Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all,

I'm living in a flat in tropical Singapore.
Just adopted an indian star tortoise about 15 cm in length.
I would like to hear from fellow ST lovers in Singapore about rasing them. Appreciate any info on,

1) What kind of veg? (local names pls)
2) Where to buy food like mulberry leaves in Sg? There are many greens listed in a lot of caresheets which I never see in Sg or with names too complicated for me.
3) Where to buy supplements? I can't find any Tort feed without meat in local pet stores.
4) Daily husbandary routine.
5) Cleaning the tort. I use a toothbrush, I thinks she hate it.
6) Possible to toilet train them?

Any other info welcome. ST owners living in other parts of the world feel free to comment too. Thanks in Adv.

Susan

Susan,

Welcome to the hobby.

1) What kind of veg? (local names pls)
I use Kangkong, hibiscus leaves, cucumber, lady's finger and Mazuri diet.

2) Where to buy food like mulberry leaves in Sg? There are many greens listed in a lot of caresheets which I never see in Sg or with names too complicated for me.
Most of the reports were written by the experts from the west. So, you might not find them in Asia.

3) Where to buy supplements? I can't find any Tort feed without meat in local pet stores.
I got my calcium supplements from US. But, you can also use those that you can get from your local pharmacy. I was using calcium lactose and you need Vit. D3 too if kept indoor. (Do a search on Calcium D3 to understand how it works). I put them in the garden everyday when it is sunny, so they get the Vit. D3 naturally from the sun.

4) Daily husbandary routine.
You can use "kitten sand" that you can get in NTUC. so, we remove any waste whenever we see it.

5) Cleaning the tort. I use a toothbrush, I thinks she hate it.
Singapore relative humidity level is on the high side. If you do wash your star, do it on a warm and sunny day.

6) Possible to toilet train them?
haha.. good question.. not sure about that...

Ed

Hello Susan,

I am in SE Asia (north of Bangkok). Our weather is similar to yours, except ours tends to get a little bit hotter (today it was 35°C).

We should have similar vegetables available to what you have. My Star Tortoise diet consists of the following:
50%+ Grass (*Mixture of wild grasses and Tropical Carpet Grass), the other 50%- Mustard Greens, Chinese Morning Glory, Water Cress, a little bit of Okra, Thai Butternut Squash (they call it pumpkin here), and twice a week, they receive a portion of papaya. Every other day they receive vitamin/calcium supplement. Cuttlefish bone is available in their daytime and nighttime enclosures.
* As finely manicured as Singapore is (I have been there about a dozen times- love it), I am certain that they use A LOT of chemicals for fertilizer and pesticides, so be careful where you get your grass!

If you can not find those vegetables at the regular markets, try the “Golden Mile” shopping center; they have most everything from Thailand.

Daily husbandry routine:
EARLY: prepare salad (takes an hour to prepare all my herbivore salads).
Daybreak: Take them outside/place in front of water for 10 minutes (water remains available throughout the day). After 10 minutes, I feed them.
Day: They receive direct sunshine from 08:00-11:00 (make sure they have at least a small area they can get out of the sun- our hot tropical sun can cook them) and are outside in the shade for the rest of the day. They currently have an outside permanent enclosure where they can decide how much sun or shade they are going to receive.
Evening: Take them inside to the small indoor enclosure, where they are exposed to a couple hours of UVB light. In the cooler months (Dec-Feb), they have access to a ceramic heater if they get cold.

I clean my tortoises once every 1-2 weeks, always in the morning before basking, with a soft toothbrush, dry them off right away and allow them to completely dry when they bask.

Toilet training? Good luck. The Japanese use “tortoise diapers” but I would not subject my tortoises to such demeaning treatment and I could not imagine the feces being stuck to the tortoise as being very healthy.

Cheers,

Michael

Thanks Ed and Micheal,

I tried feeding her quite a variety of leafy greens from supermarket. So far she has been choossy, eating only Chinese Kale, Chinese flowering cabbage, Mustard cabbage

Also tried crushing some Calcium & D3 supplement pills or
commercia tortoise feed and sprinkle over her food, she rejected all!

Nice hearing from you guys. Thanks again.

Susan

Hello Susan,

You may feed your tortoise the oriental long beans which are available in Singapore. I have observed many tortoises eating them in the area. I recommend feeding these only 2-3 times a week though. You might also get some helpful ideas by going to or calling the Singapore Zoo and speaking to the reptile curatorial staff about how they care for their animals. Could try Reptile Park also.

If either place has a source for the foods or supplements you need, they may allow you to purchase some in relatively small quantities or tell you where to find them.

Good luck,

Bill Zovickian

Thanks Bill,

Can't contact the reptile park or zoo.
I think they will report me, Star Tort are illegal
in Singapore.

Sue

Hi Sue,

Well, I knew that was the case a few years ago when I was there. I thought maybe things had changed since you were going somewhat "public" with the post. Possibly you could just visit the reptile park and talk to the keepers "in general terms" as if you are simply interested in learning how the animals are kept.

I met a number of nice folks at the Reptile Park and don't think the people there would report you even if they knew you actually had the animal. However, I would not say anything about having it unless and until you feel totally comfortable with the person to whom you may speak.

Bill Z