[split] need help with star tortoise, please

[Honeymomo]

Hi all, great to find this thread after a lot of reading others which were not localized . I got two stars (whom we named Honey and Momo ) around 8 days back. They are said to be around 4 months old by the pet shop owner .

He fed them and asked me to continue feeding lady finger and cucumber.

After reading a lot I have been trying to feed them grass, coriander , leaves but they won't eat those.

I have tried mixing greens with lady finger but it sorts it out. Also tried restricting for a long time (one day) without lady finger assuming that they will eat due to hunger but no success.

I have today mixed powdered calcium sandos and plan to repeat that every three days.

I am keeping them in a plastic crate enclosure with newspaper substrate on one side and coconut tree trunk coir on the other. I have got a small crate placed next where I plan to fill soil and create a tunnel between the two crates. Any sugesstions on enclosure substrate and food habit changing procedure are welcome

 

[shanu303]

Hello There.... you got very cute little stars! and Welcome to TFO!! first of all i'd like to say is stop using calcium sandos ... those aren't calcium in the purest form..... and they're made for human consumption....they contain sugar or sweetness which cannot be digested or broken down by the tortoise's gut/alimentary canal.... instead use prickly pears or calcium carbonate powder.... regarding the food now.... if they aren't eating the green leafy stuff... what i suggest is you blend some cucumber with a little coriander + hibiscus leaves + hibiscus flowers + grass + aloe vera and other stuff and make a slurry.... in that the quantity of the food they like should be more... start with 60-50 % cucumber and little of the green leafs etc... try to lower the quantity of cucumber and increase the quantity of the green leafy stuff gradually.... this will develop a taste of coriander and other leafy stuff and they will be used to eating that stuff..... and regarding the enclosure .... it's small you need to have a bigger enclosure with soil and multiple hides... and you need to expose them to mild sunlight(with shade) at least 5-6 hours per day..... and remember to do a lukewarm water soak for 15-25 min per day... this will prevent pyramiding to most extent... and also remember to spray there shells 2-3 times a day to keep them hydrated and also provide a water dish bigger than the size of the torts and it should be shallow to prevent drowning...

 

[Honeymomo]

Thanks shanu.
When you say bigger enclosure what size do you recommend ? I am gonna put soil in the smaller crate and make a passage in between the two.

Where do I get calcium carbonate ?

Any supplements for vitamin d3 ?

When you say blend and make slurry do you mean in a mixie ?

I am not able to get hibiscus flowers or leaves. Could I use regular grass available in gardens and other greens such as methi , muli ?

 

[shanu303]

regarding the enclosure... the biggest you can get your hands onto(big is always better)....what are the dimensions of the crates??
i think calcium carbonate or limestone powder or "chuna"... you can get from a grocery store maybe or drugstore.... but not the one from those "pan" vendors.... in general the calcium carbonate which is safe for your consumption is safe for the tort.... you can also try cuttle fish bone.... also available on pet store....

i don't think you should supplement vitamin D3 externally.... expose your torts to sunlight as i said and they'll get enough of that from the best source possible.....

yes in mixxie/blender..... just strain out excess water from the slurry and you can use the strained out water in their soaks...... the grass should not be treated i mean it should not be growing on soil which is treated with insecticide or pesticide or any other chemical.... and the store bought methi you should wash 2-3 times to remove any dirt or chemicals.....

 

[SANDRA_MEISSNEST]

hello and welcome.
are you keeping them to in that little container with newspaper? all day long?
you can't do that you have to change it right away.... otherwise you won't have any turtles soon

Sent from my ZTE N9120 using TortForum mobile app

 

[luvpetz27]

I just wanted to say welcome and your Stars are beautiful!!!!! I am glad you joined! You will get great advice and info here !!!!

 

[Honeymomo]

Thanks luvpets

Shanu the larger enclosure is 60cm x 30 cm and smaller 40cm x 30 cms . Together once joined they would be 100 cm x 60 cm I.e 3x2 feet

I have mixed lady finger with coriander this morning in a normal hand mixer. I saw some success. I will make it a finer grind going forward .

I am feeding them twice a day. Morning at 9 and evening at 8.

I have also given them like warm soak but they tried to get out so did for 5 minutes only.

Sandra , with due respect I dunno how big an enclosure I can afford in Mumbai with limited real estate for us as well !!!

 

[shanu303]

i think 3x2 is small... if only you could add 1 or 2 crates more then the enclosure would be okay for 0.5 - 1 year...... but that still depends on the growth rate... it might be less than 6 months..... and keep up with the grinding and mixing of food and slowly they will get used to it.... and during the soak.... it should be shallow water.... just till the water level reaches the junction of lower and upper shell.... and they will try to come out... it's completely fine... at least 10 min is essential... and don't forget the natural sunlight... that is very important... without that your torts will have MBD(metabolic bone disease) i.e weak bones,legs etc accompanied by pyramiding and also maybe soft squishy shell....

 

[Honeymomo]

I will add another one this weekend and use soil in that

 

[Neal]

Give us an update when you make the change.

Do you have the ability to set up a secure outdoor enclosure? Considering where you live, I would recommend keeping them outdoors at all times.

 

[Honeymomo]

I have added another box .
Have put four substrates coir , soil and newspaper and rocks/stones
Please suggest how to make this better.