New Indian star tortoise

ailsabeetham

New Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2020
Messages
3
Location (City and/or State)
Manchester
Hi! I have recently got a 3 year old Indian star tortoise male. We have only had him a couple of days but he has burrowed into the corner of his table and barely moved since. I'm presume that's because he a little scared and overwhelmed still but I just want to check that nothing is seriously wrong. He's also eaten very little to nothing since we got him and I know they're meant to be hungry boys. Any advice would be greatly appreciated :)
 

Thad

New Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2019
Messages
9
Location (City and/or State)
Belguim
your tort is stressed. give him/her a week and you will see a difference in attitude.
just make sure your temps and humidity is on point and everything will be all right.
As i dont own a star tort check out the subsection for more info about the details of caring for this species!
 

Markw84

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 17, 2012
Messages
5,041
Location (City and/or State)
Sacramento, CA (Central Valley)
Hi! I have recently got a 3 year old Indian star tortoise male. We have only had him a couple of days but he has burrowed into the corner of his table and barely moved since. I'm presume that's because he a little scared and overwhelmed still but I just want to check that nothing is seriously wrong. He's also eaten very little to nothing since we got him and I know they're meant to be hungry boys. Any advice would be greatly appreciated :)
show us a picture of your tortoise and the enclosure. tell us what type of lights and heat you are using. We can certainly help be sure things are in your favor of everything needed for the tortoise to thrive.
 

ailsabeetham

New Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2020
Messages
3
Location (City and/or State)
Manchester
This is his set up, he has a heat mat and heat lamp and a thermometer that we've kept on about 35 oC to keep him warm. We have been giving him fresh vegetables like corgette and kale but, and putting him next to food to eat but he just scurries back to his corner :( poor bby

IMG_20200405_143822.jpg
 

Markw84

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 17, 2012
Messages
5,041
Location (City and/or State)
Sacramento, CA (Central Valley)
Here' a few pictures of my enclosures. ...a picture worth a thousand words? Please compare to yours. There are some star tortoises in there. They would never be out in the open. To put them in an enclosure that is so barren puts a tortoise under constant low-grade stress. They simply cannot find a place they feel secure. They need humidity. Your enclosure is way too dry. 35° is too warm for ambient temperature. It's OK if it creeps that high during midday, The minimum temperature setting for you thermostat should be 28° . 35° is a bit warm for a daytime high if that is the overall enclosure temperature, but OK if it does drop to the 28° range most of the time and overnight.

IMG_0101(1).jpg

Here's where I keep a group of this year's babies. They thrive with plenty of plant cover, high humidity, and a dish they frequently self-soak in.

Mar 2020 baby enclosure.JPG

Please read the thread on how to raise a healthy star. If you follow those guidelines, I think you will find your tortoise will start doing much better.

 
Last edited by a moderator:

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,405
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
Hi Ailsa: Besides the great information Mark showed you, I'd like to talk about your waterer. Your little tortoise is stuck inside a hard shell. He doesn't bend. In order to get his head into that blue waterer he would have to stretch his neck WAY up, over then down. This would put him into a very precarious position, and since he's prey, he would never, never do such a thing. Notice Mark's waterer. It's a clay plant saucer that is sunk down into the substrate.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tom

Markw84

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 17, 2012
Messages
5,041
Location (City and/or State)
Sacramento, CA (Central Valley)
I need to correct my statement in the above post about temperatures. My conversion brain malfunctioned!

The minimum temperature setting for you thermostat should be 28° not 31°. 35° is a bit warm for a daytime high if that is the overall enclosure temperature, but OK if it does drop to the 28° range most of the time and overnight.
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,405
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
I need to correct my statement in the above post about temperatures. My conversion brain malfunctioned!

The minimum temperature setting for you thermostat should be 28° not 31°. 35° is a bit warm for a daytime high if that is the overall enclosure temperature, but OK if it does drop to the 28° range most of the time and overnight.
I corrected it to save from confusion in case someone reads that post and doesn't follow down and read your correction.
 

ailsabeetham

New Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2020
Messages
3
Location (City and/or State)
Manchester
Thanks for all your help, we got him from a breeder down south who provided us with the table and everything in it, we presumed because he sent it to us and he knows what he's on about it would be good enough but clearly not!! We have stuff on the way to put into it that we ordered the day we got him because I agree it is too barren . Are the plants in your tables real or fake????? Thanks
 

Markw84

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 17, 2012
Messages
5,041
Location (City and/or State)
Sacramento, CA (Central Valley)
Thanks for all your help, we got him from a breeder down south who provided us with the table and everything in it, we presumed because he sent it to us and he knows what he's on about it would be good enough but clearly not!! We have stuff on the way to put into it that we ordered the day we got him because I agree it is too barren . Are the plants in your tables real or fake????? Thanks

Those are all real plants in my enclosures. I do have good lighting, and choose plants that do well in the enclosure and not toxic to the tortoises.
 

New Posts

Top