642x361_Is_Okra_the_Secret_Weapon_Against_Diabetes.jpg

Grape Leaves
7178ad19-5dbf-4836-a5e7-a729a0497630--concord-grape-leaves.jpg


DO NOT FEED:
Tomato(can be given as a treat once a month)
Cabbage
Spinach
Beans
Sweet fruits
citrus fruits

This answer is for all concerned about diet, supplement, water, sunlight, UVB etc.
you've got plenty to choose from, it just takes an initiative from your side to gather all these stuff... they are not hard to get or grow. if you have really decided to take care of such fragile and delicate creatures then you should be committed to hard work as well to gather the proper requirements.

=>NO need of external supplement
=>NO need of UV Bulbs
=>Natural Sunlight is sufficient
=>Sunlight should be direct and not from window glass
=>Hydration is a must
=>Water should be available is a container which the tortoise can go in and come out of easily.
=>Soak at least once a day for medium to large tortoise (15 min) twice for babies(10-15 min)
=>The water level should not be above the lower jaw of the tortoise
=>Moisten/Hydrate the shell once-twice a day by spraying it
=>Use lukewarm water in the winters for soaking and reduce soaking to alternate days and avoid spraying the shell in winters
=>Keep the tortoise in heated Room or at least where there are a lot of humans(more humans more heat) at night in winters
=>Just covering the tortoise with blanket/sweater/woollen cloth won't do anything in winters because tortoises are reptiles and reptiles are cold
blooded animals so they can't generate heat, so insulation is useless when there is no source of heat.
=>provide a sufficiently large enclosure for the tortoise ( 4 by 4 feet for small tortoise, 8 by 8 feet for medium and a garden(or 14 by 14 feet) for
adult these are the minimum dimensions if you want to keep your tortoises 100% healthy.
=>Use soil/Garden Soil as a substrate in the enclosure/house and it should be at least 4 inches deep
=>DO NOT Keep the tortoises on NEWSPAPERS
=>DO NOT keep the tortoises on uncovered(without soil substrate) glass aquarium throughout the day(they require earthy substrate bellow their
legs)
=>DO NOT keep them in plain plastic containers.
=>DO NOT keep them on naked concrete surface.
=>DO NOT keep the tortoises in plain cardboard boxes throughout the DAY. (If you can't provide a basic enclosure with proper substrate then you
shouldn't be keeping the tortoises in the first place)
=>DO NOT keep tortoises on the tiles of your homes(letting them roam free in the whole house) they can get hurt.
=>Designate an area specifically for tortoises with minimal disturbance and noise(as minimum as possible)
=>Avoid unnecessary handling of the tortoises.(Picking them, turning them on their back etc)
=>Do not take your tortoises to gardens, public gardens, public places in INDIA (THEY ARE BANNED) and one more reason is the garden might be fertilised using chemicals.

TORTOISES ARE NOT DOGS, CATS, HAMSTER, BIRDS etc(Conventional Pets) SO DO NOT TREAT THEM LIKE ONE.

KEEP TO THESE BASIC POINTERS AND YOU WON'T NEED:
SUPPLEMENTS
UV BULBS
CUTTLE FISH BONES
and hopefully a VET :) (Because it is near to impossible to find qualified Vets who treat reptiles and besides Keeping tortoises is not allowed in INDIA)

@Kartik
@Abhinay
@rest7773
@rohit
@Prada and gucci
@Nik
@Pawan9
@Rahul15
@Simi_Star

 
Last edited:

Saba80

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Mar 26, 2016
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Hi,My name is Saba and I live in mumbai.I have three star tort babies which we found at my uncles farm at karjat.The fourth one died as he was bitten by dogs.We bought them to mumbai and are very happy.They prefer all the said diet which you have mention but okra being their favourite.They weigh 71,56,48gm.approx.I dont know their age.I want to know best substrate that can be used for their encloser.They were initially in sand then I changed to pine shavings.I am not sure is it good for the babies.Do i need to change the substrate.if so what and the easy availability.I dont want to go for coir or soil as i have my twins who are dust allergic.please reply.Looking forward for replies
 

Sara G.

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Fine orchid bark or coir is very good and shouldn't be dusty.
I don't know too much about star torts but I would imagine that they prefer humid conditions. Which would mean that the coir or fine orchid bark would definitely not be dusty.

Pine shavings do have a lot of dust though, so I'm surprised that your kids don't have a problem with it.
 

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