Is my sulcata sick

[braige thomas]

Hello I've had my sulcataa about 6 months he's been good no problems at all it seems but today he put that out kinda watery and not stiff also very green is this ok or is My man sick he eats well ans is active everyday I usual feed them collards mixed with prickly pear cactus from thr Mexican market where I live in Tennessee any suggestions would be great or if anyone knows if he is alright
I soak everyday or every other day I have 2 burmese stars as well there baby's so also wanna make sure those will be straight

 

[Warren]

I not sure from the picture it has a problem, good color and from the size of it's poo 💩, I believe it's eating well. Need a little more details on the problem. The cactus 🌵 will help keep it's poo soft.

 

[wellington]

First try to add more variety to the diet.

Second, do not house him with the stars and the stars should not be housed together as a pair.
If any of the above is going on, your tortoises are living a very stressful life, which can make them sick or die.
From what I can gather you are trying to say, I think you are safe to just keep an eye on him for any changes. Lots of time their diet will change the color or make it more runny
Make the changes though to the housing if they are together.

 

[braige thomas]

First try to add more variety to the diet.

Second, do not house him with the stars and the stars should not be housed together as a pair.
If any of the above is going on, your tortoises are living a very stressful life, which can make them sick or die.
From what I can gather you are trying to say, I think you are safe to just keep an eye on him for any changes. Lots of time their diet will change the color or make it more runny
Make the changes though to the housing if they are together.

Should I add another dtat to the mix then want to house them toghterand no they just bath beside each other they have never been out around each other yet don't wanna get them all sick or something

 

[braige thomas]

Another star*

 

[wellington]

Even adding another star doesn't guarantee they can live together when they get older. If you end up with more than one male, they would still have to be separated.
So your call.

 

[Tom]

Even adding another star doesn't guarantee they can live together when they get older. If you end up with more than one male, they would still have to be separated.
So your call.

This is not correct for stars. Sure for all other species that come to mind, but stars can live in mixed groups. All males, all females, and any mix thereof.

Love you and just wanted you to know this going forward.

 

[braige thomas]

This is not correct for stars. Sure for all other species that come to mind, but stars can live in mixed groups. All males, all females, and any mix thereof.

Love you and just wanted you to know this going forward.

So just no pairs but a group is good I was gonna a get 3 cause the guy Cameron lamb exotics had 3 but I could only afford the 2 right now for 1445 shipped with all the extra stuff for them and stuff enclosure I have 2k in them last week basically also 690 each good deal for them ?¿ if anyone knows so could I add one later and be good or them seem fine togther obviously I am nit the tortises o I wouldn't know but

 

[Tom]

Should I add another dtat to the mix then want to house them toghterand no they just bath beside each other they have never been out around each other yet don't wanna get them all sick or something

Yes you should add one more star. Singles are fine, groups are best. Pairs are a no go, unless you want to maintain separate enclosures for them indoors and out. I have some for sale if you want one. So does MarkW. Or you could go back to your original seller if they have more babies unrelated to yours.

With any other species, what Wellington said is correct and you might have problems later on if you ended up with more than one male in the group, but platynota do fine with multiple adult males and females in any combination. My current groups are 2.3 and 3.3, and there is no sign of any aggression or territoriality at all. I've had them since 2013, and in all that time the only "dominance" I have seen was one adult female mounting another, on two separate occasions a couple of years apart. That's it. Both times the other female walked away calmly and the "issue" was over. No intervention on my part was necessary. I've never seen any male aggression whatsoever.

The loose stool from your sulcata is likely a result of the opuntia, and it is nothing to worry about. Totally normal and fine. The lubricity and high moisture content of opuntia is a wonderful bonus when your tortoise gets larger and starts eating dry orchard grass hay. Sulcatas don't "need" opuntia, but they most certainly enjoy it and benefit from it. For a small one like this, I would feed a little opuntia once or twice a week, mixed in with other foods. Feed large pieces so that the tortoise has to bite off its own "bite sized" chunks, or grate it into a mush to mix in with greens. Do NOT chop the cactus into chunks, because choking on it becomes possible and likely. You can just cut a pad in half or a quarter, if its a large pad, and the tortoise can bite off its own pieces. I feed whole pads to hatchling enclosures and they have no problem nibbling it into oblivion.

Please slow down and use punctuation and capitalization in your posts. It is very difficult to understand what you are saying or asking without sentences and punctuation.

 

[wellington]

This is not correct for stars. Sure for all other species that come to mind, but stars can live in mixed groups. All males, all females, and any mix thereof.

Love you and just wanted you to know this going forward.

All Stars? What about pairs then?
I did see in your post, the Stars still shouldn't be in pairs.
But what about the other kind of Stars,?

 

[braige thomas]

Yes you should add one more star. Singles are fine, groups are best. Pairs are a no go, unless you want to maintain separate enclosures for them indoors and out. I have some for sale if you want one. So does MarkW. Or you could go back to your original seller if they have more babies unrelated to yours.

With any other species, what Wellington said is correct and you might have problems later on if you ended up with more than one male in the group, but platynota do fine with multiple adult males and females in any combination. My current groups are 2.3 and 3.3, and there is no sign of any aggression or territoriality at all. I've had them since 2013, and in all that time the only "dominance" I have seen was one adult female mounting another, on two separate occasions a couple of years apart. That's it. Both times the other female walked away calmly and the "issue" was over. No intervention on my part was necessary. I've never seen any male aggression whatsoever.

The loose stool from your sulcata is likely a result of the opuntia, and it is nothing to worry about. Totally normal and fine. The lubricity and high moisture content of opuntia is a wonderful bonus when your tortoise gets larger and starts eating dry orchard grass hay. Sulcatas don't "need" opuntia, but they most certainly enjoy it and benefit from it. For a small one like this, I would feed

Yes you should add one more star. Singles are fine, groups are best. Pairs are a no go, unless you want to maintain separate enclosures for them indoors and out. I have some for sale if you want one. So does MarkW. Or you could go back to your original seller if they have more babies unrelated to yours.

With any other species, what Wellington said is correct and you might have problems later on if you ended up with more than one male in the group, but platynota do fine with multiple adult males and females in any combination. My current groups are 2.3 and 3.3, and there is no sign of any aggression or territoriality at all. I've had them since 2013, and in all that time the only "dominance" I have seen was one adult female mounting another, on two separate occasions a couple of years apart. That's it. Both times the other female walked away calmly and the "issue" was over. No intervention on my part was necessary. I've never seen any male aggression whatsoever.

The loose stool from your sulcata is likely a result of the opuntia, and it is nothing to worry about. Totally normal and fine. The lubricity and high moisture content of opuntia is a wonderful bonus when your tortoise gets larger and starts eating dry orchard grass hay. Sulcatas don't "need" opuntia, but they most certainly enjoy it and benefit from it. For a small one like this, I would feed a little opuntia once or twice a week, mixed in with other foods. Feed large pieces so that the tortoise has to bite off its own "bite sized" chunks, or grate it into a mush to mix in with greens. Do NOT chop the cactus into chunks, because choking on it becomes possible and likely. You can just cut a pad in half or a quarter, if its a large pad, and the tortoise can bite off its own pieces. I feed whole pads to hatchling enclosures and they have no problem nibbling it into oblivion.

Please slow down and use punctuation and capitalization in your posts. It is very difficult to understand what you are saying or asking without sentences and punctuation.

So let me ask you this would it be OK to put sirlankin or Indian Star with them also would it be OK to wait a month or 2 before getting another star also you've told me no pairs before but that was when asking about thr sulcata another question to how much are your stars for another baby to add in if I can mix just to have nice patterns all 3 prices thank you Tom your the tortise man

 

[braige thomas]

One is very active and lively they both eat and get active one one is noticeably less energized it seems been like that since I got them a week ago he is still active just not as much as the other one

 

[Tom]

All Stars? What about pairs then?
I did see in your post, the Stars still shouldn't be in pairs.
But what about the other kind of Stars,?

I don't have as much experience with Geochelone elegans, but from what I have seen, they are the same in this regard of groups getting along with any combination of males and females.

Definitely not in pairs. Not for any species or any age.

 

[braige thomas]

I don't have as much experience with Geochelone elegans, but from what I have seen, they are the same in this regard of groups getting along with any combination of males and females.

Definitely not in pairs. Not for any species or any age.

How much are your stars

 

[Tom]

So let me ask you this would it be OK to put sirlankin or Indian Star with them also would it be OK to wait a month or 2 before getting another star also you've told me no pairs before but that was when asking about thr sulcata another question to how much are your stars for another baby to add in if I can mix just to have nice patterns all 3 prices thank you Tom your the tortise man

No. Never mix species. Indian and Burmese stars are two different species from different parts of the world. They have very different personalities.

I usually charge $800 each, or $700 each for three, or $600 each for 6 or more. I'll match other people's prices if they are reasonable, but I put a lot of work into making them super healthy, well hydrated and not picky with their food. You can find them cheaper, but you can't find them healthier or better started.

One is very active and lively they both eat and get active one one is noticeably less energized it seems been like that since I got them a week ago he is still active just not as much as the other one

That is almost always what happens with a pair.

 

[braige thomas]

No. Never mix species. Indian and Burmese stars are two different species from different parts of the world. They have very different personalities.

I usually charge $800 each, or $700 each for three, or $600 each for 6 or more. I'll match other people's prices if they are reasonable, but I put a lot of work into making them super healthy, well hydrated and not picky with their food. You can find them cheaper, but you can't find them healthier or better started.


That is almost always what happens with a pair.

I have the money to put into them but that puts me at 2500 plus for tortises for thr week I'm about to move into a house about 40k total to get in there on a mortgage so to be honest not in the market for another but would you do me a deal for 1 I need to get a nice yard for these dam tortises before I get more lol

 

[braige thomas]

No. Never mix species. Indian and Burmese stars are two different species from different parts of the world. They have very different personalities.

I usually charge $800 each, or $700 each for three, or $600 each for 6 or more. I'll match other people's prices if they are reasonable, but I put a lot of work into making them super healthy, well hydrated and not picky with their food. You can find them cheaper, but you can't find them healthier or better started.


That is almost always what happens with a pair.

Is Kapidolo farms good to mix there diet forboth tortises Star and sulcata

 

[Tom]

Is Kapidolo farms good to mix there diet forboth tortises Star and sulcata

Yes. I use something from Kapidolo Farms almost every day for all of my tortoises. Today they all got moringa leaf mixed in.

 

[Tom]

I have the money to put into them but that puts me at 2500 plus for tortises for thr week I'm about to move into a house about 40k total to get in there on a mortgage so to be honest not in the market for another but would you do me a deal for 1 I need to get a nice yard for these dam tortises before I get more lol

I just bought a 5 acre ranch... in CA!!!

When I started my burms, they were $1000 each firm and I got 14 of them. You can tell your wife that its all in the perspective...

 

[braige thomas]

I just bought a 5 acre ranch... in CA!!!

When I started my burms, they were $1000 each firm and I got 14 of them. You can tell your wife that its all in the perspective...

I love how you.know.😂😂 the wife is not okay with this can you do me like 600 650 to Me also your tortise knowledge is awesome Def will order from kapidolo farms was wondering if I can use sulcata mix for both burmese star and sulcata greens will be good to use for both to variety diet