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Care of Indian Star Tortoise (Geochelone elegans):

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My Star Tortoise "Rocky" You can see from the above picture why it is called as Star Tortoise ( due to multiple star like markings on its shell) . it can also be found in Indian pet trade although its not very common when compared to Red eared Sliders. They are somewhat costly than red eared sliders (about 700-800 / tortoise), depending on its size and availability in your area, a bigger sized tortoise may cost more. it is a species of dry and scrub area so please don' t I repeat don't leave it into a water tank because it is a tortoise not a turtle and it can swim for only some time and then it will sink and die ( I am saying this because i have heard about the death of 1 tortoise due to this reason).  It has a dome shaped and very distinctively marked shell in black color  with yellow lines radiating from center of each scute , plastron is likewise with yellow and black radiating lines. it can grow upto 10 inches long. sexual dimorphism is qui

Care of Red Eared Slider Turtles

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Red-eared slider  (Trachemys scripta elegans ) :   B aby Red eared slider                                                   These are the mot common ones sold as "Singapore turtle" or "American turtle" in India (most common name). They have a distinctive red mark around their ears and are overall green in color.   The top shell(carapace) is flat and oval in shape and has a keel which is more pronounced in young ,it is dark green in color with dark color markings all over it. The bottom shell (plastron) is yellow in color with dark colored lines. Female grows to about 10-13 inches and male grows to 9-11 inches. tail of male is much longer and thicker than female along with longer claws than female. CARE:-   1.Space requirement:- Mature red eared needs water up to 70-80 gallon or around 240-250 ltr of water, baby may need up to 30 ltrs. of water, so its a good idea to keep them in a large aquarium from start  as this will fulfill their space require