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Burmese & Indian / Sri Lankan Star Tortoises
(G. platynota & G. elegans)
Other Stars
Angulate Tortoise
(Chersina angulata)
Misc. Pages
Tips:
Get THE Star tortoise book amazon or eBay (direct links to book). It covers all aspects of Indian / Sri Lankan and Burmese Star tortoise care. A must-have book for all current and prospective Star owners!
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Indian / Sri Lankan & Burmese Star Tortoises
Caresheet - Star care in a nutshell
Sri Lankan Star tortoise (Geochelone elegans)
FEEDING
Foods
- ideally, feed high fiber weeds, grasses, leaves, flowers, cactus, hay cubes (e.g. timothy)
- as a secondary choice, grocery store greens (chicory, spring mix, endive, escarole, radicchio, romaine, etc.)
- feed very little fruit if any
- no animal protein
- feed as large variety of plants as possible
- feed youngsters daily
- for details, read the Star tortoise diet page
Supplements
- recommendations vary:
- calcium powder - from daily to 1x/week
- multivitamins - from daily to 1-2x/month
- growing babies and egg laying females need more frequent supplementation
- no vit D3 supplementation necessary if kept outdoors much of the time
- always keep a cuttlefish bone or calcium carbonate powder in a small dish in the enclosure
- for more info, read the Star tortoise diet page
Water
- keep a drinking water bowl in the enclosure
- the water dish should be non-slippery and very shallow for youngsters so that they can climb in and out of it easily
- for brand new hatchlings, daily baths may be safer than providing water bowls (could drown if flipped over)
- give frequent baths (soaks) to help with hydration, unless your tortoise soaks himself
- bath babies daily and adults 1-2x/week or less
- for more details, read the bowls & dishes and care tips pages
INDOOR HOUSING
Enclosures
- open top wooden tortoise tables and plastic tubs are popular
- do not hibernate, keep warm year round
- avoid cold & damp conditions, warm & humid is ok
- for more details, read the indoor housing page
Lighting
- use a reptile UV light when indoors, either a mercury vapor bulb (MVB) or a fluorescent UVB tube
- for more details, read the lighting & heating page
Heating
- provide a daytime basking bulb, either a MVB or a heat bulb
- provide additional heat at night if needed (e.g. ceramic heat emitters, radiant panels)
- keep the enclosure dark at night
- for more details, read the lighting & heating page
Substrates
- popular indoor enclosure substrates include plain soil, soil/sand mix, soil/coconut coir mix, cypress mulch, fir/orchid bark, and paper towels for hatchlings
- popular substrates for humid hides include sphagnum moss, coconut coir, wet paper towels, and wet sponges attached to the hide ceiling
- with loose substrates, feed on shallow trays, large tiles, or paper to avoid accidental ingestion of substrate
- for more details, read the substrates and substrates & allergics pages
Temperature & humidity
- temperature range 70-90 °F
- daytime temp 80+ °F
- 85-95+ °F directly under the basking bulb
- adults can tolerate higher basking temps than babies
- night temp 70+ °F in dry conditions, 75+ °F if damp
- moderate humidity 40-75%
- babies benefit from a higher humidity level
- the higher the humidity, the higher the temperature should be
Microclimates
- provide a temperature gradient of 70/75-95+ °F in the enclosure, this allows the tortoise to warm up or cool down as needed
- provide humid hideboxes or warm, damp substrate areas
- for humid hide info, see the hideboxes page
OUTDOOR HOUSING
General
- natural sunlight is the best UVB source
- keep outdoors as much as possible for UVB exposure and opportunity to exercise
- adults can stay outside 24/7 in warmer climates if heated night houses are provided
- put babies out on warm and sunny days, min 70-75 °F
- for details, read the outdoor housing page
Enclosures
- provide several shady areas, bushes and hides
- provide a shallow water dish, putting it in a shady area keeps the water cooler
- for adults, make the enclosure as large as possible
- for babies, cover the top to protect from predators
- Stars are not very good climbers or diggers, so they won't climb over the walls of he enclosure or dig under them to escape
- provide sunny slopes or raised laying beds for adult, egg laying females
- plant the enclosure with edible greenery, see the diet section of the links page for nontoxic and toxic plant info
LINKS
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