Awaiting new Baby Penelope!

Nursemomzie said:

After months of preparation, my husband and I just ordered our baby Leopard Tortoise! He says she will be mine, but he has spent countless hours researching and building her the perfect palace for indoor and outdoor. I think he's just as excited as I am! I'm so appreciative of this forum and all the info you ya'll provide! I'll post pics when she gets here!

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Nursemomzie said:

After months of preparation, my husband and I just ordered our baby Leopard Tortoise! He says she will be mine, but he has spent countless hours researching and building her the perfect palace for indoor and outdoor. I think he's just as excited as I am! I'm so appreciative of this forum and all the info you ya'll provide! I'll post pics when she gets here!

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Tom said:

Where did you order it from? Most breeders do not start them correctly, and this leads to a terrible heartbreaking experience for many people.

You need to know how the baby was started, how often it was soaked (Should be daily), and whether it was kept outside all day, or started in a warm humid indoor enclosure.

My goal is to help new keepers have a positive experience, and getting the baby from the right source is the first step.

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Pealow127 said:

I can’t wait to see her...how exciting!

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Nursemomzie said:

Hi Tom! First of all, let me say how honored I am you replied to my post! I have read many of your posts, care lists, etc. I have even copied many of them to make my own personal Penelope care sheet! My husband (Michael from Texas) and I have done a lot of research, so I'm hoping we're doing this right!

I ordered Penelope from Tyler at Tortoise Supply. We estimate she's about 6 weeks old, give or take.
She arrived today and we immediately soaked her. I will be soaking her daily.
Next, we put her in her enclosure and gave her a nice green mix of triple washed dandelion leaves, spineless prickly pear cactus, and some mustard greens. She ate and drank very well. She's pretty spunky.

Her enclosure is 3' x 5' with a hide that is 3' x 1' in the front that can be opened. Her enclosure has a plexiglas top. Half of it is permanent and the other half can also be opened. We have a basking light running 98 degrees at the top of her carapace. We have 2 -18" 10.0 UV lamps running down the middle of her enclosure about 12" high. We have a Che warming the entire enclosure to 85 degrees at the farthest corner (even at night with the lights off). Her hide has a heat panel on the wall running 83 degrees. Humidity in the hide is at 95% and between 75-80% in the rest of the enclosure. We have damp coco coir covered with dry cypress mulch. Her water and food bowls are the shallow terracotta saucers.

Her outside house is screened for protection with a hide. We plan to have her outside about 2 hours a day for now.

We plan to give her a sprinkling of reptical and exoterra 2-3 × week. I have bought mazuri to give once a week. I have a variety of greens, grasses, and flowers (all from your list!) To give her as well.

I'll post pictures. If you have any recommendations, I would love to hear them!View attachment 242012View attachment 242014View attachment 242015View attachment 242016View attachment 242017View attachment 242018

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Nursemomzie said:

Thank you! We love her already!View attachment 242019

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Maro2Bear said:

Looks great and good luck with your new tort! The only thing that i would quickly suggest would be to sink your water and food dishes level with the substrate. It’s a lot easier and natural for a tort to climb down into their food/water.

Good luck - Happy Torting.

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TechnoCheese said:

Looks like you know what you’re doing, and good choice of breeder! I’ve heard a lot of good things about Tyler

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NorCal tortoise guy said:

Great set up! I have got a few tortoises from Tyler they have all done great!

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Toddrickfl1 said:

Cute little tortoise! Careful they're like Oreos, see if you can eat just one

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Nursemomzie said:

After months of preparation, my husband and I just ordered our baby Leopard Tortoise! He says she will be mine, but he has spent countless hours researching and building her the perfect palace for indoor and outdoor. I think he's just as excited as I am! I'm so appreciative of this forum and all the info you ya'll provide! I'll post pics when she gets here!

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Pearly said:

Hi there, and welcome from Austin area! Congrats on your choice of species! Leopards are awesome! I am looking forward to seeing your pics of your new tort and his/her enclosure. Especially the outdoor digs. Around Lubock it does get chilly in winter. I’m always curious about how people deal with that and looking for ideas. This has been my struggle. Please post lots and lots of pics. It’s great to have you here. Your husband should get an account on here. He’d enjoy talking with some of our very handy and imaginative guys who come up with some awesome enclosures. Welcome to both of you[emoji217]

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daniellenc said:

My baby is from Tyler as well. He’s or maybe she a year old now and thriving congrats!!

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