Burmese star enclosure and feeding

[ktbug22]

I was bored yesterday and wanted to look around my local reptile shop when I came across a burmese star. Normally I would rescue any animal from a shelter because I don’t want to give any money to these awful pet shops but this tortoise looked stressed, sad and unhealthy. He seems to have really bad pyramiding. Something was telling me I needed to adopt him asap. I have a few issues though.
I live in apartment and most likely won’t be able to give this tort an outdoor enclosure. I’m moving to Oregon in a few months so it’s going to be mostly rainy outside and I definitely would not be able to give him an outdoor enclosure on top of living in an apartment. I’m worried because of this he won’t have a good life. I do think obviously anything would be an upgrade from where he is currently. Will this be an issue and because of this should I not consider adopting him?
What size enclosure will he need and what’s a good cheap enclosure I can use for the time being till I move to my new place? I was thinking of temporarily putting him in one of those home depot plastic bins and then when I move I will upgrade his enclosure to something a lot more spacious. People were saying kitty pools work well. What type of UVB light would you recommend?
Do Burmese only eat plants or would I need to feed him larvae?
What’s the best brands of substrate and should I use damp moss as well? I know since he’s pyramiding he will need more hydration.

 

[Tom]

I was bored yesterday and wanted to look around my local reptile shop when I came across a burmese star. Normally I would rescue any animal from a shelter because I don’t want to give any money to these awful pet shops but this tortoise looked stressed, sad and unhealthy. He seems to have really bad pyramiding. Something was telling me I needed to adopt him asap. I have a few issues though.
I live in apartment and most likely won’t be able to give this tort an outdoor enclosure. I’m moving to Oregon in a few months so it’s going to be mostly rainy outside and I definitely would not be able to give him an outdoor enclosure on top of living in an apartment. I’m worried because of this he won’t have a good life. I do think obviously anything would be an upgrade from where he is currently. Will this be an issue and because of this should I not consider adopting him?
What size enclosure will he need and what’s a good cheap enclosure I can use for the time being till I move to my new place? I was thinking of temporarily putting him in one of those home depot plastic bins and then when I move I will upgrade his enclosure to something a lot more spacious. People were saying kitty pools work well. What type of UVB light would you recommend?
Do Burmese only eat plants or would I need to feed him larvae?
What’s the best brands of substrate and should I use damp moss as well? I know since he’s pyramiding he will need more hydration.

He doesn't look to be in bad shape. Pyramiding is cosmetic as long as everything else is good, and this one isn't too bad. He is in the type enclosure that he needs to be in. The way you are proposing to house him would not be good for him. They need closed chamber with the heating and lighting inside. There is no way to do that with an open topper tub or kiddie pool.

He needs an 8 foot long closed chamber. Indoors only is possible, but not cheap. You'll need to buy the correct type of enclosure and all the right heating and lighting, or build one yourself.

Moss should not be used with tortoises. They will eat it and it can cause impaction.

Plants only. No larvae for these guys.

Here is the care info. Read each of these at least twice, and questions are welcome:

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

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Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

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[Markw84]

That is an Indian Star not Burmese Star. So won’t get as big Care is basically the same.

 

[ktbug22]

He doesn't look to be in bad shape. Pyramiding is cosmetic as long as everything else is good, and this one isn't too bad. He is in the type enclosure that he needs to be in. The way you are proposing to house him would not be good for him. They need closed chamber with the heating and lighting inside. There is no way to do that with an open topper tub or kiddie pool.

He needs an 8 foot long closed chamber. Indoors only is possible, but not cheap. You'll need to buy the correct type of enclosure and all the right heating and lighting, or build one yourself.

Moss should not be used with tortoises. They will eat it and it can cause impaction.

Plants only. No larvae for these guys.

Here is the care info. Read each of these at least twice, and questions are welcome:

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

He doesn't look to be in bad shape. Pyramiding is cosmetic as long as everything else is good, and this one isn't too bad. He is in the type enclosure that he needs to be in. The way you are proposing to house him would not be good for him. They need closed chamber with the heating and lighting inside. There is no way to do that with an open topper tub or kiddie pool.

He needs an 8 foot long closed chamber. Indoors only is possible, but not cheap. You'll need to buy the correct type of enclosure and all the right heating and lighting, or build one yourself.

Moss should not be used with tortoises. They will eat it and it can cause impaction.

Plants only. No larvae for these guys.

Here is the care info. Read each of these at least twice, and questions are welcome:

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

He doesn't look to be in bad shape. Pyramiding is cosmetic as long as everything else is good, and this one isn't too bad. He is in the type enclosure that he needs to be in. The way you are proposing to house him would not be good for him. They need closed chamber with the heating and lighting inside. There is no way to do that with an open topper tub or kiddie pool.

He needs an 8 foot long closed chamber. Indoors only is possible, but not cheap. You'll need to buy the correct type of enclosure and all the right heating and lighting, or build one yourself.

Moss should not be used with tortoises. They will eat it and it can cause impaction.

Plants only. No larvae for these guys.

Here is the care info. Read each of these at least twice, and questions are welcome:

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

Thank you so much! You seem very knowledgeable on these little guys. I did not know that these types of torts needed a closed chamber. If he is still there in a week or 2 and I have everything necessary for him I’ll adopt him. I’ve read everywhere that torts hate glass enclosures because it stresses them out. Is that not the case for Indian Stars? What type of closed chamber would you recommend I buy online? I also was convinced this is a Burmese but someone on this thread said it’s an Indian Star which both require the same level of care is this true?

 

[Tom]

Thank you so much! You seem very knowledgeable on these little guys. I did not know that these types of torts needed a closed chamber. If he is still there in a week or 2 and I have everything necessary for him I’ll adopt him. I’ve read everywhere that torts hate glass enclosures because it stresses them out. Is that not the case for Indian Stars? What type of closed chamber would you recommend I buy online? I also was convinced this is a Burmese but someone on this thread said it’s an Indian Star which both require the same level of care is this true?

Most of the info for tortoise care found online is all wrong. That is why the info given here sounds so different and will often contradict info from most other sources. The glass tank thing is just one example of this. Tortoises do not stress out or experience any mental anguish because they can see out. Quite the contrary in most cases. Glass tanks are better for the very reason "they" say they are bad which is restricted airflow. Restricted airflow helps to hold in the heat and humidity that they need! The problem with glass tanks is that they have an open top which lets all the heat and humidity out, and even very large aquariums are too small for anything but a hatchling tortoise.

Both Indian stars and Burmese stars require the same care. The difference is that Burmese stars get just a little bit bigger, they are more personable and outgoing, and I find them to be more hardy and tolerant of a wider range of conditions. I got my first Burmese stars in 2013. They reached adulthood and gave me babies in 2017. Each year my 11 adults give me around 80-90 babies.

 

[zovick]

That is an Indian Star not Burmese Star. So won’t get as big Care is basically the same.

It could possibly be the Sri Lankan race of G. elegans going by the broad yellow markings. Either way, the care is the same.