Is Burmese star omnivorous?

[paludarium]

In the past 3 months I'v noticed that my baby Burmese star always became active while the ground was wet, it got excited when seeing earthworms and caught them. In September I visited Taipei Zoo, one of the Geochelone platynota breeding centers in the world, where one of the staffs told me that Burmese stars loved to eat animal matters, they used to feed Burmese stars with pinky mice once or twice in a month.

A few weeks ago I visited one of my best friends, he also kept some Burmese stars. As I stepped into the enclosure of his Burmese stars, one of the adult males hunted me, I ask my old friend whether the Burmese star treated me as food or enemy? He answered: "food!". So I stopped to see what was going to happen. To my astonishment, that male Burmese star really kept biting me on my left shoe!

And 2 days ago, I offered my tortoise with the carrion of a bird along with the fresh salad, tried to observe what would the Burmese star baby choose for food. Not too surprise, it devoured the bird but not the greens. And this time I recorded a video.

I do not intend to feed Burmese star with animal matter regularly. I just ponder why the Burmese stars in fact LOVE to eat animal matters, however we always presume that they belong to herbivorous but not omnivorous?

Erich

[video=youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkNLuo7XryQ&feature=player_embedded[/video]

 

[pdrobber]

that's looks so strange to me...

 

[Tom]

Most torts are opportunists and will eat meat if given the chance. I know of a sulcata that hunts, kills and eats gophers and I've seen footage of a Galop that stalked, killed and ate finches by a water hole. Doesn't mean its good for them.

I would not feed that to such a precious and valuable animal.

 

[l0velesly]

Yuck, it doesn't seem healthy to feed it dead animals.
I found this info online:
"In the wild, Star tortoises are herbivorous, but may occasionally eat some animal matter as well. That said, a 100% vegetarian diet is recommended for captive Stars. Do NOT feed animal products (e.g. NO dog or cat food)."

If you want, read more here: http://startortoises.net/diet.html

 

[fbsmith3]

I can see the occasional, living earthworm or Dubia roach, but a dead animal is wrong. You don't knwo what it died of and you don't know how long it has been dead. Seems like huge potenial for food poisoning.

Please be careful with such a wonderful prize such as a Burmese Star.

 

[paludarium]

I can see the occasional, living earthworm or Dubia roach, but a dead animal is wrong. You don't knwo what it died of and you don't know how long it has been dead. Seems like huge potenial for food poisoning.

Please be careful with such a wonderful prize such as a Burmese Star.

I have been keeping that bird for more than 2 years, it died of thirst a few days ago due to my negligence, not because of any disease. I was really sorry for that. Just before I buried it, I gave it to my Burmese star. I don't expect my tortoise would have another chance to eat any bird, and I will not do that anymore.

Erich