Azabache75
New Member
Any advice on keeping a leopard tortoise in Albuquerque NM That can help
.....We have quite a few members with experience regarding leopard tortoises. What do you need help with?
Its pretty much the same as keeping a leopard anywhere else.
Are we talking about a baby or an adult?
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Good morning all and thank you for the reply, They will be 2 hatchlings and since I live in the desert (Albuquerque)I know the heat won’t be a problem during the summer months but winter is a different story and before I started reading on the care I knew I would have to house the babies indoors for the most past and keep them safe if they are to be taken outside for the natural sun light. I Guess my confusion is all the different things I read on care and housing in states that have the different seasons and I see the leopard tortoise doesn’t do well with the slightest temp change... Also I been looking at getting the items needed before the babies are ordered and arrive and I looked at the reptile wood boxes that are offered in amazon and I don’t know if I would be wasting my money on such an item or if I’m better of getting a plastic tub from homedepot n doing a setup that way?
Housing babies is the same anywhere in the world since it is primarily indoors. Read the links already posted for more info on the details......
Good morning all and thank you for the reply, They will be 2 hatchlings and since I live in the desert (Albuquerque)I know the heat won’t be a problem during the summer months but winter is a different story and before I started reading on the care I knew I would have to house the babies indoors for the most past and keep them safe if they are to be taken outside for the natural sun light. I Guess my confusion is all the different things I read on care and housing in states that have the different seasons and I see the leopard tortoise doesn’t do well with the slightest temp change... Also I been looking at getting the items needed before the babies are ordered and arrive and I looked at the reptile wood boxes that are offered in amazon and I don’t know if I would be wasting my money on such an item or if I’m better of getting a plastic tub from homedepot n doing a setup that way?
HiHousing babies is the same anywhere in the world since it is primarily indoors. Read the links already posted for more info on the details.
Just know that as your read books and info from other sites, this is NOT a desert species, and dry conditions coupled with infrequent soaks kills a large percentage of the babies every year. Most of what you read on care for this species is wrong. It is based on 30 year old incorrect assumptions about how they live in the wild. This wrong info has been repeated for decades, and its difficult to get some people to understand that we now know better.
Where are you buying them from? You might be headed for a big problem since most people don't start them correctly. Here is what typically happens:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/hatchling-failure-syndrome.23493/
In contrast, here is how they should be started:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-incubate-eggs-and-start-hatchlings.124266/
Use this info to make sure you are buying from a good source. Ask them if the babies are outside all day. Ask them how often they soak the babies. It should be every day.
Your questions are welcome. We are happy to explain more.
Hello, and thank you for the reply!!! I was looking at your website and I was not able to find the cost of a Leopard ? Also if they are raised in in complete humidity wont the babies be used to this and would struggle to adapt to the New Mexico Dry weather ?My tortoise partner and I (Kapidolofarms.com) breed, raise and sell leopard tortoises. We use closed chambers that are kept warm and humid. The babies we sell are smooth-shelled and healthy. We don't keep them in desert-like conditions. The humidity and moisture plays a very big part in how they grow.
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I don't agree with the info in what you posted above. These are not desert species. In fact, babies over there hatch in the wet, rainy, monsoon season. Desert conditions kill them. Additionally, the temps listed are too low and unnatural for a tropical species. Some of them survive these low temps some of the time, but they thrive, do better, and are healthy at warmer temps. Those are the old ways, and they result in a poor outcome for everyone I know that follows them. It took me decades of trial and error, and lot of mistakes to reach the conclusion I just shared with you. I've been experimenting with this for more than a decade now to find what works best. What works best is in the links we've posted here for you.Hello, and thank you for the reply!!! I was looking at your website and I was not able to find the cost of a Leopard ? Also if they are raised in in complete humidity wont the babies be used to this and would struggle to adapt to the New Mexico Dry weather ?