anybody in the street you found him has leopard tortoises? I bet cha, there is!
impdragon said:She just found him this morning. She doesn't have proper equipment so she's dropping him off here tomorrow since I have some leftover items sitting around. And yeah, I think I'm going to try posting on craigslist and see if anyone bites. I would hate to lose a little baby like that and never see it again. If no one turns out to be the owner... than I might keep him. We have plenty of fresh veggies and lettuces in the house that I think it would be perfect.
Any recommendations for initial care/setup?
impdragon said:I have some nighttime bulbs - one blueish and one red. Are either of those okay, or can they see the color?
Also, what about lettuces? We get local produce every week, so we always have things like collard greens, radish/beet greens, lettuces (I'll avoid spinach, though) etc. Are those okay? Also, many care sheets mention hay. Is that not acceptable?
How come so many care sheets mention veggies? Are they absolutely unacceptable?
Tom said:impdragon said:I have some nighttime bulbs - one blueish and one red. Are either of those okay, or can they see the color?
Also, what about lettuces? We get local produce every week, so we always have things like collard greens, radish/beet greens, lettuces (I'll avoid spinach, though) etc. Are those okay? Also, many care sheets mention hay. Is that not acceptable?
How come so many care sheets mention veggies? Are they absolutely unacceptable?
Some people use those colored bulbs. I don't like them. Tortoises can see a broader spectrum of light than we can, so if you can see in there, they can too. I like it dark at night so I use a ceramic heating element and set it on a thermostat.
In general I avoid the typical grocery store greens when possible. They lack fiber and are not the best diet for our tortoises. Wild leopards eat a lot of different types of weeds and succulents. They don't eat lettuce or vegetables. Your type of leopard will eat grass sometimes, but it tends to not be their favorite. Try it and see. Likewise few regular leopards are going to eat dry grass hay. There is nothing wrong with spinach. Just don't feed tons of it every day. If grocery store greens are all you can do, then you can improve them greatly with some "Herbal Hay" or "Salad Style" from tortoise supply.com. It may seem expensive at first glance, but the stuff lasts a very long time for one baby leopard, and it improves your tortoises diet immensely.
These are good questions. Keep them coming.
Tom said:He needs a humid hide, and don't trust those clamps. They always fail and can can cause your whole house to burn down. Hang the lamp directly over the enclosure. I cant see the fixture, but make sure it is ceramic and not Bakelight for the same reason as above.
All else looks pretty good. I prefer to chop the wheat grass and sprinkle it over the food, but you can do it however you like.