All advice on my new leopard tortoise needed!! please read....

[kimmikins]

After deciding i wanted a tortoise i figured i would go for a breed that does not hibernate hence i bought a leopard.. I live in the Uk.. "He" that is Wilson is 16 months old. He came with a two foot vivarium with only a UV bulb that the previous owner assured me would offer enough heat.. Well upon reading about the leopards i realised this just wasnt warm enough so i went and bought a ft square heat mat and he has livened up some.. When he first came he had a meal of water cress and that is as much as ive seen him eat.. He has only been here 3 days though.. I gave him a bath this morning and he poo'd twice so thats working... I have read soooo much conflicting advice on feeding but for now i just want a basic diet that i can understand and add more to it as time goes on.. As for the heating side of it all advice is wanted.. I know they have to have the UV light and the temps for day and night but just really wanted someone who knows what they are doing to say this is what yu need to do and how to do it.. A mentor if you like.. I have bought him some dandelion timothy hay..

I know a leopard isnt an easy first time tort but the reason was because i had a first time parrot instead of the maccaw i wanted and now have a maccaw and another parrot that hates me and i am excellent with the maccaw.. hence i thought id jump right in,.. although im a newbie i do have animals and understad the need for treating them correctly.. hence asking for advice.. My msn ad for PM and instant help is [email protected].. please add me.. when giving advice please talk about things availiable in the uk xxxx ty kimmi

 

[jblayza]

I provide a basking spot of 92 - 95 and keep the uv light on the same side as the basking spot. By spot I mean I keep one corner of the enclosure at 92-95 and the other corner of the hot side a little cooler between 85 -91. The cool side stays in the mid to upper 70's. This give the tortoise 3 temps to choose from, and I do see my tort resting in different areas which tells me he is regulating his temps. As far as diet, I feed a spring salad mix with an occasional sprinkle of calcium w/D3 and Mazuri tortoise food twice a week. I also chop up timothy hay and hibiscus and mix it with the spring mix for variety. I'm sure some more experienced leo owners will chime in soon.

 

[kimmikins]

Ha ha i liked the chime in bit lol ty for your help.. its a real mine field.. i have bought a bigger viv now so that the temps can vary better.. xx

 

[Candy]

I don't know if you've already read this post but here it is. Yvonne posted it and it's great information for anyone with a Leopard.

http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-11854.html

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Here's a link for about the best care sheet around. My only comment would be that heat on a smaller tortoise should come from above like the sun, not below. Did your heat mat come with a control so you could regulate the temperature? It might could get too hot for a small tortoise.
While Leopards need some humidity you can provide too much and that could cause an Upper Respiratory Tract Infection (URTI)...so you need to be aware of the humidity. I don't mean to be critical, but that substrate looks to be less then great. It is hard for small tortoises to walk on and *could* cause leg damage...and with all that happy news, welcome to the forum and don't allow all the information to overwhelm you...


http://africantortoise.com/

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Kimmikins:

to the forum!!

 

[Stephanie Logan]

Wow, kimmikins, looks like you got some striking cosmos in you welcome message! Lucky dog.

As others have already mentioned, you have struck it rich in the land of valuable information and good advice: the Tortoise Forum.

Welcome! Your little Wilson looks quite charming.