Burmese Star Tortoise Care (& Tortoise Conservation Knifemaking Project)

In this video we will look at Burmese Star Tortoise care (especially hatchlings) and we will talk about my upcoming knifemaking project where I will make a knife and decorate it with the star pattern from a burmese star tortoise and will then take the proceeds and donate them to turtle and tortoise conservation through the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA). Burmese Star Tortoises are a critically endangered tortoise from the country of Myanmar. My personal take on raising healthy Burmese Star Tortoise hatchlings is to raise them indoors in closed chamber enclosure for their first couple of years. This helps to keep the humidity up. I aim to keep the humidity always at or above 80% and to keep the temperature no lower than 80 degrees on the cooler side of the enclosure. The other side of the enclosure is warmer during the day and I try to keep the hot spot around 100 degrees. I use orchid bark for the substrate. I also have a humid hide box made from a plastic planter. I keep the substrate in the hide moist. I soak the tortoises daily for about 30 min in warm but not hot water. This helps to keep them defecating regularly and helps to keep them hydrated. This is advised for the first two years. I try to feed the tortoises a variety of foods. The best thing for them is grasses and weeds from the yard. Some of the foods I look for are dandelions, plantain, grasses, clover. I supplement this with various greens and vegetables from the grocery store. I also feed Mazuri tortoise diet that has been soaked in water to soften every few days. A cuttlefish bone is always present in the enclosure for the tortoises to nibble on and it provides additional calcium. Plus, I give some reptile calcium/vitamins every week or so. I provide florescent UVB lighting, heat the enclosure with a ceramic heating element on a thermostat set to 80 degrees on the cool side of the enclosure, and heat the hot spot with a low wattage incandescent flood lamp on the warm side of the cage during the day. There are other ways to heat/light and enclosure this is just how I have done it here.
For additional information I recommend going to the Tortoise Forum www.tortoiseforum.org/forums/...
As well as startortoises.net
And for more information on Tortoise Conservation check out the Turtle Survival Alliance at turtlesurvival.org/
Allen Newberry is a Journeyman Smith with the American Bladesmith Society and a Forged in Fire Champion.
You can see more of my work at:
www.newberryknives.com/
/ allennewberry
/ allennewberry
/ mrnewberry
Music: Optimist #2 by Matthew Pianalto available at matthewpianalto.bandcamp.com/...

[@a3marketing991]

Great video! Happy to see something like this on the Burmese Star Tortoise.

[@AllenNewberry]

A3 Marketing Thanks! I know I keep looking for more content on Burmese Stars. But, there isn’t a whole lot.

[@steveh567]

Very cool 🐢😎‼️

[@AllenNewberry]

Steve H Thanks!

[@jodieuhlemeyer787]

Thank you. Your in the ozarks? I am in Missouri. It’s hard to find quality video on Burmese star.

[@AllenNewberry]

I’m in N.W. Arkansas.

[@electricboogeyman5855]

That's a fine tortoise salad.

[@AllenNewberry]

Electric BOOGEYMAN Surely each tortoise’s favorite was representented. They definitely ate it well.

[@vincenthuang4197]

Hello, question, how to keep the humidity 80% or higher. Thx.

[@AllenNewberry]

I use a closed chamber as opposed to an open or screened top. I also use orchid bark for the substrate which holds humidity well.

[@deyfryesparza756]

Hi, I’m about to get my first 2 babies Burmese Hatchings, the Orchid Bark where do you get it from ? To be safe for tortoise? Thank you

[@AllenNewberry]

I think I got my most recent batch of Orchid bark from Amazon. If you live in the right regions you can get big bags at garden centers. I do not live in such a region.

[@nhldesktop]

I am from India and I have a Burmese Star Tortoise for about 5 years now it had a very smooth shell when I found it and as years passed his shell has become quite bumpy. how can I find his/her gender and during winters he/she tends to be lazy and don't eat and how should I feed water to him/her and how often should I feed water what are the best things to feed them.

[@AllenNewberry]

Chances are you have an Indian Star tortoise. I always have a water dish in their enclosure. I also soak them in shallow water occasionally. I am not sure what vegetables and grasses that you have around there. But, I think that you should be able to find a care guide for those living in India.

[@kylescoldbloodedaddictions5581]

Add more star Tortose vids and I’ll subscribe

[@AllenNewberry]

Kyle’s Cold blooded addictions There definitely aren’t enough Burmese Star Tortoise videos out there. I should start posting about the knife that I am making to sell to benefit the Turtle Survival Alliance soon. There should at least be a few shots of my tortoises in those videos.

[@savageyummy5743]

Are these indian star tortoise

[@mnpvaishnavi427]

Yes

[@mnpvaishnavi427]

They aren't Burmese star tortoises they are Indian star tortoises