Just bought a month old leopard hatchling

[Tortus]

I saw her eat for the first time this afternoon. I keep the enclosure in a 6'x2' nook in my house with a blanket hanging like a curtain to trap the heat and humidity (on a coffee table with a big bowl of water and an ionizer underneath), and I peek in from time to time. I peeked in and saw her in the food dish with collard greens hanging from her mouth.

Since she was a month old on the 15th, I'll measure and weigh her in the morning then again each month, and this thread will be my record of her progress.

 

[Tom]

Your new baby looks great.

Just want to clearly state my opinion on a few things...
I strongly recommend against using any of the coil type cfl UV bulbs. I have personally seen them damage reptile eyes many times.

In the old days when everything was dry, people did recommend a drop in night temps. For some species, like the Testudo, I think this is very beneficial. For leopards and sulcatas being kept with humidity it can literally be deadly. I'm not saying that your tortoise will automatically drop dead the instant the temp goes below 80 at night. I'm just saying that at some point, cooler night temps will almost certainly lead to a respiratory infection. This should never happen at an ambient of 80.

Once the leopard is a couple of years old and big enough, all this high humidity stuff is not necessary. It is just the first 6-8" of growth that are super critical. After that, they can be outside in the dry air and night temps can be cooler.

 

[Tortus]

Is it the brightness of the coil that damages their eyes? I asked if this T5 would be good but no one responded:

http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/22t5hofihouw2.html

What about a regular florescent tube? I have a fixture for an 18" tube somewhere I can use.

The person I bought mine from uses a coil for his babies and mine has excellent eyesight. I guess it takes a while to affect them.

I left the heat mat and emitter on all night and just zapped my tort's shell with the temp gun. She's sleeping in the wooden hide on the basking end and her shell reads 77. I just got a 100 watt emitter that I can use during the winter to keep night temps as close to 80 as I can get.

 

[Tortus]

Wow. Either people aren't seeing the link to that light I've posted twice or they really, really don't want to comment on it. lol

My baby's doing great today. Pooped in her soaking water again and is eating up a storm. She's so active and healthy. Couldn't ask for more.

 

[dcwolfe]

I wish I new about the bulbs all I have heard is not to use the coil bulbs but have just heard fly of mouth about it. I use the uv tube and it works well for me and haven't heard any side effects to them other then they say you have to replace them every year. Is you humidity all ways around 60?

 

[DesertGrandma]

She's a beautiful baby tort with nice markings. congratulations.

 

[Tortus]

Yes the humidity according to my gauge is always between 60 and 70% with no cover on the enclosure.

I'm sure I can increase this by pouring more water onto the areas where the heat mat and basking bulbs are. I'll play around with it.

But really, as of now, this tortoise is happy as a clam. I look at her often and she's always exploring or eating. I saw her chilling in her drinking dish this afternoon which I have positioned over the heat mat. I'm seeing zero signs of stress.

It tickles me when I peek and and she sees me. Sometimes she'll bob and weave her head and arms back and forth to create camouflage I suppose. Sort of like how chameleons do.

 

[Tortus]

At a month old (5 days ago actually): Slightly under 2" and 40 grams. Weighs about the same as a pack of Captain's Wafers with cream cheese. I just used a tape measure for length but have calipers somewhere.

I also ordered a 15 watt UVB tube and fixture that will replace the coil. Should be here today.

 

[Tortus]

One more pic I'd like to add that I think confirms they don't like the UVB coil (confirmed for me anyway):

She likes to sleep under the UVB, but she always buries her head in the moss. You can see her on the far end towards the left. I'm not exactly sure if that's because she's trying to hide or because she doesn't like the light coming from the bulb. It's gone now since my new tube just arrived.

But that's her normal sleeping spot. I saw her in the hide by the light once, and that was it. She has never gone in the hide at the cool end. She's gone around it, but never in it. I keep the lid on the enclosure now half open with the heat mat on the closed side with a thermostat set at 90. It only gets a small area that warm but I think it creates humidity since I pour a little water on it every other day.

 

[dcwolfe]

One more pic I'd like to add that I think confirms they don't like the UVB coil (confirmed for me anyway):

She likes to sleep under the UVB, but she always buries her head in the moss. You can see her on the far end towards the left. I'm not exactly sure if that's because she's trying to hide or because she doesn't like the light coming from the bulb. It's gone now since my new tube just arrived.

But that's her normal sleeping spot. I saw her in the hide by the light once, and that was it. She has never gone in the hide at the cool end. She's gone around it, but never in it. I keep the lid on the enclosure now half open with the heat mat on the closed side with a thermostat set at 90. It only gets a small area that warm but I think it creates humidity since I pour a little water on it every other day.

so what's the update in your little guy? Still doing well I hope

---

One more pic I'd like to add that I think confirms they don't like the UVB coil (confirmed for me anyway):

She likes to sleep under the UVB, but she always buries her head in the moss. You can see her on the far end towards the left. I'm not exactly sure if that's because she's trying to hide or because she doesn't like the light coming from the bulb. It's gone now since my new tube just arrived.

But that's her normal sleeping spot. I saw her in the hide by the light once, and that was it. She has never gone in the hide at the cool end. She's gone around it, but never in it. I keep the lid on the enclosure now half open with the heat mat on the closed side with a thermostat set at 90. It only gets a small area that warm but I think it creates humidity since I pour a little water on it every other day.

so what's the update in your little guy? Still doing well I hope

 

[Tortus]

Yeah, still doing good, thanks. It's appetite is increasing every day. How about yours?

I'll post another update pic on the 15th which will be 2 months old. It has definitely grown during the 3 weeks I've had it, but I'm only going to measure and weigh it once a month.

 

[dcwolfe]

Yeah, still doing good, thanks. It's appetite is increasing every day. How about yours?

I'll post another update pic on the 15th which will be 2 months old. It has definitely grown during the 3 weeks I've had it, but I'm only going to measure and weigh it once a month.

thats good to hear, mine arn;t doing too bad they both finally started using the hide at night and are staying healthy.

 

[Tortus]

Nice. Mine has a set sleeping spot now but it's not in a hide yet, and I notice its head is a little darker in the morning sort of like yours got from burying its head in the coir at night. It doesn't seem to be a stain though. It gets lighter as the day goes on. lol

 

[Tortus]

A month has passed since the last pic. 2 months old today:

I couldn't get the substrate off her mouth. Won't keep still. lol

Just over 2 1/4". That's more than 1/4 inches since last month. 64 grams from 40 grams last month. There's now some white markings showing between the black on the scutes.

Seems to be growing fast. Not that I know what the average growth is supposed to be.

 

[*Barracuda_50*]

Looking good.. Pretty little baby..

 

[Tortus]

3 month hatchday is here:

It wouldn't be still long enough to get a decent pic, but it's actually a little over 2 1/2 inches, and 88 grams.

Month 1: 2", 40 grams

Month 2: 2 1/4", 64 grams

Month 3: 2 1/2", 88 grams

It seems to be growing consistently. 1/4" and 24 grams each month so far. So on month 4 it should be 2 3/4", and 112 grams.

We'll see. The winter season may slow things down.

 

[Zamric]

WOW, thats fast! Eros is almost 11 months old and he's 7.8cm (a little over 3") and topped out at 109 gm

 

[TortoiseBoy1999]

I love seeing the before and after pics! 

 

[Tortus]

Eros seems much bigger in pictures.

I'm not sure if the growth rate will slow down or speed up over the coming months. This is my first experience with a tortoise. But it's starting to feel like a little brick.

It's interesting watching how the scutes spread apart as new growth comes in. And the black growth rings around each scute seem to be flattening out as more white appears.

 

[Zamric]

I keep a constant growth chart since the day I got them. We have a weekly Bath-weigh-measure-Vita-shell session every Saturday morning.

... the picture thing was also weekly.... for the 1st 15 or 20 weeks... now its when I notice big changes on the Charts.