Too big?

klinej50

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Can an enclosure be to big? I went to the reptile expo in San Antonio yesterday and someone asked how my leopards were doing and I told them they haven't been growing. This man rudely(idk if he meant to) chucked at my enclosure and made me feel stupid. He told me it was to big and stressing them out. Okay back on point can a enclosure be to big for baby Leos? It's 6 ft long and 3ft wide. They have a cool side of 82 degrees and a hot around 90-95 degrees the humidity it mainly around 85. I didn't think big was a problem as long as the requirements could be met.
 

wellington

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NO, the guy was an idiot. They are born in the wilds of Africa. I am Sure they roam larger areas then 6x3. The bigger the better always. Except a tiny baby in an outside unprotected enclosure. Stick with the info on tortoiseforum.org and you won't go wrong. The people that are not members, I would bet 99.9 % of them raise their torts in a wrong/bad/outdated fashion.
 

Millerlite

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Only reason people can think it's to big is because babies tend to not find water sources that young, but as Long as the temps and everything is on point I see nothing wrong with a 6x3 for a baby. Mine go outside at 6 months and they always did fine in a big enclosures
 

Tom

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I start my brand new hatchlings in a 4x8' enclosure. Never been a problem for me.

Do you know the reason why they aren't growing?
 

mike taylor

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That guy does not know what he is talking about. As long as you soak them daily you will be fine . They will learn where everything is .
You should of laughed at him and said ha ha ha what about when there born in Africa? Does God build a small box around them ? Ha ha ha jackass!!!!!!
 

AZtortMom

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mike taylor said:
That guy does not know what he is talking about. As long as you soak them daily you will be fine . They will learn where everything is .
You should of laughed at him and said ha ha ha what about when there born in Africa? Does God build a small box around them ? Ha ha ha jackass!!!!!!

Big smile :D
 

TortoiseWorld

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How do you know their not growing, have you been weighing them? Start weighing them every other day with a good grams scale.

I'm not a Geochelone pardalis expert but I think your humidity of 85% is high for that kind of species. I just read a Leopard care sheet and it says 40%. Try lowering it to 40 and after they start eating better and growing then you can increase the humidity again. Also your overall temps could be a little lower, try 79F instead of 82 on the cool side. These slight changes could trigger their appetites back.
 

klinej50

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SaveTheTortoise said:
How do you know their not growing, have you been weighing them? Start weighing them every other day with a good grams scale.

I'm not a Geochelone pardalis expert but I think your humidity of 85% is high for that kind of species. I just read a Leopard care sheet and it says 40%. Try lowering it to 40 and after they start eating better and growing then you can increase the humidity again. Also your overall temps could be a little lower, try 79F instead of 82 on the cool side. These slight changes could trigger their appetites back.

I'll try with the temps. I think they aren't growing because for about 3 months the were not humid. Everyone on her said leopards should have high humidity around 90's. I'm measuring them very 2 weeks right now. I have a good scale it's weird though they eat drink poop but don't grow.
 

TortoiseWorld

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90% seems very high for a leopard, did you read that in Leopard Tortoise book by Richard and Jerry Fife? They are experts with this species.

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BeeBee*BeeLeaves

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Mike Taylor, you are funny. And right. LOL. "Does God build a small box around them ?" cracked me up.

klinej50, I have 3 leopard tortoise babies - and I really need to get some pics up - all three, on spot as much as I can with what I have read here on TFO - and yet, all three are growing completely different. One is vababoom and the other two, slow and slower. All eat, poop and are generally happy tortoise kids. But one is 3 times larger than the other two. I have said this on another thread and here I go again, thanks to Forrest Gump's wise mama, they are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get. Just keep on keeping on with the right temps, hydration to support their fragile kidney development and as big a variety of foods as you can so they get as much nutrients and micro nutrients as possible.

Here is a fun link you may like: http://www.pinterest.com/pietersmith/leopard-tortoise-edible-plants/
 

Tom

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SaveTheTortoise said:
90% seems very high for a leopard, did you read that in Leopard Tortoise book by Richard and Jerry Fife? They are experts with this species.

This is what I'd like to know from you:
How many smooth leopards have you raised at 40% humidity?
How many have you raised at 80%?
Have you ever been to Africa where leopards occur?


There are lots of books that say lots of things. These books have contributed to a lot of dead babies and pyramided tortoises because the info in them was based on incorrect speculation and passed from generation to generation. Please don't continue to pass it on when this forum is full of success stories that were never possible in the past due to these books and the info in them. Even the old timers are starting to see it.
 

Vegas_Leopard

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As Tom, had said there are an immense amount of success stories on this forum. Tom, being the first to provide us with facts a long with a "how to" search through the forum and you'll see tortoises of many species raised in high humidity, that look outrageously beautiful. Look at the 2010 South African Leopard thread for pictures.
SaveTheTortoise said:
90% seems very high for a leopard, did you read that in Leopard Tortoise book by Richard and Jerry Fife? They are experts with this species.
 

Levi the Leopard

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Klinej50,

Try not to worry so much about their lack of growth. :)

Keep up with the good care and just enjoy them. You know they need to be kept humid, well fed and have some time outdoors. Just stick with it.
I have a 5 month old hatchling right now that was housed outdoors most of the day in her first few months. She is barely 41grams and is as small as my largest Leopard was at 1month old.

See my 5 month old? Tiny right? I don't sweat it. She is now housed full time in a humid chamber and will grow....someday, lol. As will yours.

Now, in the future if "we" get leopards that were started humid straight from their hatching....I'm sure those babies would be in the growth fast lane!
 

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TortoiseWorld

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Tom said:
SaveTheTortoise said:
90% seems very high for a leopard, did you read that in Leopard Tortoise book by Richard and Jerry Fife? They are experts with this species.

This is what I'd like to know from you:
How many smooth leopards have you raised at 40% humidity?
How many have you raised at 80%?
Have you ever been to Africa where leopards occur?


There are lots of books that say lots of things. These books have contributed to a lot of dead babies and pyramided tortoises because the info in them was based on incorrect speculation and passed from generation to generation. Please don't continue to pass it on when this forum is full of success stories that were never possible in the past due to these books and the info in them. Even the old timers are starting to see it.

Tom is right, and I really don't know.

I trust Tom, follow what he says about leopard care.
 

klinej50

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Thanks guys. I'll just keep in doing what I'm doing and then one day I can brag about how big they have gotten!
 

Vegas_Leopard

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That's great news! May I recommend try using an object for sizing comparisons. I'm using an 8"x8" tile and every time I check on growth the tile starts to get smaller and they start to get bigger. :p
 

forujade00

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mike taylor said:
That guy does not know what he is talking about. As long as you soak them daily you will be fine . They will learn where everything is .
You should of laughed at him and said ha ha ha what about when there born in Africa? Does God build a small box around them ? Ha ha ha jackass!!!!!!

LOL!! Love it!! :D
 
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