Sri Lankan or Indian Star?

N

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Because of a other post about a Sri Lankan one year old Star Tortoise. Here is my Indu.
I bought him on the thirst of April this year. I thought he was just a few months old at the time. He was said to be a Sri Lankan Star Tortoise. But I was sceptical. It didn't matter to me, all I wanted was a healthy baby. And Indu looked very healthy and active!!
When I got his papers true mail, his hatching date was said to be in June last year. That was a suprise to me!
So here is my question, could Indu be from June 2017 and could he be a Sri Lankan Star Tortoise based on his size and growth?
On the day I bought him he weight 29 gr. Now he weights 91gr. He has a lot of lines on his shell. And a rather yellow skin. More then the Stars I see here in the Netherlands.
He is a little over 7cm. I ad some pictures. I don't care either way, just want my Indu to stay healthy! Just curious...

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N

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If I see an Indian Star for sale over here and they are older then Indu, they are not bigger. Maybe it is because of my care. Those are always with much more pyramiding then my Indu. But it does make me wonder...

Oh, and I am real happy Indu is past the 90 grams!! He is doing really well!! Just a little pyramiding, but he was already a little when I bought him.
 

gkg2423

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Hello Debora,

I am not right guy to tell difference between srilanka and indian star. I have one younger to yours. I was told it was a srilankan one. Not sure though. Attaching pics of him. Hopefully someone will mention difference between them.
 

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Tom

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Most people around the world start tortoises much too dry. This kills many of them, but the survivors tend to grow very slowly, and the unnatural, inappropriate dry conditions make them pyramid. So yes, your tortoise could be that old.

I'm no expert on telling Indians from SriLankans, but @kingsley is. May I request your expertise here Kingsley?
 

kingsley

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DBBF9C14-6B45-4C67-A92E-A7FA0BF3D305.jpeg 4C444E9E-5AC6-4104-857C-A1B151EA0B3D.jpeg 1B5F94D3-4C76-4E42-9FF3-66226006902B.jpeg E66F6751-13BE-4E38-8A1D-F0F6F9E34CE1.jpeg C8B220C0-A413-4E66-A3E2-FDADA4A5D547.jpeg Hi all , Most of my hatchling are around 32-35 grams at birth, and within weeks they can easily double in weight. And in some instances I have had hatchlings reach 4 inches within the first year. Proper heat and humidity along with correct diet optimizes growth. I have had some Sri Lankan Stars pyramid even under optimum conditions after the first year , and I also have examined wild Sri Lankan stars with heavy pyramiding . Here are some examples of wild specimens during a field study.
 

kingsley

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This Pic was taken in March of 2017 of 2016 hold back Sri Lankan hatchlings from 4 different clutches, the ages of the hatchlings range from 8 to 13 months some are well above 4 inches SCL. The hatchlings were grown in enclosed humid chambers and some pyramiding is evident even under high humidity. Please note that these specimens are products of selective breeding of 4-5 generations from founder animals for over a period of 32+ years.
 

gkg2423

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So what do you suggest us good for a srilankan star to avoid pyramiding. I keep humidity above 80% and temp 35℃ at warmer side and 28℃ at cooler. Soak it twice a day.
 
N

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Thank you... so if you look at Indu, then he probably is an Indian Star like I thought?
 
N

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Ok, I hate it when I misspell something. Thirst of April must be first of April. I don't know why I got that wrong yesterday!!
It happens more and more lately, that I don't know things or mix them up. And I am not that old yet. Strange...
 

gkg2423

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@*debora* spelling mistake is not an issue. My Mobile's autocorrect does it many times. About torts how gouycame to know its indian and not srilankan. Could you please help me identify mine.
 

Tom

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Hi @Tom,

Could you please tell how old a 2 inch tortoise is normally. I want to have an idea about mine. And looking at its movement can you tell if it's active or not. I am shared link to video here

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nBZTcQC-ys4pxqFx24L11R3DATVyMrB4/view?usp=drivesdk
No way to know. They all grow at vastly different rates and for a wide variety of reasons. In general, dry started babies grow MUCH slower than babies started with humidity and good hydration.
 
N

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@*debora* spelling mistake is not an issue. My Mobile's autocorrect does it many times. About torts how gouycame to know its indian and not srilankan. Could you please help me identify mine.

From what I've read somewhere else. You can't be certain unless they get to a size that is not common for an Indian Star. But more the size of a Sri Lankan Star Tortoise. In adulthood that is.
And what I just learned from Tom is that if they started in less humidity then is optimal, they grow slower. And there for there is no way to tell at this point. So we just have to wait and enjoy our little Stars and take the best possible care of them.

Like I said, I don't mind either way... Just want Indu to thrive!!
 

gkg2423

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@*debora* well said. Tiny stars are too cute. Watching them walk, sleep and especially when then open their mouth wide open while eating it all look so good. I just love this idiot.
 
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Haha, I love mine too!! I can watch him all day. That's why Indu is not that shy anymore. Lol!! He has to put up with me.
 

Markw84

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From what I've read somewhere else. You can't be certain unless they get to a size that is not common for an Indian Star. But more the size of a Sri Lankan Star Tortoise. In adulthood that is.
And what I just learned from Tom is that if they started in less humidity then is optimal, they grow slower. And there for there is no way to tell at this point. So we just have to wait and enjoy our little Stars and take the best possible care of them.

Like I said, I don't mind either way... Just want Indu to thrive!!
There is no way to tell if a G elegans is a "Sri Lankan" or a "regular" indian star by its appearance. One of the reasons that even the "scientific" community has not ascribed even a sub-species to what is called the Sri Lankan star. Even size is no indication as the more nothern "Indian" stars get just as large (and perhaps larger), than the Sri Lankan stars. Some sources claim the northern Indian stars are often darker, and the Sri Lankan stars tend to have more yellow coloring with broader stripes. However, this seems to vary tremendously from individual to individual. As with @kingsley 's group, certain genetic lines can show more color in all types. All the raidiating line patterned tortoise seem like this. Raidiated, Tent, Geometric, Burmese, Indian, etc - all have quite a variation from individual to individual.

The only way to know for sure if you have a Sri Lankan Star is if you have accurate information about the origin of the tortoise, and can trust that information!
 
N

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Thank you @Markw84 . So then I will never know. If even size does not tell when they are fully grown. It did read that somewhere. Well, I don't care...
 

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