I've become a tortoise mom!

Judy@SYR

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I'm so excited and thrilled! Right time, right place, right budget...and the fact that my hubby was OK with it was the final Sign that it was meant to be. I picked up this little cutie at the Arlington NARBC show this past weekend. My son named her Sarra (pronounced just like Sarah, but he insisted it had to be spelled that way, LOL).

Not sure on her age, as I forgot to ask, but I'm guessing about six months old or so. I was told she was incubated for female, but do understand that isn't 100% accurate. It's just nice to have an educated guess for which pronoun to use. :p

She's in a nice little temporary setup right now, with UVB and heat, shallow dish of water she can walk in and out of, etc. I'll be working on something larger and more permanent over the next few days.

One question I'd like help with while planning her permanent growing-up home: I've read a lot about closed chamber humidity methods for raising healthy, smooth babies, but I've also read that Indian star tortoises are from arid regions and are sensitive to excessive humidity. What is the best environment for her to grow up in? She already has a little bit of pyramiding going on and if possible, I'd like to make sure the rest of her growth is as smooth and healthy as can be.

So excited to finally be a real part of the Tortoise Family!!
 

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diamondbp

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ummmm I'm jealous lol. congrats on the gorgeous addition
 

mchong9606

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Hi Judy, first of all she's a real beauty. Something about these cute stars we all love. I recently purchased one as well and I'm keeping her in a closed chamber high humidity environment with positive results so far. She's eating great, usually in the morning and in the late afternoon. I have a mvb which is about 95 degrees directly underneath and she is often there or just off to the side for a slightly cooler temp. I mist her 3 or 4 times a day. Cool end is 75 degrees. Sometimes she's there as well but not for long. At night the CHE cycles on and off and the temp is around 75 to 80 degrees. The most important part is a moist and warm environment is good. A moist and cool environment is bad and will lead to respiratory issues. I have not had any shell rot or respiratory problems. She looks to be enjoying it. Good luck and enjoy!
 

mike taylor

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Congratulations! She's a beautiful tort!
 

Tom

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Congrats.

I have not done the humidity thing with Indian stars, but I seen a bunch of other people do it here on the forum with excellent results. They key is to not let them drop below 80 degrees, even at night.

PM Neal. He has a lot of practical experience raising stars in a variety of ways. Maybe you can get him to share his thoughts here on your thread, so everyone can learn from his experience.
 

Judy@SYR

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Thanks for the warm replies and advice! I got her a bigger place and mostly furnished now. Just need to find a few plants to pretty things up and give her something to explore and hide in. Looks like I'll be seeking out that balance between consistently warm and humid without actually being "moist." I'll shoot Neal a PM and see if he'll offer up some more information about his experiences. :)

More pictures soon!
 

Neal

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My experience with stars is that captive bred specimens tend to be very hardy and do well in a wide spectrum of husbandry. I have noticed that they have runny noses more often than other types I have dealt with, but it's never been an alarming difference in my observations.

I have personally had good experience in raising them in open containers and closed chambers. I prefer the closed chambers currently just because it makes my job easier in that I don't have to check on humidity levels or temperatures as much. I have raised some in arid conditions and never had an issue with pyramiding, but it is a bit more work to make sure they are always well hydrated though.

This is an older caresheet I wrote for leopards applies to Indian Stars all the same. http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-63792.html I need to update it, but it should provide some good insight for how I do (in some cases"did") things that worked well for me.
 

EricIvins

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You are going to have to correct quite a few things with this animal in particular. First would be getting the animal humid and hydrated. Second would be slowing that growth down tremendously and then getting the animal in the correct growth parameters. Accelerated growth is not a bad thing, as long as it is symmetrical. Most people will tell you this cannot be done, but it can be done with some due diligence. The growth that animal has now is off the charts and shows everywhere. This will lead to issues and complications down the road if it continues. Third is figuring out why the animal is not walking correctly, as evidenced by the weird nail growth. It can be related to #2, or could be a completely different issue altogether.

The beak is also starting to over grow, so the animal was not fed correctly before you received it. Just an FYI...
 

Judy@SYR

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Thank you Neal! That gives me some great ideas to work with and confidence that I can raise her well.

EricIvins -- She's in a humid environment now and enjoying a morning soak every day. I don't understand much else that you've said, though, so if you could elaborate on some of these points, that would be helpful:

What makes you think she's experienced unhealthy "accelerated" growth? The shape of her carapace? The pattern of pyramiding? How would I go about "slowing" her growth??? I have no intention or even the slightest desire to "accelerate" it, but neither do I have any idea of how I should control such a thing.

What is unhealthy about her legs? The pictures make them look a little goofy, but that's just the way she's posing. She stands up tall on all four legs when she trundles around her enclosure. Her nails don't seem deformed or excessive to me, but I'm not entirely sure what I should be looking for. In the pictures, her feet were wet and strands of substrate stuck to her toes, making her nails look a little odd.

Lastly, what is it about her beak that makes it look overgrown? It looks normal to me, so if my idea of "normal" is wrong, I'd like to know. Also, what needs to be done to correct it?

Just in the last few days that I've had her, she's been getting a variety of greens and grasses with a little mazuri and calcium/D3 supplement. She also has a cuttle bone to nibble on, but she doesn't seem to pay that much mind.

Thanks again for all the help! :tort:
 

Moozillion

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You can hold the cuttlebone over her food and scrape it with a knife so that cuttlebone powder falls down and sticks to the moist food. I have to do that with my Hermann's because she ignores her cuttlebone otherwise. Your tortoise is a real beauty!!!:)
 

bouaboua

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WOW.........

That is one beautiful star Tortoise. Congrats! ! ! ! You will enjoy for sure.
 

AnnV

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Congrats. I love my little starman, Jeff. They have the cutest little faces!
 

Judy@SYR

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Thank you all!

I need to get my camera battery charged back up again! She's too cute for such shameful photographic neglect!
 

khenderson52

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Judy@TRR said:
Thanks for the warm replies and advice! I got her a bigger place and mostly furnished now. Just need to find a few plants to pretty things up and give her something to explore and hide in. Looks like I'll be seeking out that balance between consistently warm and humid without actually being "moist." I'll shoot Neal a PM and see if he'll offer up some more information about his experiences. :)

More pictures soon!

I have Burmese Star Tortoises. I have found an excellent reference on the care of Star Tortoises at www.startortoises.net. Good Luck.
 

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