quest for barts enclosure

[zekie]

Ok first of all I’ll admit it I’m one of those people who saw a cute little turtle in the pet store and bought him without thinking. Now I have an Indian star tortoise and from my research it’s not for beginners. But I’m trying my best to take care of him only had him for a week now and I’m building his enclosure piece by piece.

his current temporary enclosure is plastic box i saw laying around the house i think it’s big enough for him but not sure.
Here is his enclosure besides a 15.5 inch laptop.

By zekie23

By zekie23[/URL


By [URL=http://profile.imageshack.us/user/zekie23]zekie23

bart's size is 4inch

If it’s too small for him ill buy a new one.
Q: if I’ll buy a new one ill buy a plastic enclosure because its lighter and easier to clean. Is there a diff. from wood or plastic?

I used corn cob instead of soil or sand is it ok? Bought it only because the logo of the corncob has a star tort on it. ahaha..

By zekie23

in my mind the only things missing are his house , some plants and a uvb bulb.
Currently I’m just using an incandescent bulb for heat. I’m having trouble with the bulb. Reptile products are very rare here in the Philippines so I guess I’ll buy a mercury vapour bulb. Also I’m planning to buy a heat mat because it gets could here in the rainy season.

lucky theres a spot ffor him right outside my house for him for some grazing.

By zekie23

Daily food i give him.its a mix of cabbage, carrots and some type for leaves my mom bought in the market. seems he likes the leaves most..

By zekie23

By zekie23

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By zekie23

Here are some plants that are outside our house is it safe for me to feed it to him??

plant1

By zekie23

plant2

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plant3

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plant4

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plant5

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plant6

By zekie23

and here a cactus I’ve been caring for a year now is it ok if a put it in his enclosure?

By zekie23, shot with N97 at 2009-10-17

Katesgoey said in one thread that she puts cuttlebone for calcium so I think I’ll be putting one on mine too.

currently im saving money for bart's full checkup from the vet becuase when i bought him he had another star and a russain trots with him on the same cage.

Any suggestions are welcome.[/URL]

 

[Yvonne G]

Corn cob bedding isn't a good idea and is not recommended for tortoise substrate. I don't know anything about the Star tortoises, so I'm hoping someone with more knowledge will help you here. I don't think the diet is right either, but really can't tell you what it should be. Terry Kilgore has some star tortoises. Maybe he'll help you. Or you can send him a PM. He is shown here as redfoot NERD.

Yvonne

 

[stells]

I would ditch the brocolli, cabbage and the carrots as they are high in oxalic acid... and Indian stars seem more prone to producing stones than other species of tortoises... the corn cob stuff is awful... sorry

My Stars get fed weeds and grasses most of the week... Pellets once per week... and Butternut squash once per week... and i have had good growth in the 18 months i have been keeping them this way...

They also benefit from a humid area in their enclosure

 

[egyptiandan]

Here's a good list of things you can feed your star tortoise. http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-5823-post-47217.html

Like Yvonne and Kelly said it would be best to change the substrate. Corncob is not a good bedding for reptiles. You can use clean soil from outside if you can't find bagged top soil.

None of those plants you posted pictures of look edible to me. though not sure what they all are. The succulent will be fine in the enclosure with your star.

Yes the enclosure does need to be larger for your star. A plastic container is just fine. If you can't find a mercury vapor lamp, than some time in the sun every day will help. The outside spot looks fine as long as it gets some sun.

Danny

 

[andred82vert]

Why dont you let your tort live outside? Make sure you bring him inside during the rainy season and It never gets cold in the Philippines...not where I used to live anyway. (Cebu). I'm sure you can sprinke some veggie/weed seeds around, and Hibiscus plants grow like weeds over there.

 

[George]

I would ditch the brocolli, cabbage and the carrots as they are high in oxalic acid... and Indian stars seem more prone to producing stones than other species of tortoises... the corn cob stuff is awful... sorry

My Stars get fed weeds and grasses most of the week... Pellets once per week... and Butternut squash once per week... and i have had good growth in the 18 months i have been keeping them this way...

They also benefit from a humid area in their enclosure

Kelly - Do you cook the squash first? like if we were to eat it?

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I would ditch the brocolli, cabbage and the carrots as they are high in oxalic acid... and Indian stars seem more prone to producing stones than other species of tortoises... the corn cob stuff is awful... sorry

My Stars get fed weeds and grasses most of the week... Pellets once per week... and Butternut squash once per week... and i have had good growth in the 18 months i have been keeping them this way...

They also benefit from a humid area in their enclosure

Kelly - Do you cook the squash first? like if we were to eat it?

I'm not Kelly but I do cook the squash for them. I make it the same as a baked potato. However, I am sure you don't have to cook it, I think they like it better that way...Just my opinion...

 

[bettinge]

Yes, I steam the squash as well. I do not think a young/small tortoise can eat a fresh (uncooked) squash easily.....if at all!

 

[zekie]

ill change the conrcob right away hmm is there anything better other than soil? how about woodshavings??

and anykind of grass is ok for him??

tnx for the advice guys..

 

[egyptiandan]

Wood shavings aren't much better than the corncob, but if you can find shredded aspen bedding that would work just fine.

You can either cook or grate the butternut squash.

Here's a list of grasses from Robyn's list

Edible Grasses;
Alfalfa (Lucerne - be careful, rather high in protein unless dry)

Barnyard grass (Echinochloa crus-galli)
Beesgras (Urochloa pantcoides)
Buffalo grass (Stenotaphrum secondatum)
Bushman grass (Schmidtia kalahariensis)

Carrot grass (Tragus racemosus)
Couch grass (Cynodon dactylon)
Crab finger grass (Digitaria sanguinalis)

Dallas grass (Paspalum dilatatum)
Darnel rye grass (Lolium temulentum)
Dew grass (Eragrostis pseudo-obtusa)
Dropseed grass (Sporobolus africanus)

Eastern Province vlei grass (Eragrostis lehmanniana)

Fescue

Kikiyu grass (Pennisetum clandestinum)

Mouse barley grass (Hordeum murinum)

St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum)
Swazi grass (Digitaria swazilandensis)

Veld grass (Ehrhartacalycina)

Wintergrass (Poa annua)


Danny

 

[George]

I would ditch the brocolli, cabbage and the carrots as they are high in oxalic acid... and Indian stars seem more prone to producing stones than other species of tortoises... the corn cob stuff is awful... sorry

My Stars get fed weeds and grasses most of the week... Pellets once per week... and Butternut squash once per week... and i have had good growth in the 18 months i have been keeping them this way...

They also benefit from a humid area in their enclosure

Kelly - Do you cook the squash first? like if we were to eat it?

I'm not Kelly but I do cook the squash for them. I make it the same as a baked potato. However, I am sure you don't have to cook it, I think they like it better that way...Just my opinion...

Thanks Maggie - I will cook as suggested - i have seen pics of Bob with squash and am looking forward to watching my two! lol

 

[stells]

I don't cook mine... i grate it on a cheese grater... all mine eatit this way... including hatchlings... and it goes alot further...

 

[spuds]

Never thought to grate their food. Probably healthier than cooking. I'll have to give it a try. Thanks for the idea!

I don't cook mine... i grate it on a cheese grater... all mine eatit this way... including hatchlings... and it goes alot further...

 

[tortoisenerd]

I don't have this breed but I will try to advise on more general subjects.

What kinds of lettuces are available in your supermarket? Is there spring mix? It looks like this. It's a great start to a diet for a tort if you are having a tough time finding the better stuff. Pick out any spinach if it comes in the mix (it prevents the tort from absorbing calcium). If you are unsure, feel free to post a picture or a list of ingredients of what is available and we can advise.

http://www.coosemansdallas.com/productgraphics/spring mix.JPG

There is a list of safe greens from the grocery store here to tide you over until you can gets weeds and grasses: http://www.russiantortoise.org/russiantortoisediet.htm

Otherwise, I think you really need to be planning long term. You should ideally be feeding 15+ different foods for variety over time that are healthy. Get some pots or trays with organic potting soil (no chemicals added), and buy some seeds of yummy and safe plants from reputable lists posted on this website: weeds, greens, vegetable leaves, flowers, grasses, etc. Some people have tried to buy seeds overseas, but many times they get rightly stopped in customs. I would look at the safe lists and see if you can find any where you live. Many of the greens and weeds grow fine indoors. You just cut off the tops of the sprouts and feed them to the tort--they grow back.

Mazuri Tortoise Diet and/or ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food are ok to use in moderation in my opinion for some variety (a day a week as a full meal, or a small portion daily with mostly greens).

FYI my one year old tort can handle raw squashes if cut small (or else he just will choke it down lol). Great idea on grating it!

In my opinion, your hatchling should receive a daily sprinkling of pure calcium over its food in addition to having cuttlebone available.

Great to hear you will buy a Mercury Vapor Bulb. I would go for a 100 watt (or you country's equivalent) Mega Ray or T-Rex. they are the best brands as far as UVB output. Get a lamp stand to be able to adjust it up and down for temperature, and a wide and deep hood fixture with a ceramic socket.

When you get a bigger plastic tub (sooner than later), try for one with sides that the tort cannot see through. You can even buy fake plants for hiding places and to block the view so the enclosure seems larger. I aim for at least one warm and one cool hide box. Can Bart soak and drink in that dish (can he easily enter and exit as well as stick his head in to drink)? If not, you may try for a ramp or stair bowl which is slightly deeper, but also easier to get in and out of. If you are not sure he is soaking, I recommend soaking a few times a week in baby bath warm water for 10 minutes or so, up to a level of where the upper and lower shells meet (Bart should not have to hold his head up out of the water).

Pure aspen (no other kinds of wood, some are toxic) is fine, as is pure clean soil (no chemicals, fertilizers, or pesticides). Another option is a coconut coir fiber substrate that comes in a brick which you soak in water to expand. You may be able to find it under the name Eco Earth or Bed-a-Beast.