Emil
New Member
Hi there everyone!
Two days ago I acquired a five-year-old female Leopard Tortoise from a friend who got the tortoise from someone else.
I live in Modesto, Ca, which is in the Central Valley and it gets pretty hot in the summer. Beyonce, the said tortoise, (I am not a fan of the name but have promised my friend not to change the name; we'll see how long that lasts!) enjoys the yard during the day- there's plenty of room for her to roam and there are no holes in the fence from which she can escape. She's active out there and I've even seen her graze.
I do bring her in at night and presently she sleeps in my huge tub, where I have placed a box for her to crawl into and hide.
I plan on building her an indoor enclosure (by winter) by cutting "doorways" in 3 or 4 giant rubber tubs and zip-tying them to each other so she can have sufficient space. I will also provide a heat lamp and a UV lamp, which I'm still researching.
I've done hours of research as I want to give Beyonce (wince) a happy and healthy life, but there's more info on hatchlings than on older Leopards, so I've got a few questions that I'm sure you guys can help me out with. Questions like:
Can I leave Beyonce (wince) outside overnight if temps are going to be 50 degrees Fahrenheit or above? Is the cut-off 50ish?
I know younger Leopards need humidity and soaking, but do I need to soak Beyonce (wince) once in a while also or should adult Leopards not get wet at all? (If I know it will rain/drizzle should I bring her in or will she be fine in the yard?) (Basically, I'm confused about moisture/wetness with adult Leopards.)
If she's going to be outside for the summer should I place water dishes in more than one spot or will she learn where the one water dish is? (Same with food dish.)
Can I feed her the cactus pads they sell for human consumption at some grocery stores?
The grass in the yard gets pretty yellow/dry in the summer here with the drought and watering restrictions. Can she eat the dry grass? (Probably a preference thing, huh?)
I guess these are the things I'm presently grappling with. I will continue to read on here and elsewhere for more insight, but I have to say that she is a beautiful creature and very interesting and delightful. I don't have any amazing pictures of her yet because she's very shy yet and retreats into her shell, but I will post some soon. (You can kind of see her in my profile pic.)
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this and answering my questions.
Emil
Two days ago I acquired a five-year-old female Leopard Tortoise from a friend who got the tortoise from someone else.
I live in Modesto, Ca, which is in the Central Valley and it gets pretty hot in the summer. Beyonce, the said tortoise, (I am not a fan of the name but have promised my friend not to change the name; we'll see how long that lasts!) enjoys the yard during the day- there's plenty of room for her to roam and there are no holes in the fence from which she can escape. She's active out there and I've even seen her graze.
I do bring her in at night and presently she sleeps in my huge tub, where I have placed a box for her to crawl into and hide.
I plan on building her an indoor enclosure (by winter) by cutting "doorways" in 3 or 4 giant rubber tubs and zip-tying them to each other so she can have sufficient space. I will also provide a heat lamp and a UV lamp, which I'm still researching.
I've done hours of research as I want to give Beyonce (wince) a happy and healthy life, but there's more info on hatchlings than on older Leopards, so I've got a few questions that I'm sure you guys can help me out with. Questions like:
Can I leave Beyonce (wince) outside overnight if temps are going to be 50 degrees Fahrenheit or above? Is the cut-off 50ish?
I know younger Leopards need humidity and soaking, but do I need to soak Beyonce (wince) once in a while also or should adult Leopards not get wet at all? (If I know it will rain/drizzle should I bring her in or will she be fine in the yard?) (Basically, I'm confused about moisture/wetness with adult Leopards.)
If she's going to be outside for the summer should I place water dishes in more than one spot or will she learn where the one water dish is? (Same with food dish.)
Can I feed her the cactus pads they sell for human consumption at some grocery stores?
The grass in the yard gets pretty yellow/dry in the summer here with the drought and watering restrictions. Can she eat the dry grass? (Probably a preference thing, huh?)
I guess these are the things I'm presently grappling with. I will continue to read on here and elsewhere for more insight, but I have to say that she is a beautiful creature and very interesting and delightful. I don't have any amazing pictures of her yet because she's very shy yet and retreats into her shell, but I will post some soon. (You can kind of see her in my profile pic.)
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this and answering my questions.
Emil