I owned a ornate box turtle for almost 20 years. Found him in my backyard when I was 12 and sadly "Mr. Turtle" died last year. So I think that I have a SMALL amount of knowledge on basic turtle/tortoise needs.
I purchased two 12 week old leopard tortoises last night (one male and one female) and could not have been happier. They are set up in a 20 gallon tank with peat moss as bedding. They have lots of fake plants to hide under and I have uv lighting as well as a heat lamp. I placed a small shallow dish in the middle of the cage as the breeder stressed the importance of not putting it near the sides as the tortoise may fall over upside down in it.
This AM I woke up and placed a mixture of red/green romaine, cilantro, parsley and spinach in the tank. The female has been VERY active. Eating nearly all the food I placed in there and drinking. (If the amount of food her little 2 inch body consumed this AM is any kind of sign of how much she will eat in the future I think I'll need to be planting a garden as well. lol)...However...the male is far less active. He did not eat this AM and was out basking for about 10 minutes and then retreated to his hiding spot. I am not sure if will take him awhile to become safe in his new home or if I should be alarmed at the difference in activity. ALSO, and this is the most alarming, he make this movement with his neck when he breathes. Kinda like a bull frog does with his neck when he craoks. He is not making any noise just the neck movement. I did not notice him doing it last night.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am not sure if I an freakin out for no reason or if I should take him to a vet. I contacted the breeder and she said that he had been fine and that he was just going to take a little longer than the female to get used to his new home.
I purchased two 12 week old leopard tortoises last night (one male and one female) and could not have been happier. They are set up in a 20 gallon tank with peat moss as bedding. They have lots of fake plants to hide under and I have uv lighting as well as a heat lamp. I placed a small shallow dish in the middle of the cage as the breeder stressed the importance of not putting it near the sides as the tortoise may fall over upside down in it.
This AM I woke up and placed a mixture of red/green romaine, cilantro, parsley and spinach in the tank. The female has been VERY active. Eating nearly all the food I placed in there and drinking. (If the amount of food her little 2 inch body consumed this AM is any kind of sign of how much she will eat in the future I think I'll need to be planting a garden as well. lol)...However...the male is far less active. He did not eat this AM and was out basking for about 10 minutes and then retreated to his hiding spot. I am not sure if will take him awhile to become safe in his new home or if I should be alarmed at the difference in activity. ALSO, and this is the most alarming, he make this movement with his neck when he breathes. Kinda like a bull frog does with his neck when he craoks. He is not making any noise just the neck movement. I did not notice him doing it last night.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am not sure if I an freakin out for no reason or if I should take him to a vet. I contacted the breeder and she said that he had been fine and that he was just going to take a little longer than the female to get used to his new home.