Scratching Star !

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Yash Raj

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My Baby Star keeps on rubbing his head with his legs on both sides.
Even while roaming or walking, he just stops & starts rubbing.
When I offer him food, he starts rubbing & takes few mins. to open his eyes. Sometimes, he walks without opening his eyes !
What could be the reason ?
Confused. :(
No vet. for :tort: in the city. Please help !

I soak him daily in warm water for 10-15 mins. !
Thanks.

Thanksgiving pic. !
[Shy & Similing]
StarWalk.jpg
 

Neal

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It sounds like there might be something irritating his eyes, or even a vitamin deficiency of some sort.

What type of substrate do you keep him on, and what's his diet like?
 

CLMoss

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He looks like a beautiful healthy baby! Maybe it is because he/she is growing. When I had my other Star, after a soak, I would wipe him gently with a paper towel to make sure that he really clean. I also checked his soft skin deep in his shell to make sure there was no sheading skin. Make sure there is no dust in his/her habitat, that may be irritating his eyes. Humidity? Is his/her habitat too dry? Bulb not facing down?
Good luck!
~C
 

l0velesly

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What a cute smiley pic!! :D Your star looks happy..
Try to keep his enclosure humid and warm.
 

zesty_17

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check your water, my turtles are very sensitive to the water from the tap here. Try some distilled or aged water and see if that helps.
 

Yash Raj

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Neal said:
It sounds like there might be something irritating his eyes, or even a vitamin deficiency of some sort.

What type of substrate do you keep him on, and what's his diet like?

No substrate. I use this green towel. I regularly wash it & clean it with vacuum cleaner.

StarinCorner.jpg


Diet is Zucchini, Ridge Gourd, Sponge Gourd, Green Bell Pepper & Basil.
Calcium with Vitamin D3 twice a week.
Mineral water [50 T. D. S.] warm soak for 10-15 mins. !
I do not use the tap water [900 T. D. S.] !

CLMoss said:
He looks like a beautiful healthy baby! Maybe it is because he/she is growing. When I had my other Star, after a soak, I would wipe him gently with a paper towel to make sure that he really clean. I also checked his soft skin deep in his shell to make sure there was no sheading skin. Make sure there is no dust in his/her habitat, that may be irritating his eyes. Humidity? Is his/her habitat too dry? Bulb not facing down?
Good luck!
~C

Yes ! He's healthy. After soak I clean him with cotton cloth including tail & anal area.
No dust. Humidity is okay.
:)

lushcious said:
What a cute smiley pic!! :D Your star looks happy..
Try to keep his enclosure humid and warm.

Yeah ! Happy Baby Star. :)
It is humid & warm.
Thanks.

zesty_17 said:
check your water, my turtles are very sensitive to the water from the tap here. Try some distilled or aged water and see if that helps.

It is not a Turtle. It is a Tortoise.
I'm using Mineral water [50 T. D. S.] for soak. The tap water is 900 T. D. S. !
 

Missi

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For what it is worth, when my star tort defecates in his water during soaking time, I rinse his eyes out with reverse osmosis (purified) water by instruction of his breeder. It is to help flush out any possible bacteria that might have entered his eyes. Your little one looks so good though! I'd also guess he might just be having "growing pains". :cool:
 

Yash Raj

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Missi said:
For what it is worth, when my star tort defecates in his water during soaking time, I rinse his eyes out with reverse osmosis (purified) water by instruction of his breeder. It is to help flush out any possible bacteria that might have entered his eyes. Your little one looks so good though! I'd also guess he might just be having "growing pains". :cool:

Yes. I use Reverse Osmosis water to soak my Star.
He's a hide & seek player. :D
 

JoesMum

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Just a thought. What do you wash that green towel in? Is he sensitive to the laundry powder or fabric conditioner?

Firstly move him onto newspaper as a substrate for a couple of weeks or so. There's no dust or other allergens with newspaper so hopefully that will clear it. It's also easy to be scrupulous with your hygiene with newspaper.

Try washing the towel in an unscented non-biological detergent and don't use fabric conditioner. The kind of stuff people use if someone has excema, asthma or an allergy. Make sure you wash it regularly (every couple of days) in a hot wash (50C +) so that it doesn't harbour anything nasty.

If you do re-introduce the towel, and TBH it's not a great substrate even if it looks pretty, watch carefully for further problems.
 

tortoises101

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Towels aren't a good substrate. Young tortoises do need to burrow to excavate microclimates to conserve energy, moisture, and keep cool. By keeping them on a substrate which doesn't allow burrowing you're basically allowing them to lose a lot of energy and moisture (over 80% than if he has a microclimate). If the entire enclosure is under a heat lamp, then lack of microclimates calls for bad news.
Also, try making his diet more varied. Feed him some dark leafy greens such as salad mix (no spinach though). Dandelions and tender green lawn grass are also good.
The buckhorn plantain is also a good plant to feed. Here's a pic:
Plantago_major_Blanco1.20.png

This weed is found worldwide and has lots of calcium in it's leaves and is also fibrous. A great food item.
Opuntia cactus pads are also highly nutritious (just remove the spines) and the fruit is a good treat once in a while. Some flowers at a nursery such as hibiscus are also a good additive (flowers only).
yellow_hibiscus.jpg

You want to feed more weeds, grass, flowers, and green leaves with veggies less often and cactus fruit as a treat.
 

Yash Raj

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JoesMum said:
Just a thought. What do you wash that green towel in? Is he sensitive to the laundry powder or fabric conditioner?

Firstly move him onto newspaper as a substrate for a couple of weeks or so. There's no dust or other allergens with newspaper so hopefully that will clear it. It's also easy to be scrupulous with your hygiene with newspaper.

Try washing the towel in an unscented non-biological detergent and don't use fabric conditioner. The kind of stuff people use if someone has excema, asthma or an allergy. Make sure you wash it regularly (every couple of days) in a hot wash (50C +) so that it doesn't harbour anything nasty.

If you do re-introduce the towel, and TBH it's not a great substrate even if it looks pretty, watch carefully for further problems.

Thanks.
:)

tortoises101 said:
Towels aren't a good substrate. Young tortoises do need to burrow to excavate microclimates to conserve energy, moisture, and keep cool. By keeping them on a substrate which doesn't allow burrowing you're basically allowing them to lose a lot of energy and moisture (over 80% than if he has a microclimate). If the entire enclosure is under a heat lamp, then lack of microclimates calls for bad news.
Also, try making his diet more varied. Feed him some dark leafy greens such as salad mix (no spinach though). Dandelions and tender green lawn grass are also good.
The buckhorn plantain is also a good plant to feed. Here's a pic:
Plantago_major_Blanco1.20.png

This weed is found worldwide and has lots of calcium in it's leaves and is also fibrous. A great food item.
Opuntia cactus pads are also highly nutritious (just remove the spines) and the fruit is a good treat once in a while. Some flowers at a nursery such as hibiscus are also a good additive (flowers only).
yellow_hibiscus.jpg

You want to feed more weeds, grass, flowers, and green leaves with veggies less often and cactus fruit as a treat.

Thanks. :)
But in diet, I would like to tell you that it is very tough task for me to find out local names for the items mentioned on the Internet or the ones you gave.
I've got Hibiscus & Basil planted in my garden. I get Zucchini & others from the market. Parsley is also available.
I don't know how to identify the lawn grasses. Please help me in this:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Grass-Identification#axzz1fpseiStp
I fear if I feed something poisonous.............
So it is very hard for me to provide varied diet. Once I identify & get the local names I get it from any corner of the city.
 

JoesMum

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Your tortoise is a pretty good judge of what is and isn't poisonous. Often they just ignore stuff that won't do them any good, occasionally they'll take a bite and decide it's not for them.

There are several plants in my garden on the 'poison' list fortortoises. Joe doesn't touch them. Tortoises survive in the wild surrounded by stuff that's not good for them, so trust yours to make the correct decisions.

If he ignores a plant, assume it's not good for him unless you know better. It's tricky for those of us who aren't based in your country to know what plants are good where you are. Unfortunately plants are not the same all over the world! :)

What's important is that you feed a good variety. That way your tort will not eat too much of one thing and will get a range of nutrients.
 

Missi

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I feed my star mainly spring greens, herb mix & romaine lettuce. He won't eat carrots or soaked hay. He relishes opuntia cactus pads & hibiscus flowers as treats. Calcium powder with added D3 is always sprinkled on top. His UVA/UVB light is changed out once a year.

How does this sound for an Indian star?

P.S. Also, he is on fine aspen bedding.
 

cork_screw

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You need to change the bedding youre putting him on. Take him off that shag carpeting. It probably seems to feel nice to you, but in reality when he defecates, it will collect and harbor pathogens, and bacteria, they will multiply and it will be bad news for tortoise. Keep him on sand like jurassic sand, or some dry mulch bedding.
 
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