My Indian Star doesn’t like me 😔

[Thundersnow]

My lil Squirt hides from me. He is eating well and is 11 months 3” weight 3.10oz so healthy. I try to soak him daily in in warm water ( I have a temp gun). He takes a good drink usually has a good 💩. So I would think this would be making him feel good. When he sees me he goes back in his hide. The ONLY time I handle him is to soak him. I know they don’t like being handled I wish he did. I would love to get a couple of Spur thighs but they get to big.I had a pair years ago I bought when they were really small. In 5 years they grew a lot. They were a ton of fun. They loved attention and being handled.
Any way my Star is just the opposite. He doesn’t want to come out of his hide when I’m around. I don’t always take him out to soak but I know it’s important

 

[TheLastGreen]

My lil Squirt hides from me. He is eating well and is 11 months 3” weight 3.10oz so healthy. I try to soak him daily in in warm water ( I have a temp gun). He takes a good drink usually has a good 💩. So I would think this would be making him feel good. When he sees me he goes back in his hide. The ONLY time I handle him is to soak him. I know they don’t like being handled I wish he did. I would love to get a couple of Spur thighs but they get to big.I had a pair years ago I bought when they were really small. In 5 years they grew a lot. They were a ton of fun. They loved attention and being handled.
Any way my Star is just the opposite. He doesn’t want to come out of his hide when I’m around. I don’t always take him out to soak but I know it’s important

Don't worry, I have a yearling hingeback and they're easily startled. Mine doesn't hide, but get stressed like breathing heavily etc. when he sees me, and it's normal.
Look at it this way, it's a different type of love.
At the end of the day they're prey in their natural habitat, so the instinct is too hide. But they do show it in little ways. Almost trusting you to handle them or they get used to it.
How does your enclosure look, is it heavily planted etc?

 

[Markw84]

Indian Stars are one of the more shy tortoise species. They simply are not as outgoing as other species can be. Young tortoises while small are all prone to hide a lot. That is a survival mechanism. As stated above, giving a lot of natural hides in the enclosure as live plants will help a lot in reducing stress and making your tortoise feel more comfortable. Most people seem to keep enclosures quite barren and as a result the tortoise is under constant stress as it cannot find a spot it would feel safe.

As it grows it will become a bit more outgoing. A well planted enclosure will help a lot as well. So give it time and be patient. However, keep in mind, the species you have is not know for ever being very outgoing.

 

[Thundersnow]

I have one of those pre molded caves. I use coconut fiber for substrate no plants. The tank is a 40 gallon ( he is little). He has a food dish 24 access to fresh food) and a shallow water dish.
What plants that aren’t huge would grown in coconut substrate that he would like? I did buy an aloe plant but don’t put it in the tank. I thought I could snip off chunks and give it him to eat.

 

[Tom]

I have one of those pre molded caves. I use coconut fiber for substrate no plants. The tank is a 40 gallon ( he is little). He has a food dish 24 access to fresh food) and a shallow water dish.
What plants that aren’t huge would grown in coconut substrate that he would like? I did buy an aloe plant but don’t put it in the tank. I thought I could snip off chunks and give it him to eat.

Keep your plants in pots to prevent tortoise access to the soil.

I agree with Mark's assessment that Indian stars are one of the shyest, if not THE shyest of all tortoise species. Babies of any species tend to be shy and secretive, so the age/size combined with the species is not going to make for a very interactive pet. You can spend lots of time trying to hand feed favorite foods and that might help a bit, but even that probably won't do much until the tortoise is 3-4 years old and a bit bigger.