Why is my leopard so light?

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meagan

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This is my leopard tortoise Flash. When I got flash he/she (not sure how to tell) was so dark and now there is barely any dark markings on him/her. I was wondering why this is. Also how old do they have to be to tell the gender? Any help would be greatly appreciated!! :) Also I am looking for a friend for flash but i live in canada so if anyone knows of a breeder please help me, I dont want to get from the same breeder because i think when flash is able to i would like to try breeding
 

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DesertGrandma

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Wow, that is a dramatic change. Flash is really pretty like that. It is normal. I think you will see more black coming in soon though. If i can find the pics of my Humphrey I will post them for you. He was really black, then pretty white (not as white as Flash), and now he is kinda going through (what I call) his awkward stage in colors. I think it will all come out even and pretty again eventually.

p.s. Some people think the temperature they are raised in has some bearing on their coloring. I don't know.

btw, did you ever see pics of Flashs parents? Wondering if they were dark or light.
 

Tom

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I have heard many theories, but can't really make any of them stick. Too many exceptions for every one. Bottom line is, some of them just grow that way. It's not bad in any way that I know of, and some people find it very attractive.

By the way, your tortoise doesn't want a buddy. While leopards usually get along pretty well, another tortoise is still a competitor and rival. Best case is wait until you are sure of the sex of yours and then get two more so that you end up with a total of one male and two females. The social dynamics between three tortoises usually work much better than a pair.
 

wellington

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Your tort is beautiful. I would say it has some high white in it. BTW, although leopards do better then most species being together, be prepared to put them in seperate enclsoures if you get another one and you notice bullying.
 

DesertGrandma

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Also how old do they have to be to tell the gender?

Go ahead and some pics of the plastron so you can get some guesses. How old is Flash?
 

meagan

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DesertGrandma said:
Wow, that is a dramatic change. Flash is really pretty like that. It is normal. I think you will see more black coming in soon though. If i can find the pics of my Humphrey I will post them for you. He was really black, then pretty white (not as white as Flash), and now he is kinda going through (what I call) his awkward stage in colors. I think it will all come out even and pretty again eventually.

p.s. Some people think the temperature they are raised in has some bearing on their coloring. I don't know.

btw, did you ever see pics of Flashs parents? Wondering if they were dark or light.




I did see the parents and they are nowhere near as light but the mother is a bit lighter from what I remember.

DesertGrandma said:
Also how old do they have to be to tell the gender?

Go ahead and some pics of the plastron so you can get some guesses. How old is Flash?

flash was hatched March of 2011. here are the pictures

Tom said:
I have heard many theories, but can't really make any of them stick. Too many exceptions for every one. Bottom line is, some of them just grow that way. It's not bad in any way that I know of, and some people find it very attractive.

By the way, your tortoise doesn't want a buddy. While leopards usually get along pretty well, another tortoise is still a competitor and rival. Best case is wait until you are sure of the sex of yours and then get two more so that you end up with a total of one male and two females. The social dynamics between three tortoises usually work much better than a pair.

The more the better :) I love these tortoises and flash just hasn't been quite as active since his other friend left. I would love to have three and I have more than enough space. I live in the country with a big house and i have taken the spare bedroom as flash's room so im sure he wont mind if he gets a bigger tortoise enclosure
 

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wellington

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For the future. Your next leopard, raise it with high humidity and you won't get that pyramiding that your tort now has. Although beautiful, he should be smooth. Check out the threads at the bottom of my post. A great way to raise a smooth leopard.
 

meagan

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i will defiantly look at those and i know he has some, i have changed the humidity so i'm hoping there wont be much more. Thank you for those threads :)

can anyone tell me if flash is male or female?
 

DesertGrandma

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Meagan, I am going to guess that Flash is a female. My guess is based on the short tail, and the anal scutes seem to grow inward instead of outward.
 

Neal

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DesertGrandma said:
Meagan, I am going to guess that Flash is a female. My guess is based on the short tail, and the anal scutes seem to grow inward instead of outward.

Agreed.

Regarding your light color question, I believe that it is influenced by the environment and husbandry that it was raised in. Along with genetics of course.

Most of the ones I see that look like yours also have a very noticeable amount of pyramiding, and the scutes appear different from other leopards...I'm not sure how else to describe it other than the pramided scutes have a more "stacked" appearance. What actually influences this type of growth, I don't know. I assume at this point that hydration and temperatures are influential to this type of growth.

That being said there are lighter leopards, such as JD's here on the forum, that are relatively smooth and don't have the "stacked" look...so genetics are at play as well.
 
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