Newbie leopard owner

[Tiny]

Hi all have just got a new family member 2yr old leopard (noodles), I am very much a novice and this site is a wealth of information, my main concern is diet, have had him three days now and no sign of eating took him on day two to a vet who said he appears a healthy, no concerns just needs time to settle. This morning i took him out of his hide and he did drink, wee and bask a little so that was a relief. I will list details below and please tell me if i am doing anything wrong feel as if i am harming this little guy and should have left him where he was.

I purchased him from the tortoise centre/Sanctury

enclosure - indoor approx 4 feet by two feet 75% play sand and 25% sterile top soil, water dish, and food with rocks around each, lots of hay and spring mix to munch on and also as bedding, supplements sprinkled over food and a piece of cuttlefish.

light consists of 100 watt basking light temp approx 85 to 90 and uv light both on 24/7 the temp is 75 at the cooler end of enclosure

I live in scotland so no chance of outdoors at present its -2 today, any advice appreciated really concerned through my ignorance I am harming this wee one, did a lot of reading before bringing him into our family but the internet is a minefield of contradicting advice and when i contacted the centre well all I can say is they were more interested in my debit card! sorry its so long thank you

Tiny

 

[egyptiandan]

Hi Tiny,
Welcome to the forum

Where to start

First off the substrate is to sandy. At the least you want to have a 50/50 mix and a 70/30 mix of topsoil to sand would be better.
Is the 85 to 90F under the basking light or the warm end? That temperature is fine for the warm end during the day, but under the basking light should be around 100F. How low are your night time temperatures?
The lights you need to turn off at night. Tortoises need a day night cycle like they'd get in the wild. It will stress them to have the lights on 24/7. The lights should be on for 14 hours a day.
It would be great if you could post a picture of your enclosure and we could get a better idea of how it's set-up.
Check out the Leopard forum and this website http://www.africantortoise.com/

Danny

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Tiny and WELCOME to the forum!! Congratulations on getting your first leopard tortoise. Aren't they just the prettiest things? I think it will just take time for the tortoise to settle in...maybe up to two or three weeks. Make the changes that Danny suggests, and cut back a bit on the supplements. Some tortoises won't eat if you put supplements on the food. Start out with just a tiny pinch. I'd love to see some pictures of Noodles and his habitat!

Yvonne

 

[K9KidsLove]

Hi...Welcome. We love pictures!
Instead of leaving lights on at night, get a ceramic heat emitter or a black night light for heat.
Baby Leopards don't eat much. Mine like collard greens and spring mix. And I am sure once he is settled, he will be way better off with you. As soon as it warms up outside, they eat better outside. The natural sun is much better for them than bulbs.
Good luck
Patsy

 

[Crazy1]

Welcome to the forum Tiny, I would contact the place you got it from and find out what they were feeding it. this may help get it started eating.

 

[Tiny]

Thank you all for your advice and help have changed the substrate to 50/50 and turned of the lights as suggested and noodles has settled in a treat, he loves his bath each day and eats and drinks fine now, guess i just panicked ! We are now working on a larger enclosure as I feel this one is too small I will attempt to put up some pics of the lovely noodles but dont hold your breath as not much good at this computer lark, could anyone give any advice on how much weight gain they should achieve as he is eating a lot and gaining weight currently 360g is and on the day i got him he was 260g is this to fast? I am sorry this reply took so long thank you again

tiny

 

[ace0066]

Hi... its good to see another newbie around. I guess this is a rookie question but what is cuttlefish and what is it used for??? I have a seven week old. Should I be working this into its diet?

 

[Greg T]

Cuttlebone is simply used as a calcium supplement. You can stick one in there and some torts will munch on it. None of mine seem to care for it, so I use the calcium powder instead. It is worth a try since it is only a few bucks and if they don't like it, then no real loss.

 

[K9KidsLove]

Hi...Welcome...you are going to love your Leopard. I think they are so pretty.
Cuttlebone is usually found in the bird section of pet stores. I take the metal piece off it before putting it in their enclosure so they don't get hurt on it.
Good luck
Patsy