Burmese Star Tortoise update

AriadneHam

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Hello all,

Baby Hannibal the Burmese Star Tortoise is a little over 2 months old now. He weights on a good day 40g.

I have him eating a salad mix of grass and weeds, kale, romaine, chard, mustard, collard, and turnip tops. For some reason he does not like to eat dandelions. I have been trying to introduce endive, beet tops, rose petals, and other various greens but he remains stubborn.

I am still trying to figure out his favorite healthy food, as he will like and eat one thing, and then the next day not want it. I have given him blueberries and carrots on rare occasions as treats, he loves those.

As for his shell growth, I have been soaking him daily for about 20-30 min in 95F water. his shell is flat except for a central line that goes down the middle of his scutes. Where are is a prominent bump on the first scute( back of neck) and last scute (tail). Also , at every section where the scutes meet, there will be a lighter dot of color( shown in the darker picture), is that normal??

personality wise, he's doing great, I'm still trying to teach him his name, but I have a lifetime to get there. He sometimes has his timid days but he mostly likes to alternate between exploring and hiding.

Let me know what you think and if y'all have any other advice for me and Hannibal.
 

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RickyGoldsmith

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Nice pictures. His eating habits are similar to what my torts have. They makes faces if the same stuff is fed in a row. :)

You mentioned Hannibal age as 2 months. 2 months since hatching, or since you brought him ?
 

AriadneHam

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He is 2 months since hatching. He was born sometime in May.I bought him from Chris in June and have had him for almost 2 months now.
 

AriadneHam

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Nice pictures. His eating habits are similar to what my torts have. They makes faces if the same stuff is fed in a row. :)

You mentioned Hannibal age as 2 months. 2 months since hatching, or since you brought him ?


Do you just feed your torts different stuff everyday or mix everything up or...?
 

AriadneHam

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@Tom, @Markw84, @G-stars.

Would love for y'all to take a look at my tortoise and see if he's growing nicely.

I worry about pyramiding and some lighter spots on the points of his scutes.

More info about his upkeep at he top of the thread.

Also here are some more pictures of him. More pictures up top too.
Thanks for your time!
 

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Markw84

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Your tortoise looks perfect! Doing absolutely great. The white spots you see are just the lighter color the new keratin has as it fills in the new growth seams. Sometimes the black will look darker and the light " stripes" lighter with the very new growth. You see a similar thing with sulcata's new growth looks much darker.

Great job!!
 

AriadneHam

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Your tortoise looks perfect! Doing absolutely great. The white spots you see are just the lighter color the new keratin has as it fills in the new growth seams. Sometimes the black will look darker and the light " stripes" lighter with the very new growth. You see a similar thing with sulcata's new growth looks much darker.

Great job!!


Thank you so much!! It means a lot coming from such an experienced owner.

Do you have any tips on fixing bad eating habits? Because the only time he will try something somethig that's not lettuce is if I chop up everything into mush, but that is not really good for him, as he should be working for his meals!
 

RickyGoldsmith

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Do you just feed your torts different stuff everyday or mix everything up or...?

I just try to give them fresh stuff, even if that means repeating at times. They make faces, reject in the beginning. But then a couple hours later, they eat it.
 

Gillian M

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@Tom, @Markw84, @G-stars.

Would love for y'all to take a look at my tortoise and see if he's growing nicely.

I worry about pyramiding and some lighter spots on the points of his scutes.

More info about his upkeep at he top of the thread.

Also here are some more pictures of him. More pictures up top too.
Thanks for your time!
A gorgeous little tort.
 

Tom

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Shell looks great to me too. I'm going to make an early guess that you've got a male based on shape. I have one shaped like that.

All of mine were very slow starters. They hardly grew at all for the first few months and I was worried that something was wrong. I've heard the same story from lots of people with this species now. Mine also wouldn't eat much during the day when they were little and then they'd chow down in the late afternoon and evening. No other species I've raised is like that. I also found that they like it hot. They were still basking when ambient temps climbed into the 90s.

You got to try to get away from grocery store foods and onto more weeds, grass, leaves and succulents. Sometimes chopping up the new stuff and mixing it with Mazuri or coating it with cucumber juice will do the trick. Be patient and keep trying. It takes a while. In a few more months your baby will begin to sprout and will start eating everything in sight. My girls are now over 2500 grams at 3 years old. One big one is up to 3300 grams.
 

AriadneHam

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I have heard many great things about mazuri tortoise food, the original, I have looked for it but they only sell in bulk. Do you know of any retailer that sells in small quantities?

Shell looks great to me too. I'm going to make an early guess that you've got a male based on shape. I have one shaped like that.

All of mine were very slow starters. They hardly grew at all for the first few months and I was worried that something was wrong. I've heard the same story from lots of people with this species now. Mine also wouldn't eat much during the day when they were little and then they'd chow down in the late afternoon and evening. No other species I've raised is like that. I also found that they like it hot. They were still basking when ambient temps climbed into the 90s.

You got to try to get away from grocery store foods and onto more weeds, grass, leaves and succulents. Sometimes chopping up the new stuff and mixing it with Mazuri or coating it with cucumber juice will do the trick. Be patient and keep trying. It takes a while. In a few more months your baby will begin to sprout and will start eating everything in sight. My girls are now over 2500 grams at 3 years old. One big one is up to 3300 grams.
 

Tom

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I have heard many great things about mazuri tortoise food, the original, I have looked for it but they only sell in bulk. Do you know of any retailer that sells in small quantities?

You can order a one pound bag at most pet stores. Specify original and not LS.

Also, many vendors here on TFO sell it. Tortoisesupply.com and Coastal both sell it I think. I know there are others, but I have personal experience with those two sellers and both get an "A" from me.
 

Melissa N

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I have heard many great things about mazuri tortoise food, the original, I have looked for it but they only sell in bulk. Do you know of any retailer that sells in small quantities?

I bought mine on Amazon. There are several different sellers. Just make sure you get the right one, not LS.
 

deadheadvet

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Male Burmese will have a hook on the end of their tail. Look for it. It will show up as young juveniles.
 

AriadneHam

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Thank you all for your support and advice! More updates on my little tort will be up soon!
 
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