[split] Another new star owner in India

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369.ankit

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Hello Everyone..

Well, i recently bought a indian star Tortoise from a friend..
Now i must confess that i seriously don't have any idea how to take care of my star..
It has been 4 days so far since i brought him home..
Now its activity mostly comptises of sleep..
I reside in ahmedabad gujarat..
I have been providing him with "kakdi" and palak on which he is feeding..
Can you guys plz help me out how should i take care of it...
He doesn't seem active..
And also lemme me know whether we should make him bath for around 10 mins everyday..?
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shanu303

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RE: Calling on indian star owners residing in INDIA

369.ankit said:
Hello Everyone..

Well, i recently bought a indian star Tortoise from a friend..
Now i must confess that i seriously don't have any idea how to take care of my star..
It has been 4 days so far since i brought him home..
Now its activity mostly comptises of sleep..
I reside in ahmedabad gujarat..
I have been providing him with "kakdi" and palak on which he is feeding..
Can you guys plz help me out how should i take care of it...
He doesn't seem active..
And also lemme me know whether we should make him bath for around 10 mins everyday..?
Hello Ankit and welcome to the Forum..... your tort is a real beauty .... such nice patterns .......... i see bit of pyramiding on his/her shell so you definitely need to start soaking him/her in lukewarm water for 10-15 min...... you should also spray his/her shell twice a day.........

i just wanted to ask how big is his/her enclosure?? do you let him/her have sunlight ????/ it should be atleast for 5 hours......

and regarding his food....... i think you shouldn't give palak regularly..... it's very high in proteins ..... so better for now is to stop it.....

kakdi is ok to feed but you need to vary the diet......

hibiscus flowers and leaves.....
rose petals and leaves.......
methi patta.....
wheat grass.......
mulli patta......
gajar ke patte(carrot greens)......
Dhaniya Patta(coriander).......
and lastly lawn grass........

the substrate which i see in the pics is sand i think..... if so then its not really good.....
you should take normal topsoil/garden soil and mix it with little sand.... the ratio should be 3:1 and you need to keep the substrate damp and humid..........

if there are any doubts or questions we are here to help :)
 

Yvonne G

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RE: [split] new star owner

Welcome to the Forum, Ankit!
 

369.ankit

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Thank you..
Thanks a ton Shanu...
You have really helped me a lot with my little little queries...
Without any second thought ill be harassing you again very soon if in case i have any doubts and questions regarding "CoCo" my tort..
 

shanu303

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369.ankit said:
Thank you..
Thanks a ton Shanu...
You have really helped me a lot with my little little queries...
Without any second thought ill be harassing you again very soon if in case i have any doubts and questions regarding "CoCo" my tort..

cool name and you're always welcome :) and i'll be waiting for the "harassing" ... hahaha :D
 

jhongsen

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Welcome to the forum ankit :D , well your indian star is very adorable , i'll add some advice
Make sure the humidity for the tort are 80% minimum , that will help you to stop the pyramiding and for the substrate , coco coir is quite good to for indian star
Hope coco will get a good enclosure soon
 

Redari

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Hello Ankit, welcome to the forum!

I have a Star too, but I'm in Canada so it's harder to help, luckily Shanu knows what is available in India. You can feed most grocery store leafy greens and herbs to your tortoise. It's good to have lots of variety, so buy a few different ones each week. If you can find some calcium and D3 vitamins at the pet store you can sprinkle it on their food a few times a week. He might like to graze on the grass and weeds in your yard, if you have one.

If he doesn't get natural sunlight outside at least a few times a week you can get a special light that gives them the UVB they need. Ask for a UVB light at the pet store.

Also they like having a little house to hide in. You can use cardboard boxes, Tupperware containers, etc. to make one.

He's very pretty, good luck! Keep reading the forum, that's what I did and I have learned so much!
 

369.ankit

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Greetings Guys...
Now is the time that i have started worrying about CoCo..
I have started worrying about his activities, his behaviour, his diet everything...
See this is what he does the entire day..

He sleeps about 15 hours a day..
He is highly inactive..
When i leave him out in the open he finds a dark corner and rests there for hours and hours until i pick him up..
Moreover it has been around 10 days since i brought him home but still he fears me and everyone else..
When ever i pick him or walk besides him he ducks in his shell for long long time..
I have never experienced him with his head and legs out in my palms..
Moreover i kept some flowers and grass along with kakdi in his box so that he could eat but still he didnt touch anything but the kakdi...

And regarding the sun light..
I've noticed that he gets irritated and finds very difficult to sustain in direct sunlight..
Cuz its way too hot in here in ahmedabad..

M sorry to bother you guys again n again vut i really want my Star to be Healthy and Fit..
 

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shanu303

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369.ankit said:
Greetings Guys...
Now is the time that i have started worrying about CoCo..
I have started worrying about his activities, his behaviour, his diet everything...
See this is what he does the entire day..

He sleeps about 15 hours a day..
He is highly inactive..
When i leave him out in the open he finds a dark corner and rests there for hours and hours until i pick him up..
Moreover it has been around 10 days since i brought him home but still he fears me and everyone else..
When ever i pick him or walk besides him he ducks in his shell for long long time..
I have never experienced him with his head and legs out in my palms..
Moreover i kept some flowers and grass along with kakdi in his box so that he could eat but still he didnt touch anything but the kakdi...

And regarding the sun light..
I've noticed that he gets irritated and finds very difficult to sustain in direct sunlight..
Cuz its way too hot in here in ahmedabad..

M sorry to bother you guys again n again vut i really want my Star to be Healthy and Fit..

hello Ankit...
regarding the inactiveness ... your tort needs some more time to acclimate to the new setup and environment.... and about he/she only eating kakdi.... you have to be patient and start mixing kakdi with chopped flower leaves and grass.... make it a rough blend with your hands so with the kakdi the flower and grass could also be taken in by the tort.... and i agree with you regarding the hot and irritating sunlight due to very high temps already... even my tort ... i've to bring him in before 12 o' clock as it gets too hot..... the solution for that is you can keep him in sunlight during the early morning when the sunlight is mild and pleasant.... then bring him in and then when its almost evening and sun's out ... you can get him back outside....

and you have to be patient...... your tort will take time to get used to you and other members of your family...... even my tort did hide when i went close to him.... but now he is as fearless as a tiger LOL... when i enter his room and call him for food ... he just rushes towards me .... sometimes even tries to climb my lap...

i hope this helps..... and don't forget the soaks and shell sprays.. :)
 

Redari

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Good advice Shanu. They only need a few hours of sunlight a week, so you don't need to have him out when it's too hot. Just a few hours here and there each week when the sun is more mild would be good.

What is your indoor set up like? Like Shanu said, it can take a few weeks for them to adjust to their new home, they are often shy at first. Make sure you have a comfortable living environment for him. Can you tell us how you are keeping him? Pictures would be good too. There might be something in his environment that is making him uncomfortable.


Also do you have a thermometer to measure the temperatures? He might be trying to cool off by hiding in the dark spots if your temperatures are too high.
 

369.ankit

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Hello everyone..
First of all a Big Thank you to you guys who are helping me so much to give CoCo a Better life with your suggestions..
See I reside in a Flat..
I cant give him an open atmosphere..
But i have a large area indoors..
He can roam around for hours in an open space..
But theres where the problem persists..
Now regarding the sunlight..
I cant provide him that, so i just need to ask you about the lights that can compensate for the natural sun rays..
I have heard about Some UVA & UVB's..
Are they easily available in India..?
Also suggest me about how his home should be, i have a 24x14 long box which can be suitable for him but how should i maintain it and utilise the space..
And yaar m really worried..
I want him to be Healthy, we all want our pets to live a better life..
But m i not able to provide him that is my worry..
He's still not appearing playful and active..
All suggestions are welcomed...
Thank you..!!
 

shanu303

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369.ankit said:
Hello everyone..
First of all a Big Thank you to you guys who are helping me so much to give CoCo a Better life with your suggestions..
See I reside in a Flat..
I cant give him an open atmosphere..
But i have a large area indoors..
He can roam around for hours in an open space..
But theres where the problem persists..
Now regarding the sunlight..
I cant provide him that, so i just need to ask you about the lights that can compensate for the natural sun rays..
I have heard about Some UVA & UVB's..
Are they easily available in India..?
Also suggest me about how his home should be, i have a 24x14 long box which can be suitable for him but how should i maintain it and utilise the space..
And yaar m really worried..
I want him to be Healthy, we all want our pets to live a better life..
But m i not able to provide him that is my worry..
He's still not appearing playful and active..
All suggestions are welcomed...
Thank you..!!

hello ankit...... regarding the sunlight/UVA and UVB.... those lights are very hard to acquire almost impossible in india..... you can buy it online but still hard to find that are actually going to be shipped to india.... i saw one member's post and he gave me the address for that pet store in mumbai that sold those lights but actually those were COILED UVB/UVA lights which are harmful to the eyes of the tort as said by many members on this forum so better not to take any chances.... your best bet is sunlight ...trust me that's all your tort will need to be healthy .....
regarding the enclosure 24X14 is too small..... i suggest you search and try to obtain the biggest possible that you can.... it'll be good for your tort....
and the substrate for the enclosure should be topsoil/garden soil which is "PESTICIDE FREE" i'm emphasising that because it is not something that can be neglected....... you can have hiding places made of cardboard boxes or ice-cream containers.... you can keep pots of live plants in the enclosure to provide hiding space as well as natural look..... make sure the plant is leafy to provide enough hiding space and also make sure it's not toxic or harmful for your tort.... i'll try to post some indian names of plants which you can easily purchase at your nearby nursery........

and regarding his inactiveness... as i said before you have to be a little patient..... try feeding variety and daily soaks and shell spray to keep him hydrated...... i hope this helps :)
 

369.ankit

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Thanks Shanu for the details..
By the way this is the box i have prepared..
The soil is chemical free and natural fertilisers are used..
And the base is of thermocol where i keep the food..
Also i have made a small roof of cardboard..
By the way ge hasn't touched a thing except Kakdis..
Even though i kept a mixture of palak kakdi n dhaniya leaves...
 

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panky

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Hi ankit try hibiscus flowerz my stars love them. Starz tend to bcum chuzy as far as fud is cncrnd. Try bhindi n leafy veggies.younge torts tend to sleep alot. Soak hm fr 30 min evryday. Folowd by sun bath. It vl make hm warm. They eat wen they r warm. Hope ths helps. Wateva i sd i read on ths forum oly. Tc
 

Ansh

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Hi Ankit,

As long as your Star tortoise is eating, he should be ok. My stars are still very shy when I pick them up. When I first get them they would barely move for days. They are easily stressed and for the first few months you should avoid handling them too much.
 

Preet917

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369.ankit said:
Greetings Guys...
Now is the time that i have started worrying about CoCo..
I have started worrying about his activities, his behaviour, his diet everything...
See this is what he does the entire day..

He sleeps about 15 hours a day..
He is highly inactive..
When i leave him out in the open he finds a dark corner and rests there for hours and hours until i pick him up..
Moreover it has been around 10 days since i brought him home but still he fears me and everyone else..
When ever i pick him or walk besides him he ducks in his shell for long long time..
I have never experienced him with his head and legs out in my palms..
Moreover i kept some flowers and grass along with kakdi in his box so that he could eat but still he didnt touch anything but the kakdi...

And regarding the sun light..
I've noticed that he gets irritated and finds very difficult to sustain in direct sunlight..
Cuz its way too hot in here in ahmedabad..

M sorry to bother you guys again n again vut i really want my Star to be Healthy and Fit..

Hello Ankit.
I have two baby indian star tortoises which I purchased on the 2nd and 15th of this month. I have a couple of observations which I believe should satisfy a few of your queries/concerns if not all of them.

1) The indian star torts display activity mainly under light ( either a long tubelight used in most indian homes or natural sunlight)
When placed in a darker environment, they will almost certainly sleep, that's not to say that they won't sleep under light though.
2)The tort will require time to adjust to it's environment and to it's owners, so don't stress yourself out on that one. For example, my torts are still in the process of completely adjusting to my touch. They do pop out of their shells when i hold them, however the slightest untoward action spooks them into retreating back into their shells.
Torts should be handled as infrequently as possible. Physically handling your tort is unwarranted unless it's for cleaning or shifting purposes.
Keep a shallow water bowl for your tort to dip in. Mine have learnt to enter the water bowl on their own and do so at will. Yours will too with time. The first couple of times, place the tort into the shallow water bowl and with time, it should be aware of the presence of water and will make attempts on it's own.
3) Try not to feed your tort a wet based diet. By that I mean, vegetables with a higher moisture content, for example cucumber (kaakdi)
Make sure you feed your torts vegetables low in protein and high in calcium and fiber. By no means should your feed your tort any meat based food!
You could try the following vegetables.
cluster beans - Feed only the pod (covering) and throw out the beans.
coriander (kothmir)
Fenugreek leaves (methi ka patta)

Nutritional content of vegetables are readily available online.

Make sure to wash the vegetables well to rid them of any pesticides.
Chop them together finely and mix well.
Then wish your tort a Bon Apetite! :)

You could also provide an additional source of calcium in the form of
a cuttlefish bone. You can purchase it for about Rs.15 (approx) from any shop that sells birds (lovebirds, parrots, etc)
Keep the cuttlefish bone in your tort's enclosure. It will nibble at the bone at will. One of my tort's does so on it's own.

Remember, as an owner of the indian star tortoise, you do not have to stress much when it comes to providing a livable environment for your tort, the reason of which is simple. You live in India (Gujarat state) a country which is best suited to a tortoise's requirements of warm to hot weather with significant humidity, abundant naturally available sunlight, local vegetables and greens well suited for the tort's diet and more.

All the best with your little pet :)
 

369.ankit

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Thank you Preet917..
This forum has provided me with solutions that even a veterinary couldn't have done ;);)
But i must tell you that CoCo doesn't even touch aby other food than kakdi..

I have tried mixing hibiscus, dhaniya and more and tried to feed him but in vain..
I was so harsh in keeping him hungry for an entire day just to make him forcefully eat the mixture but he didn't..
After waiting so long i just kept few pieces of kakdi and there you go, he finished them in a span of 10 mins..
Plz lemme know what should I do now..??
 

Preet917

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369.ankit said:
Thank you Preet917..
This forum has provided me with solutions that even a veterinary couldn't have done ;);)
But i must tell you that CoCo doesn't even touch aby other food than kakdi..

I have tried mixing hibiscus, dhaniya and more and tried to feed him but in vain..
I was so harsh in keeping him hungry for an entire day just to make him forcefully eat the mixture but he didn't..
After waiting so long i just kept few pieces of kakdi and there you go, he finished them in a span of 10 mins..
Plz lemme know what should I do now..??

Indian star torts tend to be picky eaters and hence once they develop a liking for a certain food, they will most likely segregate the vegetable mixture and eat only the vegetable of their choice, in your case cucumber (kaakdi)
In my situation, my older tort used to consume only the cluster bean pod and leave all the other vegetables mostly untouched.
What your should do is, remove kaakdi completely from it's diet. Feed the tort a little vegetable mix daily. If he goes without eating for one, two or even three days, it just isn't a big deal. It will eventually fall on it's newly introduced diet without an issue.
Remember, it's advisable to always feed a mixture of 2-3 vegetables or instead vary the diet on a day to day basis. For example, on one day you can feed it coriander, the next day fenugreek and the day after cluster bean pod. The best would be to provide the vegetable mixture.
Don't forget to finely chop the vegetables (coriander, fenugreek, cluster bean pod, etc) finely and then mix well.

:)
 

369.ankit

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Hello Guys..
Today in the market i came across a Very renowned Pet Shop in ahmedabad..
I inquired about tortoise food and the incharge handed me this..
Its basically a eatable for turtle and reptiles but he said that even tortoise can have them without any problem..
M uploading couple of photos regarding the food and its ingredients..
Do lemme know what should I do..
Should i give him this...??
 

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