Future Breeders

[Neal]

Here are a couple of leopards I have, each from a different set of adults. The adults that produced each one are some of the best I have seen. So far I am pleased with how smooth they growing, they're a little slow as most of mine are, but are really doing great!

I'm always on the look out for more unique leopards, please contact me if you have any or see any for sale.

 

[tortadise]

Good looking neal. Excellent symmetry on the scute patterns.

 

[meagan]

They are all really nice looking, I really like the largest one of the group

 

[Levi the Leopard]

they're a little slow as most of mine are, but are really doing great!

could you share more?

what is their age, size and weight?

i have a slow grower and am just curious to compare

 

[TortoiseBoy1999]

Wow! Those look great! I have a unique Leopard but he's not for sale P)

 

[Neal]

they're a little slow as most of mine are, but are really doing great!

could you share more?

what is their age, size and weight?

i have a slow grower and am just curious to compare

I don't have their exact vitals recorded anywhere, but the two on the right are approximately 1.5 years old, and the smaller one on the left is over 9 months at least, maybe closer to a year. All of my slow growers have been very high domed as you can see in the larger one. The smaller one is starting to get nice and round too. I don't know if that is due to growth rate, or that they aren't pyramiding. I may try a faster growth method with a few from my next batch of tortoises to see how they compare.

 

[*Barracuda_50*]

There BEAUTIFUL Neal, the one on the bottom is a real looker, just stunning..

 

[Tortuga_terrestre]

Very Nice..They are pretty smooth but not as smooth as your P.pardalis. Maybe P.babcocki's are more prone to pyramiding. That would explain alot with mine.

 

[Neal]

They come close, but I have yet to see a babcocki as smooth as the pardalis.

 

[wellington]

They are beauties

 

[yagyujubei]

They look great!

 

[JeffG]

Beautiful little leopards!

Out of curiosity, what kinds of things (outside of defects) would make a leopard "unique" to you? I know there are different looks, but they all fall somewhere between totally yellow and totally black, and they are all shaped somewhere between a radiated and a pancake. It seem like there are plenty of them in all of these categories though. I just don't know that I have ever seen one that I would describe as unique. Some are pretty, and some not so much, but I can't really picture a one-of-a-kind type leopard.

 

[jtrux]

Its odd about the babcocki's, ive noticed on virtually every one ive seen that has been kept humid and so forth tends to have the scutes just slightly raised with the new growth being smooth. I know mine is like as well as many others. Either its a babcocki thing or we still havent figured out the other piece of the puzzle. We always discuss how babies likely spend the first parts of there lives in small burrows that are humid and damp, well maybe the diet is drastically different during that part of there lives as well. For all we know they are down there eating worms and bugs or plant roots, who knows, maybe well never know.

 

[Neal]

Out of curiosity, what kinds of things (outside of defects) would make a leopard "unique" to you? I know there are different looks, but they all fall somewhere between totally yellow and totally black, and they are all shaped somewhere between a radiated and a pancake. It seem like there are plenty of them in all of these categories though. I just don't know that I have ever seen one that I would describe as unique. Some are pretty, and some not so much, but I can't really picture a one-of-a-kind type leopard.

Nothing really specific I guess. You're right, for the most part leopards fall under the spectrum you described, but rare ones are out there and pop up from time to time. Here is one from Richard Fife (picture used with permission).

That tortoise will probably grow up to look somewhat like a normal leopard, but still, you don't see them start off like that too often.

 

[JeffG]

Ok. That one is definitely unique. That is what I wanted to know. I still think it is pretty rare to find a unique leopard, but at least now I know they do exist!

 

[Neal]

Its odd about the babcocki's, ive noticed on virtually every one ive seen that has been kept humid and so forth tends to have the scutes just slightly raised with the new growth being smooth. I know mine is like as well as many others. Either its a babcocki thing or we still havent figured out the other piece of the puzzle. We always discuss how babies likely spend the first parts of there lives in small burrows that are humid and damp, well maybe the diet is drastically different during that part of there lives as well. For all we know they are down there eating worms and bugs or plant roots, who knows, maybe well never know.

I still think there is a lot for us to learn about pyramiding. Whether or not they are "supposed" to, or if in fact there is something wrong in our husbandry are questions that will take a long time to nail down.

These ones are healthy and active, and that is my upmost concern, as with any of us. Until any sort of evidence is shown that a perfectly smooth tortoise has some sort of health advantages compared to one that is 90% there, I'll be OK with a little raise in the scutes.

 

[jtrux]

Agreed, mine seems to be doing alright and thats fine by mean.

 

[TortoiseBoy1999]

For all we know they are down there eating worms and bugs or plant roots, who knows, maybe well never know.

That is very true!

---

Would you count mine unique because it has 2 split scutes?

 

[Neal]

Would you count mine unique because it has 2 split scutes?

I wouldn't. But, that's just me. Ask Jacqui that same question for an entirely different answer.

 

[TortoiseBoy1999]

I wouldn't. But, that's just me. Ask Jacqui that same question for an entirely different answer.

Haha Well I would count him unique, just because not all Leopards look like him. He just wouldn't produce hatchlings that look unique