Hello fand Qs from a baby Leopard and his newbie keepers

Texas Tortoise

New Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2015
Messages
11
Hi Everyone,

We have a new baby Leopard Tortoise in Austin Texas and we are as excited as all new parents!
Thanks for the amazing info on this site! We have been reading and learning a lot from all of the informative posts and pics here.

My youngest daughter has been fascinated by tortoises for years. At first we thought she would loose interest, but over the last 3 years she has remained focused on tortoises and her desire for a Leopard has never lessened. A few days ago she finally got to bring a baby leopard tortoise home and our tortoise adventures have begun.

We have been reading and setting up the habitat but, although we have had many pets over the years, this is our very first reptile. There are so many opinions about temperature and humidity, size of enclosure (when they are this small) etc. We would love your recommendations and opinions about our current set up and the best set up for baby leopards. There are so many things I don't know about what would be considered "normal" behavior. For example, sometimes he (just guessing he is a boy) sits and kind of bobs his head - does anyone know why he does that?

Here are the specs of our current set up - please let us know if there is something we should change. We are planning to getting a 40gal tank so we can have more zones and a spot for fresh grass to grow. We think our little guy is 1mo -6wks old.

We started with a 10 gal tank that we had at home. We have about 3 zones: 1. a humid hide made of cork with temperatures around 94-100 and humidity at around 70-80%- we have a below tank heat mat under the area of the tank w the hide. So far he seems to really like the warm substrate. 2. A middle zone in the 90s w a basking rock and 3. a cooler zone with water in the 80s (can be as low as 75 in water if tank top is only 1/2 on). The substrate is a mix made by a pet store specializing in reptiles and it is moistened and packed down w/ rocks around the water and food to keep those areas cleaner. Light: We have a zoo med 100 watt UV bulb for day time hanging over the tank and a heat lamp that does not emit light just added for night time. Food: we looked at your care sheets and links and so far just feed greens w some cal & multi vitamin powder. Pet store said a little cucumber 1xwk can help w/moisture so we also gave some of that. We have an organic yard with many of the plants on the good list growing so we've been adding a few wild plants to store greens each feeding (ie dandelion, prickly pear young pads, blackberry leaves etc). We feed 2x day. He seems to graze during the day and not really eat "dinner" so we might just do early am and after school instead or a big bowl in am & skip late afternoon feeding.

If anyone would like to give some specific advice, here are a few Qs:

Q1: Do you keep a heat source from above during the night? The pet store said no just turn the UV light off at night but when we did the ambient temperature in the tank dropped to the 70s the 1st night. The 2nd night we added a heat lamp at night and kept temps constant (same day & night). Note: Even with lower ambient temps in the enclosure his hide stays warm b/c of the heat mat under the tank & so far he has spent both nights in the hide. W the temp gun it seems like his hide stays 94 on the edge to 100 in the back (is that too hot?).

Q2: Humidity: I really have no idea what to do re:humidity. The pet store said don't worry about it just soak him 1xday & have water bowl and he'll be fine. From your site it seems best to keep a closed system that keeps humidity higher. Yesterday I added a glass fish tank top that we had at hm to raise humidity b/c w/out it we were around 50% now its btwn 70-80%. I'm worried that having a glass top might make things too hot or humid - what are the upper/dangerous temp/humidity limits for a baby leopard? When I crack the glass top humidity drops back down to 50% even the occasional 40% (where the sensor is in the middle of the tank. I think the hide is still more humid & when I move the sensor in there I get around 80%).

Q3: Will the glass interfere with the UV light? It seems from what I have read that it will filter some of what he needs & I should figure out a way to get the light in the tank. With our current set up that is impossible b/c of heat. For now, I just moved the glass top over to leave a little space for the light and air flow that makes keeping temps and humidity a little more tricky but its a compromise for now.

Q4: While he is so young what should he eat? I know later its mostly grasses etc... but what do you mostly feed at 6wks? he is not as interested in the coastal hay we have offered, much more interested in the greens... we haven't given any fruit or even the shredded carrot and sweet potato that the pet shop said was OK b/c your site seems to think the sugars are bad for his gut. I'm assuming the pet shop gives the root veggies for moisture and to keep the babies eating - should we give a little or skip all together? what about the pellets we have seen?

THANK YOU for any advice and for all the great info we have already found here!
In gratitude,
The Texas Tortoise (and his keepers)

here are some pics of tort & tank. Sorry I didn't clean the glass but I didn't want to disturb him too much.

IMG_1051.JPG IMG_1041.JPG IMG_1034.JPG IMG_1048.JPG
 
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Jodie

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5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2014
Messages
4,359
Location (City and/or State)
Spokane Valley WA
Welcome to the forum and congrats on your Leopard. Most of your questions you seem to know the answer mostly. This is a very thorough post. Well done. The head bobbing is him breathing. Heat and humidity are very important. Temp should be no less than 80F day or night and 70 to 80 percent humidity is good. Yes the UVB needs to be inside. The glass filters most all of the good stuff. Fruits and veggies are bad. Grass and weeds are best. Escarole and endive are good choices from store. Mazuri is good as part of the diet or grassland tortoise food. Hydrate both of these t p feed.
 

Momof4

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Messages
9,709
Location (City and/or State)
San Diego
He is really cute and it looks like you have a very good start! It won't be long before you have to upgrade his enclosure because they grow like weeds!

Q1- Yes, the UVB can turn off at night. Replace the night time heat lamp with a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) it provides heat w/o light. He does not need light at night. If I read it correctly I think you have done that already.
 

Texas Tortoise

New Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2015
Messages
11
Thanks Jodie & Momof4!
Jodie, Is the head bobbing normal healthy behavior for all torts? I'll pick up some of the feed - what do you mean "hydrate these t p feed"?

Momof4, We are trying to buy/build him a better set up but haven't figured out what we want yet. the 10 gal was just to get him out of an open system in to something with more humidity after reading the posts here. What do/did you use for babies?
I'm turning off light and using CHE at night but I'd love to get the reptile thermostat Tom mentions wks to maintain ambient temperature b/c I'm nervous about the heat getting to high in a closed system. Do you know what the thermostat is? How do people keep their closed systems from getting to hot or humid?

Few more newbie qs if anyone has the time:
What are the top temps for baby leopards? Do they always go to the cooler side to regulate? He seems to love his humid & very warm hide and he spends all of the night in there. We have an under tank heating pad outside of the tank under the hide area so its around 100 in there (measured w/temp gun) - Do you think its safe for him to stay at around 100 all night long? Maybe I should rearrange the tank so hide is a little cooler?

Bath/Soak: After a bath he seems to want to just go in to the hide and rest - is this normal? I feel like maybe the bath is too much for him. We warm the water and do it under the CHE to help him not get cold but I'm wondering if its a huge exertion to be put in water like that every day. So far we have done it every day for 20 min.

Poop: I haven't seen any since we came home on Wed. How often would you expect to see a baby poop in the first week in a new home?
 

Jodie

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2014
Messages
4,359
Location (City and/or State)
Spokane Valley WA
Thanks Jodie & Momof4!
Jodie, Is the head bobbing normal healthy behavior for all torts? I'll pick up some of the feed - what do you mean "hydrate these t p feed"?

Momof4, We are trying to buy/build him a better set up but haven't figured out what we want yet. the 10 gal was just to get him out of an open system in to something with more humidity after reading the posts here. What do/did you use for babies?
I'm turning off light and using CHE at night but I'd love to get the reptile thermostat Tom mentions wks to maintain ambient temperature b/c I'm nervous about the heat getting to high in a closed system. Do you know what the thermostat is? How do people keep their closed systems from getting to hot or humid?

Few more newbie qs if anyone has the time:
What are the top temps for baby leopards? Do they always go to the cooler side to regulate? He seems to love his humid & very warm hide and he spends all of the night in there. We have an under tank heating pad outside of the tank under the hide area so its around 100 in there (measured w/temp gun) - Do you think its safe for him to stay at around 100 all night long? Maybe I should rearrange the tank so hide is a little cooler?

Bath/Soak: After a bath he seems to want to just go in to the hide and rest - is this normal? I feel like maybe the bath is too much for him. We warm the water and do it under the CHE to help him not get cold but I'm wondering if its a huge exertion to be put in water like that every day. So far we have done it every day for 20 min.

Poop: I haven't seen any since we came home on Wed. How often would you expect to see a baby poop in the first week in a new home?
Head bobbing is normal. I mean soak them in water. A thermostat is almost necessary. Tortoise Supply has them. I use the R500 I think it is called. 100 seems higher than where he should be sleeping. Heat mats often get too hot. I would not use a heat mat under him. I have put them on the wall in cool areas. His min temp should be 80 - 82 ambient at night. 100 is ok for the basking area. Keep soaking him. Try slightly different temps. My guys like 92-95F. Mine poop almost daily. Is he eating ok? It may take a while for him to settle in.
 
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