# Leopard or Red Footed Tortoise



## Alexis Gomez Salinas (Mar 11, 2015)

Hello, i am new in this, and i know both leopard and red footed grow about the same size wich is why they are my two options but i dont know wich one is better as a pet, can anyone tell me??(i live in a cold/hot and dry weather)


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## russian/sulcata/tortoise (Mar 11, 2015)

welcome to the forums! leopards get way bigger than red foots, a big red foot wound be 12 inches long and some leopards get 100+ pounds. where are you located? how big of a winter and summer enclosure will you be able to provide for them?


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## leigti (Mar 11, 2015)

Read foots require more humidity as adults than leopards do. As babies they both require a good deal of humidity. For outdoors you can give your ride foots more humidity by providing lots of plants and keeping them watered and sprayed. Your leopards will be more tolerant of dry weather. No tortoise tolerates cold and wet. What state are you in? Check out the care she needs for both of them and also check out the species specific sections for ideas on enclosures and care.


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## naturalman91 (Mar 11, 2015)

russian/sulcata/tortoise said:


> welcome to the forums! leopards get way bigger than red foots, a big red foot wound be 12 inches long and some leopards get 100+ pounds. where are you located? how big of a winter and summer enclosure will you be able to provide for them?



i actually saw a post where someone had a 16-17" redfoot 12 is like average tho


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## russian/sulcata/tortoise (Mar 11, 2015)

naturalman91 said:


> i actually saw a post where someone had a 16-17" redfoot 12 is like average tho


oh


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## HLogic (Mar 11, 2015)

naturalman91 said:


> i actually saw a post where someone had a 16-17" redfoot 12 is like average tho



The record, I think, is 29" for an RF but 16" is a beast. 12 - 14" is a much more reasonable expectation for an old and well cared for RF.


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## naturalman91 (Mar 12, 2015)

HLogic said:


> The record, I think, is 29" for an RF but 16" is a beast. 12 - 14" is a much more reasonable expectation for an old and well cared for RF.



29"? are flippin kidding me ? wow thats HUGE for a red do you know was it male or female?


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## ZEROPILOT (Mar 12, 2015)

There are sub species of Red Foot. They vary in size according to location. I think the biggest are from Bolivia. (Mine are all Colombian.)
Are you going to have a place for your tortoise to live outdoors? Even a small tortoise will need an area that is quite large. Are you deciding between these because they are your favorites? there are much smaller tortoise species out there.


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## Chenderson (Mar 12, 2015)

I am new to tortoises also. I got my Redfoot about 6 weeks ago, and am very happy with her. However if I could rewind time, I would spend atleast a week or so looking on these forums deciding what kind of care you can actually provide to a tortoise, I also live in a cold/wet environment, and I will have to take extensive measures to provide a comfortable environment later on in my torts life.


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## HLogic (Mar 12, 2015)

naturalman91 said:


> 29"? are flippin kidding me ? wow thats HUGE for a red do you know was it male or female?



My aging brain cells cheated me again. It was 24" and 28 Kg. It was probably a male but I don't have the reference handy nor remember exactly.


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## Tom (Mar 12, 2015)

Where are you? Knowing your climate will give us more insight. You can be vague, but just tell us the general region of the world you are in.

One of these is not "better" than the other. They are both great species. Generally RFs will be more personable and outgoing than regular leopards, but there are plenty of exceptions both ways.

If your climate is dry, a leopard will be easier to maintain over the long term. I live in a dry climate and the people around me who attempt RFs usually end up pretty disappointed with the results.


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## Tom (Mar 12, 2015)

russian/sulcata/tortoise said:


> welcome to the forums! leopards get way bigger than red foots, a big red foot wound be 12 inches long and some leopards get 100+ pounds. where are you located? how big of a winter and summer enclosure will you be able to provide for them?



No leopard tortoise available in the states gets anywhere near 100 pounds. The largest and oldest giant South African leopards will only reach 65-75, and that is rare to see. The typical leopards that people would be buying here will seldom exceed 16-17 inches or 25-30 pounds, and that would be a big SA mix.


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## Alexis Gomez Salinas (Mar 12, 2015)

Hi, i live in a semi desert climate in San Antionio Wich is really dry it can get to cold temperatures during winter but during summer it is really hot.


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## Alexis Gomez Salinas (Mar 12, 2015)

Size to me doesnt matter i have plenty of space here in my house


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## tglazie (Mar 12, 2015)

You live in San Antonio? I live in San Antonio. Yeah, San Antonio is a good place for tortoises. If you have a house, outdoors is the place to keep tortoises. Honestly, I wouldn't describe San Antonio as desert. It's... it's subtropical, in many respects. And compared to Jersey or Colorado or even Oklahoma or Nevada, it's pretty warm. Like, Tom, Yvonne and them live in the desert. There are tumble weeds, brown shrubs, and sandstorms where they're at, with humidity that can be in the teens. San Antonio is a tropical rainforest by comparison, with humidity that typically bottoms out at 30%. Granted, we've had some droughts over the past few years, and we aren't Louisiana or Florida humid, but San Antonio is no desert, at least not full time. 

Anyway, my uncle keeps both species. He has a huge herd of redfoots (fourteen animals, last I visited), and a small group of leopards. But that's the thing. San Antonio is awesome for tortoises. I've successfully kept Greeks, Hermanns, Marginateds, and Sulcatas, and I've fostered leopards, Russians, redfoots, pancakes, and various box turtles. The climate is nice and warm, with few cool days, and the soil is infused with limestone, meaning that it is calcium rich (it's part of what keeps the native Texas tortoise so healthy). Word of advice, if you keep them outdoors, ensure that part of the enclosure is shaded by a tall tree (I have a couple mulberry trees in the backyard to provide this shade). But yeah, the folks on here are spot on. So long as your torts have adequate access to water in well planted enclosures, humidity shouldn't be a problem, especially in South Texas. Man, part of me is looking forward to the warm humid days when my margie adults can stay out full time. But another part of me is thinking about driving to work in that sweltering heat and oppressive humidity. 

T.G.


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## sissyofone (Mar 12, 2015)

Hi Alexis, And Welcome To TFO. I'm in San Antonio also. I have Redfoots, Cherryhead, and Sulcatas.Good Luck in Finding The Right Tort for You. I think they are all great. But Redfoots and Cherryheads are my favorite.


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## mike taylor (Mar 13, 2015)

I say red foot! Thats just because they are awesome . I have five . Also have two leopards and three sulcatas . By far the reds are more active .


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## Chenderson (Mar 19, 2015)

Any news on the decision? Interested to know what breed you pick, and why.


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## mikeylazer (Mar 24, 2015)

I have both but I would say get a leopard. The humidity for a red foot can be a pain for new parents, and the humidity for red foots 80% is necessary for a healthy red foot. I feel like leopards can have the humidity slip and somewhat as babies and they will be fine being in a climate with lower humidity in general. Also the diets vary a lot. Red foots need greens, fruits, some veggies, and occasional protein. Leopards mainly feed on greens, grasses and weeds, and the occasional cactus pad. Leopards in my opinion are easier in most ways, but red foots definitely are more colorful and outgoing in my opinion.


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## Donna/Turbo (Mar 24, 2015)

sissyofone said:


> Hi Alexis, And Welcome To TFO. I'm in San Antonio also. I have Redfoots, Cherryhead, and Sulcatas.Good Luck in Finding The Right Tort for You. I think they are all great. But Redfoots and Cherryheads are my favorite.



Is there also a breed called a Cherry Head Red Foot?


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## mikeylazer (Mar 24, 2015)

Donna/Turbo said:


> Is there also a breed called a Cherry Head Red Foot?


Cherry Head Read Foots are still red foots, but they come from a different part of South America. I want to say they are more Eastern like the Brazil area perhaps, but someone on here will know for sure. Cherry Heads usually have a vibrant red head and tend to be smaller in size as compared to all the other red foots.


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## skottip (Mar 29, 2015)

Why not get both?


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## Donna/Turbo (Mar 29, 2015)

I am trying to find one that does not get more than about 7 or 8 inches. I really don't care if it is an adult or a rescue or a yearling. I am thinking about the future with my Sulcata that will live outside all the time. I want to build a really nice enclosure inside for the new one and have a small area for him outside on sunny days (which is about every day in Florida). Living in a development in Orlando I have a decent size lot, but it is nothing like the land that some of you own!! I do like the size of the 2 above though. Are they adults. That is what I need is pictures of adult tortoises. I like how you are holding it. You can really tell the size! Some of the picture look like they are tiny, but they are huge, and some look like dinosaurs, but they are tiny. Pictures can be deceiving.


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## leigti (Mar 29, 2015)

It is just my opinion, but I think tortoises belong outside as much as they can tolerate in the climate that you're in. So when you say you want a small area outside I would make the area as big as you can for outside.


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## Donna/Turbo (Mar 29, 2015)

leigti said:


> It is just my opinion, but I think tortoises belong outside as much as they can tolerate in the climate that you're in. So when you say you want a small area outside I would make the area as big as you can for outside.



It is about 6 foot by 4 foot. Is that big enough for a small tortoise? I want turbo the sulcata to have the rest of the yard. What do you think?


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## leigti (Mar 29, 2015)

I would look into something twice that size if possible. I haven't read this entire thread thoroughly so I may be wrong, but aren't you thinking about getting a red foot or a leopard? Those are both pretty good size tortoises. Especially the leopard. It would require much more room. But even if you were getting something smaller like a Russian I would still make the out door pin twice as big.


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## Donna/Turbo (Mar 29, 2015)

leigti said:


> I would look into something twice that size if possible. I haven't read this entire thread thoroughly so I may be wrong, but aren't you thinking about getting a red foot or a leopard? Those are both pretty good size tortoises. Especially the leopard. It would require much more room. But even if you were getting something smaller like a Russian I would still make the out door pin twice as big.



No no no...I want a Greek or Hermann. I just recently found out that the Russians are sometime smaller as well. I am just trying to find out which of these 3 are the smallest as adults.


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## crimson_lotus (Mar 29, 2015)

That size is good for a baby I think. I would make the walls a bit higher, though.


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## Donna/Turbo (Mar 29, 2015)

crimson_lotus said:


> That size is good for a baby I think. I would make the walls a bit higher, though.



I was thinking I need to put a second level on it. Do I need to reinforce the walls with Rebar? I don't think a Greek is strong enough to knock over a cement block. I always over due everything I build!


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## Turtlepete (Mar 29, 2015)

HLogic said:


> The record, I think, is 29" for an RF but 16" is a beast. 12 - 14" is a much more reasonable expectation for an old and well cared for RF.



Whoa. Where was this animal obtained? The record I was aware of is 19". Thats amazing. Probably an 80-year old, amazon basin animal?

My biggest is 15 1/2". She's a tank.


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## crimson_lotus (Mar 29, 2015)

Donna/Turbo said:


> I was thinking I need to put a second level on it. Do I need to reinforce the walls with Rebar? I don't think a Greek is strong enough to knock over a cement block. I always over due everything I build!



I wasn't so worried they would knock it over, I was more worried they would climb it! One more layer of cement blocks should do it.


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## leigti (Mar 29, 2015)

Donna/Turbo said:


> No no no...I want a Greek or Hermann. I just recently found out that the Russians are sometime smaller as well. I am just trying to find out which of these 3 are the smallest as adults.


Okay, I'm sorry. As far as I know in general mail Russians would be the smallest. But that doesn't mean they need a small enclosure. And they are escape artists, I'm pretty sure my Russian knows how to fly. my outdoor enclosure is an L shape that is 15' x 10'. I think Greeks are less likely to dig and climb as much as Russians do. Again all the statements are generalized. Individuals may vary. Good luck with whichever you choose.


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## Donna/Turbo (Mar 30, 2015)

leigti said:


> Okay, I'm sorry. As far as I know in general mail Russians would be the smallest. But that doesn't mean they need a small enclosure. And they are escape artists, I'm pretty sure my Russian knows how to fly. my outdoor enclosure is an L shape that is 15' x 10'. I think Greeks are less likely to dig and climb as much as Russians do. Again all the statements are generalized. Individuals may vary. Good luck with whichever you choose.



Ok that is very helpful. I thought I would be going with a Greek or Harmann, but it is not hatching season for them yet. There is a really nice guy on here that has 2 hermann's for rescue, but he wants 300.00. I am not ready to breed, so I only want 1 right now. I think I will wait for a hatchling or a yearling. Thanks for your help. I have been trying to get this info for a while now.


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## leigti (Mar 30, 2015)

Donna/Turbo said:


> Ok that is very helpful. I thought I would be going with a Greek or Harmann, but it is not hatching season for them yet. There is a really nice guy on here that has 2 hermann's for rescue, but he wants 300.00. I am not ready to breed, so I only want 1 right now. I think I will wait for a hatchling or a yearling. Thanks for your help. I have been trying to get this info for a while now.


Hermione Chris might have some. Or I know a lady who runs a rescue but also breeds Greek and Redfoot tortoises. She sells them as yearlings. They are still quite adorable at that age  contact Northwest tortoises. The lady's name is Terese. I think her name on here is Ivsrorts but she does most of her correspondence through her website. Remember that no matter what you get tortoises don't do well in pairs. So be prepared to have separate enclosures. And keep checking out the for sale section and there is also a breeder section here on the forum. The learning curve is so steep especially with hatchlings. But once you get it all set up it's very easy.


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