What age do leo's stop growing?

[jasonminister]

Our Leo is nearly 3 and a half years old and has just made it to 2kg. I was just wondering at what age would he be fully grown? Or do they just keep growing throughout their lifetime? Also, at what age do they become sexually mature? Also where we live in the UK it is to cold to keep him outside so he has the full roam of our house, could this cause long term shell growth problems or is a uvb 10.0 strip tube adequate enough for them to have all year round with no real direct sunlight apart from the few days in the summer when it is hot enough and there are no clouds covering the sun?
Leopard tortoises are the most gorgeous and funny animals I have ever owned but I always worry that we might not be doing the right thing for him and there is always so many questions that need answering, these are the main questions I normally wonder about tho!

 

[DesertGrandma]

There is someone on the forum, princessdreamsxxx, that lives in the UK and has grown breeding leopards. I am sure you could get some of your answers there. He/she must be pretty good size by now...what is plastron length? Others will chime in on the UVA/B requirements.

 

[jasonminister]

His length is nearly 10 inches now, I will have a look at princessdreams threads and see what they say, thanks for the reply, here is a recent photo of him.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Technically, fish, amphibians, and reptiles never stop growing. Unlike birds and mammals, they have indeterminate growth and just keep on growing their whole lives. Having said that, as adults their growth does slow down, so there is a certain age at which you could think of them as "full grown." Unfortunately, I don't know what that age is for leopard tortoises.

 

[DesertGrandma]

Technically, fish, amphibians, and reptiles never stop growing. Unlike birds and mammals, they have indeterminate growth and just keep on growing their whole lives. Having said that, as adults their growth does slow down, so there is a certain age at which you could think of them as "full grown." Unfortunately, I don't know what that age is for leopard tortoises.

I did not know that. Interesting. It might be fun then to know/see the oldest leopard tort on the forum.

 

[Tom]

I'll try to hit them in order:
1. As GTT already pointed out, reptiles technically can continue growing for their entire life. In most cases a leopard will be "full size" by about 15 years old. They'll usually be close by 10 years old. Kind of like a puppy. They grow like crazy for that first year and then seem to stop, but they get a little bigger by two or three usually. That first year for a puppy is like the first 10 for a tortoise.

2. Sexual maturity is a function of size, not age. Since they all grow at such varying rates, there is no accurate time frame for this. Also because leopards are so interbred with other leopards from different geographical areas, it is difficult to give a size estimation for maturity. Males can breed as small as 7-8", but I wouldn't call that the norm. Females need to be a little bigger than that. I've heard as small as 10", but I've never seen one that small laying fertile eggs. Certainly possible though.

3. My opinion: Running loose in a house is no place for a tortoise. Far too many potential dangers and accidents waiting to happen. Its also much too cold down there, especially for a tropical tortoise, especially in the UK. Build a big properly heated habitat and let him live in there, or dedicate a heated room to him.

4. About the UV. In my experience tube florescent UV bulbs are not sufficient as a SOLE source of UV for a tortoise that must live indoors all year long. I believe MVBs to be a much better source of UV, plus they give the tortoise warmth too.

After looking at your pics, I would change a few things. Assuming you keep the habitat warm, I would add some substrate that can be kept damp and have it at least 3-4" thick. Your water bowl is great for lizards and snakes, but totally unsuitable for tortoises. I like terra cotta plant saucers sunk into the substrate for that.

Keep asking lots of questions and read the links in my signature for more info too.

 

[jasonminister]

Thanks for that, it was very helpful.
His house has two compartments, a large dry area for the day time with uvb and heat that is covered with slate so the floor is warn too, then there a smaller dark closed off section for nite time that is kept moist and warm with lots of shredded paper and a che.
When I built the house I put in an extra light fitting in the daytime part of his house that I can put an mvb bulb in, I will get one when I am in the pet store next.

 

[Greg T]

To add to Tom's discussion:

1. My adult has been growing steadily for a few years now after growing slowly at first. He adds a few inches each year as well as pounds. My adult female has slowed her growth and is staying close to the same size and weight even though she eats as much as the male, so I'm guessing she is about "full grown" now. She is a year or two older.

2. My adult male hit sexual maturity last year and it was obvious. He was about 11" scl or so and now he's chasing the females constantly. I think he matured later than some.