Burmese Star Tortoise Care Sheet

Before purchasing a Burmese Star Tortoise for sale, from a reputable Burmese Star tortoise breeder, be sure to read a care sheet on how to care for your new tortoise.

1.) FEEDING

Foods

• ideally, feed high fiber foods like weeds, grasses, leaves, flowers, cactus pads, dried salad hay, etc.
• grocery store greens only as a secondary choice (e.g. chicory, spring mix, endive, escarole, radicchio, romaine)
• provide high fiber, low protein, and low fat meals
• feed very little fruit, if any
• no animal protein
• feed as large variety of plants as possible
• Supplements

• ALWAYS keep calcium carbonate powder in the enclosure for calcium self regulation, regardless of the feeding regime
• calcium powder use varies among keepers from daily to 1-2x / week
• multivitamin use varies among keepers from daily to 1-2x / month
• little or no supplementation needed if fortified foods, like Mazuri or Zoo Med, are fed frequently (except a self help calcium source)
• growing babies and egg laying females need more frequent supplementation
• be careful with vitamin D3, overdose is toxic, no vitamin D3 supplementation necessary if kept outdoors with free access to the sun much of the time

Water

• ALWAYS 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
• give frequent baths (soaks) to help with hydration, unless your tortoise soaks himself
• bath babies daily and adults 1-2x / week or less

2.) INDOOR HOUSING

Enclosures

• large, open top reptile tubs and wooden tortoise tables are popular for adults
• minimum size for a short term (nights, bad weather) enclosure about 5×2 ft or 6×3 ft (e.g. Waterland tubs) for one, small adult tortoise
• young Star tortoises do well when raised with higher ambient humidity, for example, in a half or fully closed vivarium
• in the daytime, babies can be kept outdoors in warm weather and then brought in for the night; provide a warm, higher humidity hide or vivarium for nights
• do not hibernate, keep warm year round
• avoid cold & damp conditions
• warm & humid is ok

Lighting

• if your tortoise has limited access to an outdoor enclosure, use a reptile UVB light when indoors, either a mercury vapor bulb (MVB) or a long fluorescent UVB tube

Heating

• provide a daytime basking bulb, either a MVB or a heat bulb
• provide additional heat at night if the room is cold; CHE’s, radiant heat panels, room heaters etc.
• keep the enclosure dark at night

Substrates

• popular indoor enclosure substrates include plain soil, coconut coir, soil / coco coir mix, cypress mulch, and fir / orchid bark
• popular substrates for humid hides include sphagnum moss and coconut coir
• with all loose substrates, feed on shallow trays, large tiles, or paper to avoid accidental ingestion of substrate with food; eating large amounts of any substrate can cause serious intestinal impactions

Temperature

• These temperature numbers are just basic starting guidelines, not exact requirements. It all depends on your specific setup and circumstances. If in doubt, it’s better to keep Stars a bit warmer than cooler. If kept too cold, they can develop runny noses and become ill.
• daytime ambient temp 80-80+ °F
• 90-95+ °F directly under the basking bulb, adults can tolerate higher basking temps than babies
• about 75-80 °F in the coolest corner of the pen
• night temp down to 70 °F ok in dry conditions, but 75-80+ °F with high ambient humidity or wet substrate

Humidity

• Caution! If Star tortoises are kept too dry and hot, they are prone to dehydration. Especially babies. This can lead to kidney problems and urinary stone formation. Both can be fatal.
• moderate humidity 40-75+ % is ok for adults
• babies benefit from a higher ambient humidity, up to 70-80+ %
• the higher the humidity, the higher the temperature should be; popular rule of thumb is 80/80 (min 80 °F with ~ 80% humidity)

Microclimates

• provide a temperature range of 70/75-95+ °F in the enclosure, it allows the tortoise to warm up or cool down as needed
• provide both dry and damp / high humidity areas
• babies especially benefit from humid hideboxes or warm, damp substrate areas; babies can also be raised in well controlled vivariums
• another choice is to use a warm and humid vivarium attached to an open pen area that provides a drier and cooler area

3.) OUTDOOR HOUSING

General

• natural sunlight is the best UVB source, and it’s free :O)
• keep outdoors as much as possible for UVB exposure and opportunity to exercise
• adults can stay outside 24/7 in warmer climates if heated houses are provided for cooler nights
• put babies out on warm and sunny days, min 70-75 °F

Enclosures

• ALWAYS provide a shallow water dish, putting it in a shady area keeps the water cooler in hot weather
• provide several shady areas, bushes and hides
• for adults, make the enclosure as large as possible
• for babies, cover the top to protect from predators
• Stars are not the best climbers and they are not big diggers, so they won’t climb over the walls (if adequately high) of the 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, check lists of toxic plants to avoid

25 Species of captive-bred tortoise for sale online

Firstly, many species of tortoise for sale offered here include giant tortoises like the Aldabra tortoise, Sulcata tortoise, Burmese mountain tortoise and more.  In contrast, medium size species include the leopard tortoise, red-footed tortoise, yellow foot tortoise, mountain tortoise, Burmese star tortoise and the giant leopard tortoise. Small tortoise for sale includes Hermann’s tortoise, Greek Tortoise, Indian Star tortoise, Pancake Tortoise, Russian tortoise and the Egyptian tortoise.  Lastly, Tortoise Town the largest selection of baby tortoise for sale in the USA, including baby tortoise, juveniles and adult tortoises for sale.