I'm not an expert, and he's a lot smaller than I expected so I may end up regrouping this weekend. I followed the instructions here (more or less) to build: http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/habitat/470803-how-build-your-own-wooden.html
And I modified with these care guides in mind:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/leopard-tortoise-care-sheet.63792/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.78361/
I have experience with sulcata (which I was originally going to get, but I changed my mind), but I never have raised them with such high humidity or in an enclosed chamber. Looking at the ones I have worked with, they are a little pyramided. Those guides should be used as opposed to the old information out there (honestly, I thought sulcuta were supposed to look like that).
I changed my dimensions on the vivarium to 5 feet long and 31 inches wide. It's 30 inches tall, but I wish I would have made it a bit taller because the large dome lights can't really be raised and lowered that much. I have a 75 watt Mercury vapor bulb by Mega Ray and a ceramic heating element on one side. The mercury vapor is hooked to a timer and the heating element is hooked to a thermostat. He's got 3 different hides in there and lots of bushes to hide in. I used orchid bark as a substrate and covered it in reptile moss on one side (the other side is just bark). He's actually pretty hard to find because he's tiny! In the photo, that's a cup lid you see him on. The bowls I have are too big. I'm going to have to find a stone or something for him to eat on (I'm afraid he'll eat the plastic, but it worked in a pinch, that's spring mix he's eating. It was his after shipping treat).
He's much too little for outside by himself for now, but I also built him a 96 inch long by 35 foot wide playpen (I forget the height). It's all screened in with the same kind of thing you'd screen in a rabbit hutch with so he can go out and play and I don't have to worry about him being eaten. I also made some hidey areas in there for him.
I have a large area of my yard that I'm working on fencing in/clearing of brush and making an area for when he gets bigger. I figure that's a good winter project because it's too hot to do a lot of that in the summer here. It's only halfway started (I have a lot of cleared and some of the black weed block plastic down to kill the existing plants so I can replant tortoise friendly stuff). I probably have a few years before he's big enough to enjoy it, so I think I have time
I got him from Vicki at TortoiseYard (so he's actually a she, she incubates for females).
Hello I live in south eastern Arkansas and plan on getting an leopard tortoise.