New Dad to Leopard

slimsaj

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Hi guys I'm a new Dad to a baby Leopard around 38g... please see pictures below of the enclosure bulbs and my baby...

I would just like to know if the enclosure is set up right and what the temperatures should be for the daytime and nighttime.

Currently the cool spot is around 28 to 30 degrees is that too high? It's also quiet humid. If I put my face in I find it hard to breathe?

Would he also be having difficulty breathing at these temperatures? Would it be better to put the heat ceramic light off at night where the temperature is around 22 degrees Celsius. This is the room temperature. Please note the enclosure does have air vents.

See pics of bulb baby tort and enclosure below.


20190521_071955.jpeg20190521_072025.jpeg20190521_072201.jpeg20190521_072141.jpeg20190521_072639.jpeg20190521_072111.jpeg
 

Rachnam

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Hi guys I'm a new Dad to a baby Leopard around 38g... please see pictures below of the enclosure bulbs and my baby...

I would just like to know if the enclosure is set up right and what the temperatures should be for the daytime and nighttime.

Currently the cool spot is around 28 to 30 degrees is that too high? It's also quiet humid. If I put my face in I find it hard to breathe?

Would he also be having difficulty breathing at these temperatures? Would it be better to put the heat ceramic light off at night where the temperature is around 22 degrees Celsius. This is the room temperature. Please note the enclosure does have air vents.

See pics of bulb baby tort and enclosure below.


View attachment 272719View attachment 272720View attachment 272721View attachment 272722View attachment 272723View attachment 272724
@Yvonne G and @Tom really provided me with alot of advise and help
 

Yvonne G

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That looks like a pretty nice enclosure, however, it looks a bit dry. Do you wet the substrate? My closed enclosures, similar to yours, don't have a hot side/cool side. They're around 80F degrees all over the whole enclosure, and there is condensation showing on the glass because of the high humidity inside.
 

slimsaj

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That looks like a pretty nice enclosure, however, it looks a bit dry. Do you wet the substrate? My closed enclosures, similar to yours, don't have a hot side/cool side. They're around 80F degrees all over the whole enclosure, and there is condensation showing on the glass because of the high humidity inside.
I do wet the reptile bark and the moss bed that we have set up but it dries out rather quickly...

Is it okay that there is no cool side. Will he be breathing okay? Should I add more vents?
 

TheKB

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I do wet the reptile bark and the moss bed that we have set up but it dries out rather quickly...

Is it okay that there is no cool side. Will he be breathing okay? Should I add more vents?
Cool side allows the tortoise to cool off if they are feeling too hot. You would want to have hot on the other side and cool on the other side to get a nice temperature gradient. The tortoise can then move in between the areas depending on how warm they want to be. Not having a cool side would be like being stuck in an slow roast oven.
 

slimsaj

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My basking lamp is 25w..but slowly heats up all of the tank..when open it up I feel the humidity..it seems stuffy for me to breath so I wonder if my tortoise would feel the same..that's why I consider switching off light and ceramic heat at night..

I live in south Africa.. and its winter at the moment..but still kind of warm inside.. 22degress celcius at night..and a little warmer in the day..in summer it goes higher..
 

TortillaTheTortioise

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My basking lamp is 25w..but slowly heats up all of the tank..when open it up I feel the humidity..it seems stuffy for me to breath so I wonder if my tortoise would feel the same..that's why I consider switching off light and ceramic heat at night..

I live in south Africa.. and its winter at the moment..but still kind of warm inside.. 22degress celcius at night..and a little warmer in the day..in summer it goes higher..
I thought winter was only on the 1st of June? Lol
 

wellington

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My basking lamp is 25w..but slowly heats up all of the tank..when open it up I feel the humidity..it seems stuffy for me to breath so I wonder if my tortoise would feel the same..that's why I consider switching off light and ceramic heat at night..

I live in south Africa.. and its winter at the moment..but still kind of warm inside.. 22degress celcius at night..and a little warmer in the day..in summer it goes higher..
Your tortoise can breath just fine. If you let him get cold he will get sick. So he needs temps no lower then 80 degrees F ever until an adult, then they can stand a little cooler like 75. The humidity should be no lower then 80% with a backing spot of 95-100F. The "cool side" still should not be below 80F.
The basking spot is the warmer side/spot.
 

slimsaj

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I know you guys have alot of experience..but how is it possible that they need such hot temperatures day and night..it doesnt even match the natural temperature they have in the wild.. just very concerned for his well being..
 

Yvonne G

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I know you guys have alot of experience..but how is it possible that they need such hot temperatures day and night..it doesnt even match the natural temperature they have in the wild.. just very concerned for his well being..
Oh, but yes it does! The part of Africa they come from doesn't know cold weather.

But then, you're from South Africa. . . mainly we're talking about the leopards that originate from more northerly areas. Let's send an alert to @Tom
 

Yvonne G

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Cool side allows the tortoise to cool off if they are feeling too hot. You would want to have hot on the other side and cool on the other side to get a nice temperature gradient. The tortoise can then move in between the areas depending on how warm they want to be. Not having a cool side would be like being stuck in an slow roast oven.
This is what we strive for with older tortoises. Babies need it warm all over.
 

slimsaj

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Okay awesome..I guess I am in a diff part of Africa..il keep his light on always in that case..I must jus check the ceramic bulbs dont give problems with prolonged use..

I wanted to also find out..does his beek look normal..his area is kind of humid..der is plenty water available..but his beek looks a bit grey-ish.. is it normal or is it not humid enough?

He is also a messy eater..so I'm not sure if its stain from the kale n weeds I've been feeding him..20190522_170150.jpeg
 

slimsaj

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Okay awesome..I guess I am in a diff part of Africa..il keep his light on always in that case..I must jus check the ceramic bulbs dont give problems with prolonged use..

I wanted to also find out..does his beek look normal..his area is kind of humid..der is plenty water available..but his beek looks a bit grey-ish.. is it normal or is it not humid enough?

He is also a messy eater..so I'm not sure if its stain from the kale n weeds I've been feeding him..View attachment 272792
Pic of beek20190522_170146.jpeg
 

Yvonne G

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Okay awesome..I guess I am in a diff part of Africa..il keep his light on always in that case..I must jus check the ceramic bulbs dont give problems with prolonged use..

I wanted to also find out..does his beek look normal..his area is kind of humid..der is plenty water available..but his beek looks a bit grey-ish.. is it normal or is it not humid enough?

He is also a messy eater..so I'm not sure if its stain from the kale n weeds I've been feeding him..View attachment 272792
I think his beak is just stained from what he's been eating. Actually, I'm surprised it's not black - black is usually what happens from eating greens.
 

ShirleyTX

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I think you want the ceramic heat emitter on at night but not the light. They need light and darkness just as we do.

In the first photo I noticed his shell is still “newborn wavy” and maybe he still has his egg tooth. Perhaps that’s why you think his beak looks odd? If he is very young, those are normal things.
 

slimsaj

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I think you want the ceramic heat emitter on at night but not the light. They need light and darkness just as we do.

In the first photo I noticed his shell is still “newborn wavy” and maybe he still has his egg tooth. Perhaps that’s why you think his beak looks odd? If he is very young, those are normal things.
Okay great il do that..heat always on..light for the evenings when I feed him since der is a bit of light in the day..n jus heat at night..

And once I buy my UV light den il keep that on in the day too..should be in a few days ( they are quite pricey around me)..so I give him lots of sun on da wknds until then ..I'm not too sure what's the newborn wavy or egg tooth but he is quite young and tiny..just learning as I go along so I can take best care of him/her..[emoji50]

Is it normal for him to slp alot..and not eat much unless you feed him by hand?..maybe my torti is a bit spoilt
 

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