What does 'sensitive' mean for star tortoises?

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Posted by nick on July 22, 2001 at 18:25:18:

I'm looking to bring a tortoise into my life, but am concerned about which kind is best suited for survival. i really like the star tortoises, but i keep hearing about how sensitive they are. i understand that these are animals that have spent countless generations adapting to a specific environment and by removing that creature from it's ancestral home (even captive bred), there is an inherent and constant risk of trouble involved. some species are said to be 'hardier' than others, namely sulcattas, leopards from what i've read on the internet. of course, no animal can or should withstand an excessive amount of stress, but i guess what i'm getting at here is this; is there a margin of error with star tortoises? i'll try to provide the best environment possible for the animal, and care for it as best I can. but living in the washington DC area, we get cold winters here and power outtages, although rare, do occur. i lost a young dumeril's boa a few years ago to such an occurence (an ice storm) he was only exposed for a couple hours before i took him across town to a friend's house, but he developed a nasty respiratory infection that got the better of him. i'm not planning on taking the tortoise snowboarding or anything (okay, not funny...) but in all seriousness, are star tortoises so delicate that they're much better off in subtropical climates? or is it just babies that are so fragile. i've tried to read as much as i can on star tortoises, on the internet, and in the archives of this forum, on basic husbandry of the species. a warm, fairly dry environment, with a fluorescent UVB bulb when it's cold out and a basking spot, with hiding places and a heat gradient. they should be fed a diet of tough, fibrous vegetation, like clover, grasses, cacti pads, some dark leafy greens (?) does the sensitivity of star tortoises make it so that if there is a slight deviation from optimum, the animal will perish? i haven't been able to find any information regarding that. if anyone can help me, or at least chide me for my ignorance, i'd appreciate the responses. thanks for your time
nick

Follow Ups:

Re: What does 'sensitive' mean for star tortoises? Justin 07/22/01 (3)
- thanks (more) Nick 07/22/01 (2)
  - Re: thanks (more) Justin 07/22/01 (1)
    - By the way Justin 07/23/01 (0)

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: I'm looking to bring a tortoise into my life, but am concerned about which kind is best suited for survival. i really like the star tortoises, but i keep hearing about how sensitive they are. i understand that these are animals that have spent countless generations adapting to a specific environment and by removing that creature from it's ancestral home (even captive bred), there is an inherent and constant risk of trouble involved. some species are said to be 'hardier' than others, namely sulcattas, leopards from what i've read on the internet. of course, no animal can or should withstand an excessive amount of stress, but i guess what i'm getting at here is this; is there a margin of error with star tortoises? i'll try to provide the best environment possible for the animal, and care for it as best I can. but living in the washington DC area, we get cold winters here and power outtages, although rare, do occur. i lost a young dumeril's boa a few years ago to such an occurence (an ice storm) he was only exposed for a couple hours before i took him across town to a friend's house, but he developed a nasty respiratory infection that got the better of him. i'm not planning on taking the tortoise snowboarding or anything (okay, not funny...) but in all seriousness, are star tortoises so delicate that they're much better off in subtropical climates? or is it just babies that are so fragile. i've tried to read as much as i can on star tortoises, on the internet, and in the archives of this forum, on basic husbandry of the species. a warm, fairly dry environment, with a fluorescent UVB bulb when it's cold out and a basking spot, with hiding places and a heat gradient. they should be fed a diet of tough, fibrous vegetation, like clover, grasses, cacti pads, some dark leafy greens (?) does the sensitivity of star tortoises make it so that if there is a slight deviation from optimum, the animal will perish? i haven't been able to find any information regarding that. if anyone can help me, or at least chide me for my ignorance, i'd appreciate the responses. thanks for your time : nick

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