Star tortoise weak and not eating.

Question

My Star   QUESTION: I live in Malaysia and I have a Star Tortoise, less than a year old. During the day, I let him out in a fenced up area at my front porch (not under direct sunlight) and in the night, I keep him in a large plastic container lined with newspaper and covered with a net to keep insects at bay. On colder nights, I turn on the UVB basking light. I keep them outdoors. I soak it for 15-20 mins each day and it feeds mainly on lettuce. I also feed him Hibiscus leaves, Hibiscus flowers, long beans and occasionally cactus pads. It's favourite is long beans but I try not to feed him that too much because I read somewhere that long beans are high in protein that is not good for the tortoise. I feed them with calcium (powdered form and sprinkled on the veg) at least twice a week. I keep my Star tortoise together with another breed (Sorry, I don't know the name). For the past couple of days, it hasn't been eating much, nibbling a little bit and stopping entirely. It seems to sleep all day and very weak, almost unable to carry his own weight. But it struggles well when I hold him up.

Please help. I don't know what's wrong with him... I have heard that we shouldn't put tortoises of different breeds together as they might get sick... Could this be the reason? I have isolated my Star from the other tortoise. My other tortoise eats alot and often finishes the veg before my Star can have a bite. Is my Star behaving this way because he is being bullied? Because I read somewhere also that tortoises can lose their appetite when they feel nervous. Please advise! I need to get him to eat soon!

Thanks for your time.
Ann

ANSWER: Hi Ann,

Star tortoises are native to India and Sri Lanka, so it's unlikely that they would need supplemental heat at night in Malaysia.  They should have at least some drop in temperature at night (down to about 70F), but if supplemental heat is needed, it should be from something like a ceramic heat emitter and not a light, as they also need a day/night cycle.

Star tortoises can be fairly delicate, and should not be mixed with any other species as they can be easily susceptible to disease.  I would separate yours right away.  

I'm including some links below for you to read over regarding care, but there are a couple of things you need to change.  One is to make sure your tortoise has a shallow dish of water he can get into completely at all times in the enclosure.  It's not necessary to soak more than about three times a week, but water should be available all the time.  The other is his diet.  Stars should have a diet that consists mostly of grasses and hay, with some cactus and leafy greens.  No fruit, vegetables, or pellets.  Stop feeding the beans completely, and limit the lettuce as it is low in nutrition and fiber.  Start feeding more grasses and hay, and include greens such as turnip, mustard, dandelion, collards, kale, etc.  The hibiscus is great, also, as are grape leaves and weeds such a chicory, plantain (not the fruit), sow thistle, mallow, clover, chickweed, etc.  I'm not sure what types of weeds you have in your country.  You can also plant grasses and edible plants in his outdoor enclosure so he can graze on his own.  Rather than putting calcium on the food, put a cuttlebone in the enclosure so the tortoise can self-regulate calcium intake.         

Tortoises can be bullied, and that may be part of the problem, but changing the diet and keeping him separate from other species is important.  With any luck you will see improvement after you make some changes.  If he continues to not do well, you should seek advice from a reptile vet, but don't allow vitamin injections as those are easy to overdose and deficiencies can be corrected with improved diet.
 
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs-startortoise.htm
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs-startortoise.htm
http://www.tortoisetrust.org/care/celegans.html


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I gave it a sunbath this morning, followed by soaking. I read from a website that putting sugar and salt in the soaking water can help rehydrate the tortoise, so I did just that. Then I offered it cactus pads and hibiscus leaves. He took two bites of the cactus and went to sleep. I have tried feeding him hay and grass many times before but he never fancied it, ignoring the hay completely and I always end up feeding it long beans again for fear that he will starve himself if I continued to feed him hay. It is rather difficult to find the weeds that you have listed as our nurseries here usually sell common plants, not weeds or even seeds to grow them. We have no good reptile vets here, most of them only treat snakes and iguanas if they're any good. I am at a loss. What else can I do to make my tortoise eat? What could be wrong with it? It does not have watery eyes and nose so I doubt it is a respiratory problem. Could it be worms? Liver problem? Digestion problem? How do I know if supplemental heat is needed? I just assumed that he needs to stay warm, hence the UV basking light. If you suggest to keep him warm at night (as it has been raining recently and there is a mild drop in temperature), then I will try to look for a ceramic heat emitter. If my Star ignores the cuttlebone, can I crush it to powder the cactus with it? Please help. I have already separated my Star from the other tortoise as you have said and I will definitely make changes to his diet.  

Answer
Hi Ann,

Did you read the information I linked for you?  First thing, check your temperatures and make sure they're within the correct range--most likely your tortoise is fine outdoors during the day, but check the range anyway.  They need warmth, but also need a cooler area so they can regulate their temperature.  Use a digital thermometer and check temperatures in several areas, then do the same at night.  If night temps are 70F or above, you don't need supplemental heat.

Don't put sugar in the water.  I doubt he's dehydrated, and sugar can cause problems for tortoises.  Rehydrating with glugose is only something that should be done in certain situations.  He may have parasites or be otherwise ill, but most likely the main issue is improper diet and possibly temperatures, etc.  They can go quite some time without eating, but can't tolerate an improper diet for long.  Just keep offering the better foods.  You can chop the hay up, moisten it, and mix it with cactus, etc. to encourage him to eat it.  I never advise force-feeding unless you're already experienced with it, as it is very stressful to the tortoise and can cause pneumonia if the food is aspirated into the lungs.  The cuttlebone is so the tortoise can self-regulate calcium intake; just leave it there and the tortoise will eat it if it needs to.  Giving too much calcium is just as bad as too little, so let him decide how much he needs.

You can check with a reptile vet to see if they can do a fecal exam for you to see if your tortoise has parasites, and then treat accordingly (don't use ivermectin!), but I think you're most likely to see improvement if his basic care needs are met.  Unfortunately, as I said, star tortoises are delicate and don't tolerate improper diet, etc. very well, and the lethargy indicates that your tortoise is already in pretty bad shape.  At this point you're just going to have to make sure everything is correct and hope for the best.  Please read the care information I linked for you carefully, and make sure your temperatures, etc. are correct, and then see how he does.