Calling on indian star owners residing in INDIA

[motherofDash]

Hi People, Been a while!
Dash is doing great and I discovered it's actually a girl!
A couple of days back, when I was putting food in her dish, she tried to bite my finger. Is this normal? Will she bite people when she grows up?
Also, are flat beans (Vaal/Valor/Papdi) and Cluster Beans (Gavar) good for her?

 

[shanu303]

Hello MotherofDash it's normal for them to bite sometime as they misunderstand your hand for the food.... it happened a lot with me when i fed ben at first.... he still does that some time when i put the food in front of him...... regarding the beans... what I know is that the pods and the beans themselves are too high in protein and may contain some toxicity to the torts..... you can feed the flowers and leaves in moderation......

 

[shanu303]

Hello MotherofDash it's normal for them to bite sometime as they misunderstand your hand for the food.... it happened a lot with me when i fed ben at first.... he still does that some time when i put the food in front of him...... regarding the beans... what I know is that the pods and the beans themselves are too high in protein and may contain some toxicity to the torts..... you can feed the flowers and leaves in moderation......

sorry i should've written Amy ....

 

[motherofDash]

Lol, that's fine Shanu. Thanks for the advice. You are of great help always.
Dash is quite moody when it comes to food. Am sure it's normal but am fretting about anything and everything

 

[Preet917]

Hi People, Been a while!
Dash is doing great and I discovered it's actually a girl!
A couple of days back, when I was putting food in her dish, she tried to bite my finger. Is this normal? Will she bite people when she grows up?
Also, are flat beans (Vaal/Valor/Papdi) and Cluster Beans (Gavar) good for her?

Cluster beans are fine. I feed my torts daily with the same. Initially I only used to feed my torts the pods but now I provide them with the beans as well.
In addition I also provide them with coriander. Methi is also a viable option.

You can use the link below to view the nutrition chart for Indian vegetables based on the specific nutrient.

http://www.fitjog.com/nutrition-charts/indian-food-nutrition-charts.php

The best and most viable options are cluster beans, coriander and methi leaves. These can be verified from the above link based on the criteria below.

1) Moderate proportion of Protein
2) High Calcium to Phosphorus ratio
3) High proportion of Fibre.

I have been feeding my torts primarily cluster beans and coriander and they are healthy and also have a nice natural shine on their shells.

 

[motherofDash]

Thanks Preet! The link is quite helpful and I must say your torts are shining!

 

[shanu303]

@ Amy i suggest you first see this link before you feed beans....... it's from The Tortoise Table, the most trusted source to double check what we feed to our torts.... many members recommend this site....
so here is what TTT has to say: http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plants_19.asp?mode=main&catID=494

" Common name : Bean (Runner Bean, French Bean, Green Bean, String Bean)
Latin name : Phaseolus coccineus; P. vulgaris
Family name : Fabaceae/Leguminosae (Pea family)

The young leaves of the French or Runner Bean can be fed in moderation to tortoises. You should never feed the pods or beans themselves, as they are too high in protein and they also contain the toxic compound lectin phytohaemagglutinin, which is only destroyed at very high temperatures. "

so if you trust facts .... please avoid beans..... you've got many other easily available choices

---

again i don't won't to cross out any one's comment or suggestion but indian star tortoise is a "LOW PROTEIN DIET" tort....... here's some facts from tortoise sanctuary.org : http://www.tortoisesanctuary.org/indian-star-geochelone-elegans/

"A large variety of different grasses and many different species of succulents comprise their diet. These are a very low protein species. Naturally, they do not eat fruits or carrion, as many other tortoise species will."

 

[motherofDash]

Thanks again Shanu. Preet also suggested the same thing, low protein and high fiber + calcium.
As far as the cluster beans go, they are high in calcium and have a little less protein than Coriander leaves. (i.e 3.2 grams every 100 grams) and is high in fiber.
The most important thing is, they grow in dry arid climates, similar to climates Indian Stars belong to, hence i had thought they are probably suitable.
Unfortunately Tortoise Table does not list Cluster Beans / Guar as they are mostly grown only in India and Pakistan.
Do note that they are very different from French Beans. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guar )
Guar does contain a trypsin inhibitor which may not suit humans but I still trying to find out if it will suit torts.

Thanks again Shanu and Preet, your suggestions/posts do help my research. I truly think not enough info is available for the dear torts. Lets work together to find out as much as we can!

 

[arotester]

Thanks again Shanu. Preet also suggested the same thing, low protein and high fiber + calcium.
As far as the cluster beans go, they are high in calcium and have a little less protein than Coriander leaves. (i.e 3.2 grams every 100 grams) and is high in fiber.
The most important thing is, they grow in dry arid climates, similar to climates Indian Stars belong to, hence i had thought they are probably suitable.
Unfortunately Tortoise Table does not list Cluster Beans / Guar as they are mostly grown only in India and Pakistan.
Do note that they are very different from French Beans. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guar )
Guar does contain a trypsin inhibitor which may not suit humans but I still trying to find out if it will suit torts.

Thanks again Shanu and Preet, your suggestions/posts do help my research. I truly think not enough info is available for the dear torts. Lets work together to find out as much as we can!

Not all Star torts live in dry climates,so to generalize the climate for stars to be dry is a bit naive.So,the diet shouldn't be from dry climates.So,i wouldn't tell you about diets for stars becoz i have posted a lot about it earlier but i will tell you one thing that you must follow is,keep changing the menu all the time and don't feed the same thing again and again.That reduces your chances to feed them bad things(actually not so good things).

 

[shanu303]

Thanks again Shanu. Preet also suggested the same thing, low protein and high fiber + calcium.
As far as the cluster beans go, they are high in calcium and have a little less protein than Coriander leaves. (i.e 3.2 grams every 100 grams) and is high in fiber.
The most important thing is, they grow in dry arid climates, similar to climates Indian Stars belong to, hence i had thought they are probably suitable.
Unfortunately Tortoise Table does not list Cluster Beans / Guar as they are mostly grown only in India and Pakistan.
Do note that they are very different from French Beans. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guar )
Guar does contain a trypsin inhibitor which may not suit humans but I still trying to find out if it will suit torts.

Thanks again Shanu and Preet, your suggestions/posts do help my research. I truly think not enough info is available for the dear torts. Lets work together to find out as much as we can!

look i'm not against preet or what he said and i never was..... all i want to say is that the beans as being the seeds contain maximum of the protein as you know the endosperm is the power house of the seed..... and as far as i know that cluster beans or guar aren't available in star's native habitat..... and since its not in the tortoise table we can't be sure or the exact effects of that on the torts.... and i believe you won't be wanting your tort to be the lab rat for this testing........ i'm not saying that anybody is wrong or right on that matter..... all i'm saying is when there is so much of variety available why should we go with the unknown??? because our stars are very very very delicate creatures...... and not having certified vets around us is another setback ........ i only suggested that we can give a much better diet to our torts by leaving beans aside..... but if you wish to feed it .... then please do so in moderation.... you may never know what to expect..... in indian stars everything , diseases, gut problem, etc happens very fast, so fast that we won't be able to detect it and won't be able to react....... i feed my torts other things and they are perfectly healthy..... well you can call me a coward and yes i am a coward.... i don't want to risk anything with these delicate creatures....

and to sum it up i'm not against anyone.... and especially not against preet.... if my comments convey that then i'm really sorry
everything is cool

 

[Preet917]

look i'm not against preet or what he said and i never was..... all i want to say is that the beans as being the seeds contain maximum of the protein as you know the endosperm is the power house of the seed..... and as far as i know that cluster beans or guar aren't available in star's native habitat..... and since its not in the tortoise table we can't be sure or the exact effects of that on the torts.... and i believe you won't be wanting your tort to be the lab rat for this testing........ i'm not saying that anybody is wrong or right on that matter..... all i'm saying is when there is so much of variety available why should we go with the unknown??? because our stars are very very very delicate creatures...... and not having certified vets around us is another setback ........ i only suggested that we can give a much better diet to our torts by leaving beans aside..... but if you wish to feed it .... then please do so in moderation.... you may never know what to expect..... in indian stars everything , diseases, gut problem, etc happens very fast, so fast that we won't be able to detect it and won't be able to react....... i feed my torts other things and they are perfectly healthy..... well you can call me a coward and yes i am a coward.... i don't want to risk anything with these delicate creatures....

and to sum it up i'm not against anyone.... and especially not against preet.... if my comments convey that then i'm really sorry
everything is cool

Shanu, the very thread you created here is a contradiction to the advice you heed and promote!
Almost all the websites dedicated to start tortoises have been created with information available for tortoise care in any place except it's native habitat which is the Indian sub-continent.
Instead of reading some random advice available on diet consisting of vegetation not even available in our country, why don't you focus on the nutritional facts of the Indian vegetables available on reliable websites?
The conclusion is crystal clear and yet you choose to ignore it.
We live in India and not the West. In saying so, I mean to remind you that our climate and many of our vegetables are well suited to tend to a tort's diet. The nutritional values speak for themselves. And please do not rely blindly on foreign websites for each and every tiny bit of information regarding the Indian star. Many websites portray Indian stars as being hard to care for and very prone to disease. That is absolute nonsense! It's like saying a polar bear is very hard to care for in Indian zoos!! In simple words, when you take a tort out of it's natural warm/hot habitat and place it in a cold one, you are bound to face problems. Get my point?
So please don't generalize the information available online as being applicable to each and every place on earth unless it's backed by scientific facts which mind you are very few when it comes to raising tortoises in captivity.

 

[locado999]

hi Indian guys!!!!!!
I'm Jayasimha Reddy from Hyderabad. Like you all, I make day with 2 stars (smooth shelled). I got them 6 months ago from local area(we used to play cricket) when some street dogs tried to clutch them. I don't know their age but they fit in palm.
I feed them spinach and gherkins daily, ridge gourd and hibiscus flowers once in a week.

Reading all the posts here I came to know your torts are active. But mine sleep all the day in home enclosure.
Is this due to the food diet or could be other reasons?

 

[apromann4]

Am not from india, am from the philippines, but here there a local green, high in calcuim n high in fiber, low in oxalate locally known as saluyot, in english jute leaves, i think its available ib india, a friend and tortoise collector teaches me to feed that leaves, he' s torts has smooth shells

Sent from my S100 using TortForum mobile app

 

[arotester]

hi Indian guys!!!!!!
I'm Jayasimha Reddy from Hyderabad. Like you all, I make day with 2 stars (smooth shelled). I got them 6 months ago from local area(we used to play cricket) when some street dogs tried to clutch them. I don't know their age but they fit in palm.
I feed them spinach and gherkins daily, ridge gourd and hibiscus flowers once in a week.

Reading all the posts here I came to know your torts are active. But mine sleep all the day in home enclosure.
Is this due to the food diet or could be other reasons?

hi there,
Thank god you posted.Your torts may be around 8-12 months old and the food should be given to the tort daily.If i was you, i would have done some research on their diet and the last part that your tort sleep a lot is normal for their age unless they are not well.As i said you do two things when you get a tort 1)come here and read 2)come here and read.

 

[locado999]

@ ashish
[/quote]

hi there,
Thank god you posted.Your torts may be around 8-12 months old and the food should be given to the tort daily.If i was you, i would have done some research on their diet and the last part that your tort sleep a lot is normal for their age unless they are not well.As i said you do two things when you get a tort 1)come here and read 2)come here and read.
[/quote]

I have too many doubts regarding them like habitat and growth rate. Earlier I used to be active reader but no one could merely reply exactly what I need. So I became inactive. I hope now I can get the info. regularly from the Indian members.
see the query I posted (link below)
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-73087.html

 

[arotester]

locado999 ,sometimes it's better to search and read about your pet on your own rather than post it becoz most of the times someone already had asked the same question earlier.
I posted on your previous thread so if you need some more help about habitat or diet just PM me.

 

[locado999]

locado999 ,sometimes it's better to search and read about your pet on your own rather than post it becoz most of the times someone already had asked the same question earlier.
I posted on your previous thread so if you need some more help about habitat or diet just PM me.

surre. this helps me alot.
regarding star patterns, I found some star tots similar to that of my tot's size 've developed stars(at early age). But mine are sooth shelled. Do smooth one don't have good star patterns?

---

@ ashish
how much will it takes to grow up to 20 cm length? the big one is now measuring 6 cm and other 5 cm.

 

[shanu303]

hello Jayasimha welcome to TFO!! it's good that you saved them ..... inactiveness to some extent in indian stars in common..... regarding the diet...... i suggest you give those hibiscus flowers and leaves everyday instead of once a week..... those are safe to feed regularly.... and the spinach is a no no! because it contains oxalates which bind to calcium that is needed by the torts...... so i suggest you give a varied diet and we have already suggested many things on this thread.... and do you soak them everyday for 30 min in lukewarm water? what about natural sunlight? they need at least for 5-6 hours.... it doesn't matter if its cloudy because UVB can pass through the clouds...... and we'd like to see their enclosures if they have one.... and lastly they're really cute

---

locado999 ,sometimes it's better to search and read about your pet on your own rather than post it becoz most of the times someone already had asked the same question earlier.
I posted on your previous thread so if you need some more help about habitat or diet just PM me.

surre. this helps me alot.
regarding star patterns, I found some star tots similar to that of my tot's size 've developed stars(at early age). But mine are sooth shelled. Do smooth one don't have good star patterns?

---

@ ashish
how much will it takes to grow up to 20 cm length? the big one is now measuring 6 cm and other 5 cm.

---

@ Ashish sorry i'm sabotaging this question to you.....
there is no fixed amount of time or "how much would it take" in terms of there growth...... some are fast growers and some are slow.... just like humans..... so we can never be sure...... all we can do is to give them good varied diet + good sunlight + humidity + good place to live in + high cozy temps and that equals to a healthy growing star..... you do not want your tort to grow rapidly as that is also not good..... so no high protein and no overfeeding , well overfeeding can hardly occur as they are too picky in terms of their food...... and there is no relation of smooth shell to star pattern..... it's all genetic and we can do nothing about it........ i hope this helps

---

Shanu, the very thread you created here is a contradiction to the advice you heed and promote!
Almost all the websites dedicated to start tortoises have been created with information available for tortoise care in any place except it's native habitat which is the Indian sub-continent.
Instead of reading some random advice available on diet consisting of vegetation not even available in our country, why don't you focus on the nutritional facts of the Indian vegetables available on reliable websites?
The conclusion is crystal clear and yet you choose to ignore it.
We live in India and not the West. In saying so, I mean to remind you that our climate and many of our vegetables are well suited to tend to a tort's diet. The nutritional values speak for themselves. And please do not rely blindly on foreign websites for each and every tiny bit of information regarding the Indian star. Many websites portray Indian stars as being hard to care for and very prone to disease. That is absolute nonsense! It's like saying a polar bear is very hard to care for in Indian zoos!! In simple words, when you take a tort out of it's natural warm/hot habitat and place it in a cold one, you are bound to face problems. Get my point?
So please don't generalize the information available online as being applicable to each and every place on earth unless it's backed by scientific facts which mind you are very few when it comes to raising tortoises in captivity.

look preet if you wish to feed your star with that then go for it....... i'm not suggesting anything.... well i'm not risking the lives of my torts with that..... i feed seven different things which are tested and sure and this is a varied diet and my torts are healthy......
HIBISCUS LEAVES AND FLOWERS
ALOE VERA- in moderation
CORIANDER(DHANIYA)
GRAPE VINE LEAVES
MOGRA LEAVES AND FLOWERS( JASMINUM SAMBAC)-moderation
CUCUMBER (just for flavour )
ROSE LEAVES AND FLOWER

and these things are EASILY available in india and are also APPROVED by many.... even the international.....

and my stars have the occasional munch over the lawn grass in their enclosure................

now whatever i feed is easily available in india and is as easy as getting cluster beans from the market....... the only thing is it requires work to grow and maintain those plants......
and i'm willing to do the foraging and searching for my stars and i maintain the standard diet approved throughout the world......

well if anyone wants to feed that to their stars... they surely can..... we are here to just give advice and suggest.... to follow it is the askers/OP's choice......

 

[SonalKay]

Hi,

Moss has been a part of the family since late September last year. He is a feisty little tortoise who knows and takes advantage of his size, big eyes and cuteness to the hilt. Moss spends most of his day sleeping in one of his two hides.

Everyday, Moss sleeps for around 20 hours, basks for two hours, soaks for 30 minutes, is forced to walk around and exercise for 30 minutes...and spends atleast an hour to make up his mind about all of the other activities!

His diet includes cucumber, green peas, aloe vera, cactus, hibiscus leaves/flowers, and greens such as salad leaves, spinach and coriander. His night hide is fashioned out of a milk crate with his space made out of an upturned mud-baked chulha and a substrate of red soil found commonly here--- which I use for gardening as well and a bed made of warm cloth and Ashoka tree leaves (pic to follow). His day hide is a shoe box with a garage made of child-safety-approved Lego blocks. He is soaked in the afternoon with warm/cold water as per the weather and he is made to exercise during tea time while the whole family sits around and adores him. Moss, on the other hand, butts his way around and tries to climb up the soft belly of my dog, Sandy.

We have had Moss for almost nine months now. And they have been fun and nightmarish (literally...with both my husband and I having had bad dreams about Moss slipping away like a naked cartoon tortoise while we are bathing him). For further peace of mind, could you good people please answer a few queries:

1) What is his age and is he growing at a normal rate?
We have measured his shell size at:
Oct'12: 3.2 cms (h), 6.9 cms (l), 5.5 cms (w)
Dec'12: 3.5 cms (h), 7.1 cms (l), 5.8 cms (w)
Mar'13: 4 cms (h) 7.5 cms (l), 6 cms (w)
The latest measurements will be updated in the last week of June.

2) It has started raining heavily in Pune and there is no sunlight most days. Does he need artificial lighting or can he get by on what's natural? He could also be getting cold. So, could you please tell me what the tortoise core body temperature is?

3) Apart from the cuttlefish bones, is there any other natural calcium supplement? Coz the pet stores here do not stock nor understand what I am asking for. Any Hindi names for cuttlefish?

Thanks,
Sonal

 

[SonalKay]

Hi,

Moss has been a part of the family since late September last year. He is a feisty little tortoise who knows and takes advantage of his size, big eyes and cuteness to the hilt. Moss spends most of his day sleeping in one of his two hides.

Everyday, Moss sleeps for around 20 hours, basks for two hours, soaks for 30 minutes, is forced to walk around and exercise for 30 minutes...and spends atleast an hour to make up his mind about all of the other activities!

His diet includes cucumber, green peas, aloe vera, cactus, hibiscus leaves/flowers, and greens such as salad leaves, spinach and coriander. His night hide is fashioned out of a milk crate with his space made out of an upturned mud-baked chulha and a substrate of red soil found commonly here--- which I use for gardening as well and a bed made of warm cloth and Ashoka tree leaves (pic to follow). His day hide is a shoe box with a garage made of child-safety-approved Lego blocks. He is soaked in the afternoon with warm/cold water as per the weather and he is made to exercise during tea time while the whole family sits around and adores him. Moss, on the other hand, butts his way around and tries to climb up the soft belly of my dog, Sandy.

We have had Moss for almost nine months now. And they have been fun and nightmarish (literally...with both my husband and I having had bad dreams about Moss slipping away like a naked cartoon tortoise while we are bathing him). For further peace of mind, could you good people please answer a few queries:

1) What is his age and is he growing at a normal rate?
We have measured his shell size at:
Oct'12: 3.2 cms (h), 6.9 cms (l), 5.5 cms (w)
Dec'12: 3.5 cms (h), 7.1 cms (l), 5.8 cms (w)
Mar'13: 4 cms (h) 7.5 cms (l), 6 cms (w)
The latest measurements will be updated in the last week of June.

2) It has started raining heavily in Pune and there is no sunlight most days. Does he need artificial lighting or can he get by on what's natural? He could also be getting cold. So, could you please tell me what the tortoise core body temperature is?

3) Apart from the cuttlefish bones, is there any other natural calcium supplement? Coz the pet stores here do not stock nor understand what I am asking for. Any Hindi names for cuttlefish?

Thanks,
Sonal