question about star tortoise

Question
I live in India and one day while rain i found a star  tortoise in a water drain in front of my house. A woman said that she saw it some where in a forest type area and she only left that in that drain.it was almost a month that the tortoise is not eating any thing it is active at first and then is dull from a couple of days.I tried to fed it with hibiscus leaves, hibiscus flowers, cactus, carrot pieces etc, but it is not even opening its mouth to have it.I was scared that will it die or what what should i do?Please give any suggestion how to feed a star tortoise and its food habbits and why it is not eating any thing and always sleepy in a same corner.

Answer
Because you live in India, I understand that advising you to take the tortoise to a veterinarian may not be practical. However, if you know of a wildlife rehabilitator, someone who takes and cares for injured or sick wild animals, you should take the tortoise there right away.

Reptiles need certain things to stay healthy.  For a tortoise, those things include a source of heat and natural sunlight, and correct food.  The foods you have been offering are not bad, but does it have access to sunlight and heat?  The temperature must be right.  (Never leave a reptile in the sun with no way to get cooler, or get into the shade, either- they will overheat and die).

If the tortoise is just cold, and not sick, then giving it access to sunlight and proper heat may solve the problem.  If the tortoise has become sick, then it will need vet care to live.  It is best to release the tortoise if you cannot afford the equipment to keep it, because there are fewer and fewer star tortoises in the wild.  It needs to be wild, so it can reproduce and make more star tortoises. ;)

Do not release it if it is sick, though.  Take it to a wildlife rehabilitator.