Hi all,
I'm new to this forum and we will be the proud owner of an Indian Star soon... Just wondering if anyone has any tips, stories or even warnings! Have done lots of research already, but all information is greatly appreciated...

I keep 3

Indian stars must be kept warm, 27c in cool and 32+ in hot

Diet: i feed mine 60% grass and the rest weeds with lots of limestone and nutrobal on.

They do stress easy and are prone to runny nose.

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Thanks for that - i've also been reading your website!

Key points...

It is very important that they be kept well hydrated and warm. I suggest a temperature of 80 to 100+F in the basking area. While imports are suseptable to RNS... CB animals are not if you adhere to the first part of this comment.

If you are feeding a weed/plant based diet be very careful of the oxalic acid content of those plants. My worse problems with Stars is reneal failure due to excess salts... especially calcium oxalate. This is why I highly recommend formulated diets such as Mazuri, Nutra Zu or T-Rex tortoise diets. The use of these diets eliminates the worry of bladder stones all together. It is the first few years that this is very important.

Take a look at these posts for a clearer picture...

Manufactured Diets...Part 1

Manufactured Diets... Part 2

Some people call Stars 'pretty rocks' as I have in the past but if you get the conditions just right they are just as active and personable as any other tortoise. The problem is that if the conditions are not 'just right' they can die off rather quickly.

Good luck.

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Ed @ not allowed to post a link
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

Thanks, I've not really seen much on the fomulated diets - i'll take a look.

I woudl not go for a pellet diet that for sure

Healthy green diet with lots of grass is what you want.

I have never seen a picture of a star in the wild eating a pellet but natural weeds and grass i have. I think nature knows best

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It's hard to find objective information on these diets in the UK because it is not well thought of by some of the more vocal tortoise keepers.

The key is to look for people who have used it for any length of time. You'll find that most who have not prejudged it still use it and even some of those who prejudged it use it on occasion.

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Ed @ not allowed to post a link
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

You are totally correct... nature does know best... the problem is that the majority of the tortoise keepers are providing substitutes of what the tortoise would find in nature.

The tortoise also has a choice in nature... the best we can do is provide as great a choice as possible in the hopes of hitting the key points. The new formulated diets for animals in general have made this so much easier and less risky than leaving this diet subject to chance.

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Ed @ not allowed to post a link
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

HI Ed

I dont wish to start an argument or a heated discussion but do you know of an independant zoologists/nutrionlist who is researching the effects of diets on torts?

Ed can you show me the research over 100 years of the effect of the pellet diet please? Only over the whole life of a tortoise will you know the effect?

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