i was wondering are leopard tortoises good pet tortoises? there so pretty and i really want one. are they shy tortoises? also are there 2 breeds of leopard tortoises and if so what are the differences? let me know thanks!
leopard tortoise good pets?
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jobeanator said:i was wondering are leopard tortoises good pet tortoises? there so pretty and i really want one. are they shy tortoises? also are there 2 breeds of leopard tortoises and if so what are the differences? let me know thanks!
They're 2 different leopards: pardalis babcocki and pardalis pardalis. Pardalis pardalis could grow to almost as big as a sulcata, while babcocki is smaller (around 1 ft in SCL, plus or minus depending on sex).
I have 2 cb babcocki, 4 and 5 yrs old. They are relatively more shy compared to my ibera greeks, but the more you play and get personal to them, the less shy they would be. I have them in my backyard, and they would approach me and beg for food when I come out, although not as fast as my greeks.
could you possibly tell me if my leopard is a babcocki or pardalis just by looking at him?
could you possibly tell me if my leopard is a babcocki or pardalis just by looking at him?
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Other than the size for fully-grown adults, pardalis pardalis is generally less colorful. For babies/juveniles, pardalis pardalis usually has two dots in the centre of the costal and vertebral scutes while babcocki has one. With cross breeding, it's even harder to differentiate between the two. But just based on my observation, great majority of all leopard tortoises for sale in the US are babcocki. Pardalis pardalis is usually a little bit more expensive due to limited supply.
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