BTM

Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2020
Messages
25
Location (City and/or State)
New York, NY
Hi Everyone!

Just checked one off of my bucket list! I now have a new buddy for life, a Burmese Star Tortoise and his name is Keanu. This forum has been SOOO helpful for me, so I just wanted to introduce my baby and share a bit of my experience in acquiring him. Mostly about his enclosure and how happy I am with it. After doing a ton of research (I'm a Libra...decisions are not easy), I found that the best way to raise him to avoid pyramiding on his shell was to do it in a hot, humid, closed chamber enclosure. I had seen pretty much every video on YouTube and not seen any info on this method, even from "big" YouTubers with large amounts of followers, dispensing lots of information. Not until I started digging into this forum did I find this information. All I saw were tortoises with pyramiding that in my mind looked wrong. It actually kind of reminds me of the way an Orca's dorsal fin flops over when it's raised in captivity. I'm no scientist, and I'm not judging, but that's just what it reminds me of. And, yes, I do realize this also happens in the wild.
In any case, I did decide to raise my tortoise in a "closed chamber" enclosure. My next decision was how to put one together because I couldn't find one online. I was really struggling with it because I wanted something that I found pleasing to the eye and didn't look too crafty or DIY....again, no judgments, I'm just not good at that kind of stuff and it would've been a mess. So, I reached out on this forum for information, and got pretty much an immediate response from @Tom, whose care sheets I had already read on the subject, and was the one that inspired me to go with the closed chamber method. Tom referred me to @Markw84, who custom builds closed chamber enclosures and also sells Burmese Stars, and I'm SO happy that he did. Mark's enclosures are completely plug and go! I literally had the entire thing put together, lights and heating installed with in 30 minutes, and I did it by myself. It was so easy! Ambient lights, UVB light, CHE heater, and there are 2 thermostats to monitor temperature in microclimates, and all the lights are on timers that are programmable from an app on your phone. It is also completely expandable, which is awesome, as I will be adding on to it as he gets bigger. I can't say enough how easy the set up was. Extra bonus from the enclosed humid environment is that it's basically like having a greenhouse in my living room and it's turned out to be a great way to add more plants and life to my living room. The plants also create multiple hiding spots for him and something extra for him to munch on if he wants. I also like that the enclosure is 30" high, as it gives more room for plants and viewing.
The enclosure is also very sleek, modern, well designed and engineered, and in my mind is more of a "showcase" for Keanu than an enclosure. Mark was also extremely kind and helpful, and very patient with all of my novice questions.
Mark also had some Burmese Star babies on hand, so as soon as I had the enclosure set up I gave Mark the thumbs up and Keanu arrived the next day! It was truly a seamless experience.
I also ordered food for him from @Kapidolo Farms, which bears mentioning, as I very much believe in organic and I liked what I read on his philosophy regarding nutrition. The prices were also very good for a large quantity, and came really fast in the mail.
Very big thank you to Tom for referring me to Mark, and a very BIG thank you to Mark for his hard work and expertise! Great experience, and I could not be happier!!!
43C52C70-5695-4F02-B0FB-1216F32A822D_1_201_a.jpeg715D8E84-5D49-4ED0-916B-B8EA3F1D201E_1_201_a.jpegB84C50E3-D26F-4D0A-B7B8-0EB204C8196F_1_201_a.jpeg4BCABCED-1BD5-48C7-BBE8-4DC471B6ADB8_1_201_a.jpeg
 

Toddrickfl1

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 7, 2018
Messages
7,103
Location (City and/or State)
Ga
Hi Everyone!

Just checked one off of my bucket list! I now have a new buddy for life, a Burmese Star Tortoise and his name is Keanu. This forum has been SOOO helpful for me, so I just wanted to introduce my baby and share a bit of my experience in acquiring him. Mostly about his enclosure and how happy I am with it. After doing a ton of research (I'm a Libra...decisions are not easy), I found that the best way to raise him to avoid pyramiding on his shell was to do it in a hot, humid, closed chamber enclosure. I had seen pretty much every video on YouTube and not seen any info on this method, even from "big" YouTubers with large amounts of followers, dispensing lots of information. Not until I started digging into this forum did I find this information. All I saw were tortoises with pyramiding that in my mind looked wrong. It actually kind of reminds me of the way an Orca's dorsal fin flops over when it's raised in captivity. I'm no scientist, and I'm not judging, but that's just what it reminds me of. And, yes, I do realize this also happens in the wild.
In any case, I did decide to raise my tortoise in a "closed chamber" enclosure. My next decision was how to put one together because I couldn't find one online. I was really struggling with it because I wanted something that I found pleasing to the eye and didn't look too crafty or DIY....again, no judgments, I'm just not good at that kind of stuff and it would've been a mess. So, I reached out on this forum for information, and got pretty much an immediate response from @Tom, whose care sheets I had already read on the subject, and was the one that inspired me to go with the closed chamber method. Tom referred me to @Markw84, who custom builds closed chamber enclosures and also sells Burmese Stars, and I'm SO happy that he did. Mark's enclosures are completely plug and go! I literally had the entire thing put together, lights and heating installed with in 30 minutes, and I did it by myself. It was so easy! Ambient lights, UVB light, CHE heater, and there are 2 thermostats to monitor temperature in microclimates, and all the lights are on timers that are programmable from an app on your phone. It is also completely expandable, which is awesome, as I will be adding on to it as he gets bigger. I can't say enough how easy the set up was. Extra bonus from the enclosed humid environment is that it's basically like having a greenhouse in my living room and it's turned out to be a great way to add more plants and life to my living room. The plants also create multiple hiding spots for him and something extra for him to munch on if he wants. I also like that the enclosure is 30" high, as it gives more room for plants and viewing.
The enclosure is also very sleek, modern, well designed and engineered, and in my mind is more of a "showcase" for Keanu than an enclosure. Mark was also extremely kind and helpful, and very patient with all of my novice questions.
Mark also had some Burmese Star babies on hand, so as soon as I had the enclosure set up I gave Mark the thumbs up and Keanu arrived the next day! It was truly a seamless experience.
I also ordered food for him from @Kapidolo Farms, which bears mentioning, as I very much believe in organic and I liked what I read on his philosophy regarding nutrition. The prices were also very good for a large quantity, and came really fast in the mail.
Very big thank you to Tom for referring me to Mark, and a very BIG thank you to Mark for his hard work and expertise! Great experience, and I could not be happier!!!
View attachment 303721View attachment 303722View attachment 303723View attachment 303724
Congratulations on your new buddy. Please tell me Keanu's middle or last name is "Reeves"?
 
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Hutsie B

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2013
Messages
471
Location (City and/or State)
NC
Congratulations on your new arrival and your nice habitat. Welcome.
 
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Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,265
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Simply perfect story. You got the right info, followed it, got the right enclosure, the right well-started baby, the right food, everything done right, and the moral of the story is: Happy healthy tortoise, happy tortoise owner, everyone lives happily ever after.

Thanks so much for sharing this with us and being another example of how to do tortoises the right way. I wish you many many years of tortoise happiness. :)
 

BTM

Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2020
Messages
25
Location (City and/or State)
New York, NY
Simply perfect story. You got the right info, followed it, got the right enclosure, the right well-started baby, the right food, everything done right, and the moral of the story is: Happy healthy tortoise, happy tortoise owner, everyone lives happily ever after.

Thanks so much for sharing this with us and being another example of how to do tortoises the right way. I wish you many many years of tortoise happiness. :)
Thanks Tom, and thank you again for your help and invaluable information! ??????
 

Ray--Opo

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Oct 14, 2017
Messages
7,017
Location (City and/or State)
Palm Bay Fl
Welcome, beautiful tort and enclosure.
Good job!
 

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