it's a carnivore sayasebuk dude. prefers live prey. you'd be damn lucky if they'd take veges nice pet actually and growth rate is quite similar to RES.

i got some hatchling RES killed by rugosas (......my stupid mistake) but they are not that aggressive to me. about that neck, well.. it's not that easy for them to bite if handled from behind.

p/s: hi sam, uzairi. nice to see you here...

This post has been edited by camillenoir: Jan 18 2007, 10:06 AM

dude.. where you let go your res??

Almost every LFS got...

Macrochelodina rugosa = Chelodina rugosa and Chelodina siebenrocki combined. Something like they found out that sibenrocki is an invalid species (not enough morphological differences with rugosa) and classify them as Macrochelodina rugosa. They of course snap-attacked small RES till dead.

the 3 adopted RES were about 2" scl. i put them in an aquarium with two 6" snakenecks to let them share some UV light. the rest is history.

trying to think of it... i wonder why i didn't put them with the slightly bigger res instead of rugosas (maybe my subconcious mind just wanna play with the idea of feeder res)

a little bit more difficult compared to other turtles. it's a softshell after all, and prone to fungus and all sorts. basking facilities and uv light are very important so the labi2 can dry off potential fungi. as is good filtration to prevent problems (or else got to change water frequently).

got to use fine sand or rounded gravel as substrate, so the labi-labi can burrow. i prefer rounded gravel though, as fine sand is bad news to the filters. rough substrate would cause cuts to the labi2.

anyway, a 1' should be much hardier... and nastier since it's a WC. good luck with the bites

p/s: where did catch it? mind posting a pic?

This post has been edited by camillenoir: Jan 21 2007, 10:33 AM

that's why we need to see the pic. maybe you got a Chitra chitra, who knows?

fyi, almost all the local turtles/tortoise here are under CITES I or II. that includes our common boxie. however, i'd say that local authorities are 'not being clear on the legalities of the subject matter' so no need to so much. i once cilok 3 hawksbill from a hatchery, nobody noticed also.

under Perhilitan, license for animals under Appendix II (protected) could be applied for RM10. however, i have yet to see PERHILITAN's lists of fully protected and protected species with any turtles/tortoise in them. not even the great leatherback. really appreciate if anyone can provide the list, so that we all could be clear on the status.

anyway, the tokans in this forum are more concerned on educating people about turtle welfare rather than regulations, unlike some PERHILITAN duds who supposedly uphold the law but didn't really care about animal welfare ...

This post has been edited by camillenoir: Jan 21 2007, 01:55 PM

try going to the first page of this thread. i believe uzairi had put links to some useful sites.


funkys, you want the stinkie to become friends with your BTS?

anyway, here's what i found when i got home yesterday. the first clutch of 2007.

actually its normal sand. a bit on the finer side, so it looks a bit clay-ish. the turtles lay in them, so it should be ok (considering that boxies can be really picky on nesting sites).

thanks for the wishes uzairi, jared. more to come

cat litter does the job nicely. it's cheap too. wood chips tend to trap moisture if not monitored properly.

for adults, you may try neo peat (can get at nurseries, about RM14-15 for a whole lot of them). the bacteria in the substrate breaks down faeces and such, so the substrate lasts longer, no smell whatsoever. much cheaper than wood chips. however, it is troublesome for baby torts as the substrate could stick to wet parts.

me and uzairi learned this from someone who refused to be known

hwa: torts should drink water that we drink, plus occasional calcium supplement. untreated tap water is not advisable...

jared: found your answer yet?

and may i add... kangkung is not advisable for stars because they may refuse other greens altogether once they tasted kangkung. and kangkung might cause calcium binding right?

good food includes hibiscus flower and leaves, grape leaves, opuntia. hibiscus and grape leaves are not tasty, so the torts might not like them but they are rich in fibre. and i don't think that the majority of us would cut their opuntias...

This post has been edited by camillenoir: Jan 31 2007, 03:10 AM

....because you specifically mentioned high-yellow. which is harder to get. and more expensive than normal...

sam, i believe he wants to bring back because he loves his babies.

The best staple for star tortoises would be high fiber/low protein food, e.g. hibiscus leaves, grape leaves. i have also trained my stars to feed on clovers, grass and sometimes hay (when fresh grass is unavailable). opuntia is a little... expensive (that is, unless you have a cactus farm)

p/s: just a little sidenote. i have tried raising stars on exoterra pellets alone. growth rate is faster and no pyramiding, but the STs get a little fat. results might differ between keepers, btw.

hwa, i don't think the thermo and hygrometer would work that way... or is it just temporary arrangement for the picture?


cute star you have there (and very cute owner too). with time, stars learn to trust their owner, and so will yours.

the government had already prohibited the import of both common and alligator snappers. (common non-cites, ally cites III, don't know why they prohibit) so they wouldn't be as common as a couple of years ago and most sellers are holding on to their stocks. the price of ally snappers should have doubled now, at least. the big common snapper at pets family would be 550 and the ally 1500+ i think. try haggling with husen la...

you are quite wrong there friend .

the thermo and hygrometer should be inside the enclosure, as to monitor the temperature and humidity inside the enclosure. ideally should be at both end of the enclosure, to monitor the hi/lo temperature.

and seeing that malaysian weather is quite erratic, sometimes raining suddenly and gets cold, basking lamp is needed. and no, malaysian weather is not suitable for indian/sri lankan star tortoise, too humid.

i have recently lost a 10" pardalis babcocki (quite big and certainly much more hardy than smaller STs) when the keeper (a friend of mine) left it in her verandah during a rainy night without proper heating. quite heartbreaking when she called and said 'your leopard is dead'.

so guys, be sure to monitor the temperature and humidity of your tortoises accordingly, do research, etc. never overestimate the tortoises' tolerance towards cold and humidity, especially with hatchlings and juveniles.

no discrimination . even with parkeri, callagur and co, the res still deserve good home. here's a handsome boy i adopted from fellow forumer, 3_monkey, last year. (note the bright coloring)

you'd never believe those are red eared sliders... the temperament is amazing, can stroke heads and chins without getting bitten. have to buy a new tank to house them, cause all my other adopted res are quite aggressive (bitey bitey). kudos to leviathan, for providing love and care to his res.

p/s: i'd post some pics here afterwards...

some pictures of chelonians from genus Indotestudo and Heosemys.


Elongated Tortoise (Indostestudo elongata)


Forsten's Tortoise (Indotestudo forstenii)


Asian Giant Pond Turtle (Heosemys grandis).


Spiny Hill Turtle (Heosemys spinosa).

i still haven't paid for the elongata actually . the color is natural, not banana induced. xxxxxy had done some good job on him.

though they go bananas over bananas, most of my fruit eaters are only given fruit once a week.


This post has been edited by camillenoir: Apr 9 2007, 09:50 PM

RM68 the lowest i've seen. buy at least 5-10 i think can get rm50, haggle a bit.

why wanna rush to have a star at RM50 when the husbandry costs much more? save some more 1st, get bigger specimen and proper setup.