A Year In The Life Of Cupcake

[Neal]

Gorgeous tortoise, and a fantastic job! Would you mind letting us know the source of your tortoise?

 

[leopardcupcake]

Gorgeous tortoise, and a fantastic job! Would you mind letting us know the source of your tortoise?

Yes of course! He is from Backwater Reptiles

 

[leopardcupcake]

Now i'm curious, @Neal why do you ask the source of the tortoise?

Does that have something to do with how they grow?

I feel like this could be a good learning experience for me

 

[Neal]

I'm always looking to add to my herd, so I like to make a mental note of the sources of tortoises I see pictures of and like.

All leopards are unique in their own way, but there are, of course, strong similarities in the appearances of siblings. If I could acquire a sibling of a particularly nice looking leopard tortoise then I would have a good chance of having a tortoise with the characteristics I like. So yes, it has a lot to do with how they grow.

 

[Romeo Serback]

Thank you @Markw84 and @Lark_Tortoise! I’ve seen pictures of some very smooth leopard tortoises on here and I am very impressed by them. I know my Cupcake’s pyramiding could be worse but it could also be better. Once again, 100% my fault and I know it.

@Lark_Tortoise is correct, I live in New Jersey.

Honestly I have been wary about posting setup and care information because I feel like I might get blasted, but here goes. I started Cupcake out in a 20 gallon long aquarium which did great at keeping the temperatures up and not so great with the humidity. His temps have been pretty steady at approx. 104 on the hot side and 84 on the cool side. He sleeps on the "cool side" under a CHE that maintains 81 degrees at night. I read the thread on coconut oil and decided to try that out. Every other day I would smooth some onto his shell after he soaked.

Once I started the academy I stopped paying attention to the humidity altogether but continued to use the coconut oil. I tapered down to using it once every three days, however.

In October he outgrew the 20 gallon so I moved him into a large low exo-terra terrarium. The front opening doors are fantastic and the low ceiling helps keep the temps up. He still gets coconut oil on his shell, only once a week though. I graduated a few months ago and am focusing on humidity again, it fluctuates but hovers around 60-80% depending on how recently I sprayed everything down. He gets soaked every day or every other day if i'm that busy. He always has access to food and water.

I attribute his steady growth to his huge appetite. Every day during the academy I would wake up at 3am so that I would have time to soak him and cut up his spring mix and spray his mazuri so it is soft. He loves that stuff. Even though he is a year old I still cut up his salad for him, he is like my child. He loves to eat.

Here's his current setup. I really like the exo-terra design but he is quickly outgrowing it. I am working on getting him something larger, don't worry!

View attachment 231906

And here's a bonus pic of him in his enclosure!

View attachment 231907

Eder

I don't think you'll get blasted as much as the fact that the experience folks would want to make you and me more educated on the husbandry aspect. I'm all for constructive criticism if it benefits our babies. Because if you boil it down, that's what we're here for. To become educated and to raise a healthy tortoise the right way.

 

[Jesco21]

How many watt solar glow bulb are you using?

 

[leopardcupcake]

How many watt solar glow bulb are you using?

125 watts

 

[leopardcupcake]

828 grams today

 

[leopardcupcake]

Cupcake is 922 grams today!

The weather is so nice I brought him outside for some sunshine.

Little guy loves walking around in the grass.

He is about a year and seven months old now.

 

[samkerns1]

Cupcake is 922 grams today!

The weather is so nice I brought him outside for some sunshine.

Little guy loves walking around in the grass.

He is about a year and seven months old now.

Seems like every time someone posts photos of a leopard, I'm awed by its shell pattern. They are such beautiful animals.
Yours is no exception. Lovely.

 

[Bee62]

Cupcake is beautiful !

 

[leopardcupcake]

My little baby is 1056 grams today! I can’t believe he’s gone past the 1000 gram mark. So happy with this beautiful boy.
(I don’t actually know the gender, i’ve just always got a male vibe from Cupcake)

 

[leopardcupcake]

1237 grams today! Getting kind of difficult to hold him with one hand.

 

[Nisi]

Beautiful

 

[leopardcupcake]

Baby boy is getting too big for his soaking container.....makes me a little teary eyed.

Here’s a picture of him from last February:



Here’s a picture of him today:

 

[William Lee Kohler]

Good job raising him/her so far. Have you considered maybe trimming those pointy toe nails?

 

[Nisi]

Good job raising him/her so far. Have you considered maybe trimming those pointy toe nails?

Not to ask a stupid question, I was wondering that about my tort her nails are growing a little long. Do you have to use a special clipper or a dog or cat one just fine?

 

[William Lee Kohler]

Good job raising him/her so far. Have you considered maybe trimming those pointy toe nails?

Not to ask a stupid question, I was wondering that about my tort her nails are growing a little long. Do you have to use a special clipper or a dog or cat one just fine?

Not stupid at all. If tortoise is small enough I use big nail clippers and for my big ones I use wire cutters. Just be careful not to cut back into live part of nail. It will hurt your tortoise and bleed as well. There are special clippers made for pets though. Probably same ones used on dogs. Rough edges after trim will wear smooth very quickly.

 

[surfergirl]

What brand of coconut oil do you use?

 

[EllieMay]

Baby boy is getting too big for his soaking container.....makes me a little teary eyed.



He’s beautiful! I love his shell!
Another member turned me on to this coconut oil and it’s working well for me..

You can find it in walmart.
I had adopted a Sulcata with a small amount of pyramiding. I have been using the oil on him and he’s looking great.