Leopard Tortoise not gaining weight

[OsoriosTurtoises]

Hello, I have concern about my Leopard Tortoise, Tommie. Ive had him since 7/10/22. I’ve seen very little growth. And since I started weighing him 8/15/22, he’s been the same weight pretty much. He still feels soft. He seems pretty active especially when soaking. I’m use to rasing Sulcata’s so I’m not sure if it’s normal or what I should be doing differently? Thank you

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welcome,
This is the caresheet that we use which may help you find out if anything can be done differently - care for sully and leopard is similar -

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

Can you tell us what sort of diet he has had and temps etc.? Pictures of his enclosure may also help members suggest changes that could help.

 

[wellington]

We need all the info Lyn W mentioned.
Also do you know if the breeder hatched him out and kept him hot and dry or with humidity and soaking?
Leopards are raised the same as sulcatas, they just don't get as big.

 

[OsoriosTurtoises]

Hi and welcome,
This is the caresheet that we use which may help you find out if anything can be done differently - care for sully and leopard is similar -

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

Can you tell us what sort of diet he has had and temps etc.? Pictures of his enclosure may also help members suggest changes that could help.

Sorry for the late reply attached will be photos of the enclosure. I use the coconut fiber. I soak him almost everyday and let have his time in the sun as well. I use the Zika pro sol light fixture. The average humidity is near 40. His hot spot is about 100*f. I feed him a mixture of dandelion and collard greens with Bermuda hay which I’m not sure he eats. I use calcium within it d3. I bought him from “Tortoise supply” but I’m not sure how he was hatched. Please let me know if there’s any more information I can provide. Thank you!

 

[Lyn W]

Sorry for the late reply attached will be photos of the enclosure. I use the coconut fiber. I soak him almost everyday and let have his time in the sun as well. I use the Zika pro sol light fixture. The average humidity is near 40. His hot spot is about 100*f. I feed him a mixture of dandelion and collard greens with Bermuda hay which I’m not sure he eats. I use calcium within it d3. I bought him from “Tortoise supply” but I’m not sure how he was hatched. Please let me know if there’s any more information I can provide. Thank you!

I think he needs a much more varied diet which will be listed in the caresheet plus there is a good list in this thread

For Those Who Have a Young Sulcata...

Over and over I type up and answer diet questions and try to get people feeding the right stuff, but I find that the "norm" is grocery store food. Grocery store food is expensive, a hassle to obtain, and very low on the list of what is best for sulcatas. These tortoises are GRASS eaters. From...

tortoiseforum.org

Even though my tort was a few years old when I got him he was never interested in dried grass/hay and it may be too difficult for babies but see what the caresheet says about feeding. It is only this summer - 8 years on - that my leopard has started grazing on fresh grass.

When weeds aren't available and I have to rely on shop bought salad leaves, I finely grind a product called Readigrass (UK product) in a blender and mix that onto wet leaves to add fibre to his diet, but they need variety. You can add a very small pinch of calcium powder a couple of times a week and I do the same for product called Nutrabal on salad leaves when I have to use them (you may have similar in the US) but vitamins should come from a good diet.

I don't know the light fitting you have but I'm sure other US members will chip in with advice about it - It looks like a red bulb but coloured lights aren't recommended for torts because they can confuse them and encourage them to eat things they shouldn't. Also coiled or cfl type bulbs have been known to damage tort eyes. See the caresheet for what heating and lighting you need and the all important temps your tort needs.

 

[OsoriosTurtoises]

Thank you! I didn’t know about the red light and never heard off cfl bulbs. I’ll have to do more research about my current set up and what I might have to replace it with. Also I forgot to add preciously I also feed him Mazuri as well with the leaves. Thank you for all the information. I appreciate it. Added are some photos of the bulbs that go with the fixture.

 

[Lyn W]

Thank you! I didn’t know about the red light and never heard off cfl bulbs. I’ll have to do more research about my current set up and what I might have to replace it with. Also I forgot to add preciously I also feed him Mazuri as well with the leaves. Thank you for all the information. I appreciate it. Added are some photos of the bulbs that go with the fixture.

@Tom will be able to explain better so I've tagged him so that he can post his heating and lighting guide.

 

[Tom]

Sorry for the late reply attached will be photos of the enclosure. I use the coconut fiber. I soak him almost everyday and let have his time in the sun as well. I use the Zika pro sol light fixture. The average humidity is near 40. His hot spot is about 100*f. I feed him a mixture of dandelion and collard greens with Bermuda hay which I’m not sure he eats. I use calcium within it d3. I bought him from “Tortoise supply” but I’m not sure how he was hatched. Please let me know if there’s any more information I can provide. Thank you!

You've got the wrong bulbs, and your humidity is WAYYY too low. I don't see anything for night heat there. Are you soaking daily?

Also, I see in your other thread that you have a new sulcata baby showing all the symptoms of Austwikia, as so many of them do now. In addition to the above housing mistakes. You likely have this nasty bacterial infection sweeping through your whole collection.

 

[OsoriosTurtoises]

You've got the wrong bulbs, and your humidity is WAYYY too low. I don't see anything for night heat there. Are you soaking daily?

Also, I see in your other thread that you have a new sulcata baby showing all the symptoms of Austwikia, as so many of them do now. In addition to the above housing mistakes. You likely have this nasty bacterial infection sweeping through your whole collection.

Thank you for everyone’s advice and chipping in. Unfortunately, my leopard, tommie, passed away over night. I think might have been failure to thrive. I was scared of Austwikia but it didn’t show any of the small bumps in the skin or lose toe nails. So far the Sulcata mentioned above is doing really well.

He was soaked daily. Additionally at night his encloser stayed around 80 at night sometimes dipping to high 70s. If there’s any other advice or tips of when we decide to raise another leopard in the future, I would appreciate it. Thank you all

 

[Sarah2020]

Very sorry to read this. Sorry for your loss.