My tortoise's diary

[Alina+Andrey]

Hi everyone!
I am really happy to write here in your amazing forum.
I am from Latvia, Riga. (Europe), but I am Russian.(so that sorry for my English)
Today my husband gave me for a present small Leopard Tortoise. It's incredible and very beautiful, but I don't know how to look after Leopard tortoises. We already have one Russian and one Greek small tortoises. And I know about them a lot. So please help us with Leopard. I want to give her best life conditions.
I will ask many stupid questions, because nobody has this type of tortoise in our country. In Russian forums there a very little information about them.
Thank you very much!
Alina

 

[naturalman91]

hello and welcome to the forum your English is fine
here's a couple threads to read about leopards and they're care

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.78361/

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/leopard-tortoise-care-sheet.63792/

are you're current tort's separated? a lot of advice against mixing species as they carry different diseases that could get each other sick or kill them

 

[Alina+Andrey]

06.07.2014
Tomorrow will be two years after our wedding and today I got my present - small leopard tortoise.
In our country this pets are not so popular and they are really expensive, because some years before to sail tortoise was forbidden.
In the pets shop was two tortoise, we chose the smallest one and it seems she is a girl.
I hope some time later we will take another one too.
We have all her documents.
In the shop they stayed in a terrarium with stones on the floor, two pieces of wood-their's house, small swimming pool, dish for food.
As I saw they fed them with salad.

Is it ok?
Her eyes and nose are clean and dry. But plastron is very soft. Is it normal, if she is very small or it's a problem - rachitis?

They put her into a box with bark. Is it normal as substrate? And also put nektarine. I thought it's not good for her and threw it out. I am right?

This is her first picture. We are in a car.



When we arrived at home I put her in a water. (one of the rules for other tortoises is put them 2 weeks for 40 minutes into water everyday after shop's life.Temperature 30-33 C, is it necessary for leopard tortoises?

She stayed in a water 30 minutes, then I dried her up with towel. Now she is sleeping in her small box. Tomorrow I will put her into terrarium. We have a rule, that after shop tortoise have to stay in quarantine. That's mean that she needs to stay on this thing...
to see how is her toilet things.
When we were going at home she did her toilet things. They were a little bit soft too, I think that's because of salad. Also she peed with white, in Russian it's called salt.

What about quarantine for Leopard tortoises?

 

[Alina+Andrey]

hello and welcome to the forum your English is fine
here's a couple threads to read about leopards and they're care

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.78361/

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/leopard-tortoise-care-sheet.63792/

are you're current tort's separated? a lot of advice against mixing species as they carry different diseases that could get each other sick or kill them

Thank you for links, I will try to read them. Hope I will understand the information. Our current tort's terrarium video.

They are living in one big terrarium, which has three parts, first for Greek, third for Russian and a middle part is place, where they meet each other. Of course they had one month for quarantine, when they stayed separated.
Leopards are completely different, so that she will stay along with her special conditions. Only they will ,meet each other duing that time, when they will go for a walk, of course after quarantine and if they will not fight. Is it right?

 

[Alina+Andrey]

Some questions:
1) What Is the best substrate?
Maybe you know Exo Terra products...

1

2

3

4

 

[naturalman91]

i use eco terra eco earth it's coconut husk pressed into bricks i've never seen it but it looks like that's what the plantation soil is i can't say for sure tho

 

[Alina+Andrey]

Here is more photos of plantation soil

 

[naturalman91]

Here is more photos of plantation soil

same stuff i use i can even see in the picture it looks like bricks in the package so yeah it's good

 

[naturalman91]

@Team Gomberg @Tom i'm sure you guys could be of more help then me

 

[Tom]

All of your questions and more are answered in these threads. Please read them and then come back and ask more questions:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/hatchling-failure-syndrome.23493/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/pairs.34837/


You have gotten some bad advice and following it could lead to problems for your tortoises. I hope we can help you.

 

[Alina+Andrey]

2) As, I understood, the best temperature in the hottest place is 38 С° and the coldest is 26C°, in the night is 26C° too?
What I normal temperature for going out with her? From and till?
What temperature for a swimming procedure? 30C°-33C°?

 

[Levi the Leopard]

Kick your feet up, grab some popcorn and spend some time reading those links! It takes time but it's worth it

These little guys hatch when it's hot and humid in Africa. Essentially you'll learn about the importance of raising your leopard in a hot and humid environment, how to create this climate by using a closed chamber and the importance of a good diet, natural UV and hydration!

 

[Alina+Andrey]

All of your questions and more are answered in these threads. Please read them and then come back and ask more questions:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/hatchling-failure-syndrome.23493/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/pairs.34837/


You have gotten some bad advice and following it could lead to problems for your tortoises. I hope we can help you.

Ok, thank you, but it's very difficult to understand all information from this links, that's why I am asking with pictures and small details.
What information are bad advices? I hope you will help me and I will write right information in Russians forums for other people.

 

[Alina+Andrey]

I will read and translate all your information, but I can't promise that after there will not be stupid questions from me anymore.

 

[Tom]

I will read and translate all your information, but I can't promise that after there will not be stupid questions from me anymore.

Your questions are not stupid at all. And your english is better than some of the Americans on this site!

We are glad you found us, and I hope we can help you. I promise we will be patient and answer all your questions.

 

[Alina+Andrey]

Fuh, I did it. Now it's a 06.39 in Latvia and I didn't sleep yet. But I read all information from links. And now I have more questions than before.

Heating and Lighting
1)ceramic heating element - where did you put it?(I know that warm from the bottom kills tortoise's kidneys?) As I understood it works at nights too? Maybe there are some pictures or name of this equipment ?

UV
2)The weather in Latvia is not so good, our summer is short. Middle temperature in the summer this year is 25C° = (June, July, August).


Repti Glo 10.0 = Reptile UVB 150

So we need to use UV for hole year?I don't understand some information about UV lamps. We have this lamps, but there are information that they can destroy eyes, yes? So we can't use them anymore? Or it's ok for the first time. We didn't use it as in instructions ( in Russians forums UV have to be in 25cm = 10 inches from substrate.) In instructions: two times closer.

How many hours UV lamp have to be on? And how many inches have to be from substrate till lamp?


P.S.
Thank you a lot. Your forum and job with tortoises are awesome. Pictures of their houses are brilliant, I have never seen something like this. You are Gods for tortoises!

 

[Reptilelove]

I would recommend a diffrent lamp-which is uvb and heat all in one. I will find a link for you later and i have mine on from 6am-9pm and all year round so no hibernation.....also your tortoises shell should not be soft so make sure you give her calcium and uv light

 

[Abdulla6169]

Fuh, I did it. Now it's a 06.39 in Latvia and I didn't sleep yet. But I read all information from links. And now I have more questions than before.

Heating and Lighting
1)ceramic heating element - where did you put it?(I know that warm from the bottom kills tortoise's kidneys?) As I understood it works at nights too? Maybe there are some pictures or name of this equipment ?

UV
2)The weather in Latvia is not so good, our summer is short. Middle temperature in the summer this year is 25C° = (June, July, August).


Repti Glo 10.0 = Reptile UVB 150

So we need to use UV for hole year?I don't understand some information about UV lamps. We have this lamps, but there are information that they can destroy eyes, yes? So we can't use them anymore? Or it's ok for the first time. We didn't use it as in instructions ( in Russians forums UV have to be in 25cm = 10 inches from substrate.) In instructions: two times closer.

How many hours UV lamp have to be on? And how many inches have to be from substrate till lamp?


P.S.
Thank you a lot. Your forum and job with tortoises are awesome. Pictures of their houses are brilliant, I have never seen something like this.

Welcome to TFO! Hope you have a great time here
1-the CHE (ceramic heating element) is used at night, so the temps don't go to low. I wouldn't let it drop more than 80 F at night with the high humidity. That's why the CHE is used at night, it doesn't use light (That makes it possible for the tort to have a day & night cycle).

2-never use the coil bulb, it can cause blindness and tiredness for the tortoises! You can use the tube ones:

Or a MVB (mercury vapor bulb), it gives heat & UVB:

 

[Alina+Andrey]

Thank you, now we have this Repti Glo and they are new... can we use it now or it can be really dangerous? In autumn we will buy another , which is better. And what about substrate? Which do you recommend? Plantation Soil?

 

[Abdulla6169]

Thank you, now we have this Repti Glo and they are new... can we use it now or it can be really dangerous? In autumn we will buy another , which is better. And what about substrate? Which do you recommend? Plantation Soil?

Throw out the coil bulbs!