New Leopard tortoise owner 2015!

[David Harmon]

Hello people,

Am David from the UK, I have recently got two new leopard tortoises as i have a breeding pair of hermanns so wanted to increase my collection in tortoises, Am after i little advice on temperature settings please i have a 4ft vivarium for now as building a open top table for them, so i am using a habitat pulse proportional thermostat with a ceramic 60 watt bulb, uvb strip light 42", any advice welcome.

David.

 

[Jodie]

Welcome to the forum David.
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/

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
Here are a few links to get you started.

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome. Save your time and money on building a table and build a closed chamber instead. Please read Toms threads below in my post for proper housing. The sulcata threads also apply to leopards

 

[David Harmon]

Hello Thanks for the replies i have read up on them a lot and i see people have different views on leopards with the heating, so thats my main concern as i don't want them to cold or to hot, as the basking spot is 32c and the ambient temperature is 28c will this be ok? there a little lazy as in sleeping and hiding but seem to love the water dish and then just potter about but i hardly see them bask so would this be normal? and also could i put pictures up so i could get a opinion and that way you can see the little dudes.

David.

 

[Lyn W]

Hi from South Wales David.
If you look under Species specific there is a care sheet which will tell you most of what you need to know, the Enclosures thread is good for ideas and I also found the Beginners mistakes thread useful too. I think Jodie has just posted the links.

Do you/will you house your torts separately? If not your pairs may be ok while they are babies but as they grow they will need separate housing because one becomes dominant and will very subtly harass the other - you may think they are being affectionate or playing but torts do not like or need company so keep an eye on them as the weaker one will become stressed and ill then possibly die.

I have a leopard which was a rescue. It is about 2-3 years of age and already 10.5 inches long and about 5-6 lbs. I assume you already know what size they could grow to and that they do not hibernate and need warmth throughout the winter. You will need a lot of space for each of them and It has been quite costly this last winter. I didn't have time to build an enclosure so mine has lived in a disused shower room with a radiator as well as a mvb throughout the winter and a che on a thermostat at night as torts need complete darkness to sleep as I am sure you already know with your Hermanns.
.
You may find a closed chamber is recommended to keep your humidity levels up to avoid pyramiding of the shell.
Anyway happy reading and ask as many questions as you like. Do you have any pics?

 

[Jodie]

We love pictures. Your ambient is good. The basking should be 95-100F though. Night low should be 80F. You want humidity to be 80% ideally.

 

[David Harmon]

Hello Jodie, Thanks for the information you have sent, i have read some of it but not the beginners mistakes one before so ill be reading that ASAP. i will try to add pics now.

David.

 

[David Harmon]

 

[JoesMum]

Can I add another useful read on pairs of torts http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/pairs.34837/

 

[David Harmon]

Hello Lyn,
Thanks for the information, mine are 6 months old and weigh 308 and 294 grams so hopefully this is a good weight so far, they will be housed together til i build the new open top table then will separate them, my hermanns are 10 years old and have been successful in breeding them for my friends, but now i wanted a new type so thought id go with leopards as there stunning to look at, Could i ask what you feed yours please?and any pics?

David.

 

[Lyn W]

View attachment 137301 View attachment 137302 View attachment 137303 View attachment 137304

They are beautiful and already quite big!
Do you know how old they are?
You will probably need to separate them sooner rather than later into much bigger separate enclosures.
It will be easier for them to access the water if you sink the dish to ground level too.
Will they have access to an outdoor enclosure to take advantage of what good days we have in the UK?
MIne has been out all afternoon grazing and enjoying real uv rays today. It was lovely to see him enjoying it.

 

[David Harmon]

mine are 6 months old and been out today causing trouble trying to escape all day, they have been out since 9am till just now they have come in, the only issue i had was the shop which i got them from said i should leave them indoors to get used to the vivarium as they don't like change, but i thought natural sunlight would be better. ok so i need to move the water dish lower, also is the sensor probe in the right place as i have put in the middle to gain a 32c ambient temperature but i thought the basking spot would be to hot then? and my humidity is 60-70 at the moment, what would be the best way to increase this?

 

[Lyn W]

Hello Lyn,
Thanks for the information, mine are 6 months old and weigh 308 and 294 grams so hopefully this is a good weight so far, they will be housed together til i build the new open top table then will separate them, my hermanns are 10 years old and have been successful in breeding them for my friends, but now i wanted a new type so thought id go with leopards as there stunning to look at, Could i ask what you feed yours please?and any pics?

David.

They look bigger than 6 months but maybe its the angle of the pics. They have diff needs to Hermanns as you will see from the sheets.

Mine loves dandelions and plantains which are the two weeds I'm most confident at identifying but the caresheet will give you a long list of weeds and grasses etc I am getting better and use www,thetortoisetable.org.uk to ID which plants are safe or toxic for torts.

During the winter he had Florette Classic Crispy salad mix, kale, spring greens whatever I could buy that was on the list, but usual salad foods are not good for them. I tried growing my own weeds for winter but not very successfully - I will try again next autumn.

All his food is sprinkled with ground Readigrass to add fibre and nutrients and sprayed to make it stick - he won't eat dried grass if I just put a handful down, but he will graze on the grass I laid for him last summer when he is out now.

 

[Lyn W]

mine are 6 months old and been out today causing trouble trying to escape all day, they have been out since 9am till just now they have come in, the only issue i had was the shop which i got them from said i should leave them indoors to get used to the vivarium as they don't like change, but i thought natural sunlight would be better. ok so i need to move the water dish lower, also is the sensor probe in the right place as i have put in the middle to gain a 32c ambient temperature but i thought the basking spot would be to hot then? and my humidity is 60-70 at the moment, what would be the best way to increase this?

Just make sure your ground temps are warm enough for them I don't put mine out until ground temp is 70+ F - probably need to be warmer for babies.

 

[Lyn W]

mine are 6 months old and been out today causing trouble trying to escape all day, they have been out since 9am till just now they have come in, the only issue i had was the shop which i got them from said i should leave them indoors to get used to the vivarium as they don't like change, but i thought natural sunlight would be better. ok so i need to move the water dish lower, also is the sensor probe in the right place as i have put in the middle to gain a 32c ambient temperature but i thought the basking spot would be to hot then? and my humidity is 60-70 at the moment, what would be the best way to increase this?

What substrate are using with the pellets? Pellets are not good, neither is sand because this will stick to their food and cause food to become impacted in the gut.
Most people use coco coir, orchid bark good to hols humidity - or even sterilised topsoil with orchid bark.
Avoid any stuff with little white bits in it as they like to eat those which can make them ill too.

 

[David Harmon]

i will try to add my hermanns now, am trying to mix it up but am using Kale, spinach, cucumber (not loads just a small slice) rocket, dandelions and the leaves but please inform me if this isn't suitable? he has this with a sprinkle of calcium dust and have a culture fish to munch when needed. do you leave yours out during the summer?

 

[JoesMum]

What's a culture fish?

Hermann's diet should be leafy greens. Proteins in the forms of fish, meat, egg, etc should not be fed.

 

[David Harmon]

in the vivarium the dry end is topsoil and the pellets are called herbifloor tortoise grass will this be ok, and this is by the water dish, the eating part is on slate for the nails.

 

[David Harmon]

Hello Joesmum,

its a calicum and isn't any form of meat or fish its to keep the beak from over growing. sorry i meant cutler fish as its a form of calcium.

 

[JoesMum]

Hello Joesmum,

its a calicum and isn't any form of meat or fish its to keep the beak from over growing.

Ah, like cuttlefish bone. I understand now