Hi guys! Are my new babies leopard tortoises? And also diet concerns..

[Rainie Nxe]

Hi everyone,

I just acquired two tortoises (Optimus Prime and Yoshi)!
I would like to double confirm if they are leopard tortoises, hope i can get your expertise!




Also, im in an asian country, and seriously having difficulties figuring out what veggies are suitable for them.
so far, i have given them timothy hay at a part of their enclosure, and also fed them CAI XIN, and WATERCRESS. I have easy access to kale as well so i guess thats fine.

Here are some veggies i was wondering about.. they are in abundance. However, mustard greens and collard greens are nearly impossible to find, and even if i do find them, it could cost a bomb. The reasons why im having difficulties is that most asian veggies seems to be translated to bok choy, but they are infact all different.

1. Kang kong ( known as water spinach, but dont be fooled by the name since i dont think its actually even a spinach)

2. Kai Lan

3. Sio peck chye ( xiao bai cai )

Hope i can get some advice, im a new tortoise owner and would like to treat them well!

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello Rainie welcome to the TFO from AZ, USA . Yes they are Leopards. And LeopardsRule !i hope these Picts help .

 

[J.P.]

hello Rainie Nxe, welcome to TFO.

Asian tort keeper here as well...depends on where in asia exactly, but a good asian veggie where I am is jute leaves. also mulberry leaves, maringo, pumkin/squash leaves and blooms. hibiscus..there's a lot of local asian veggies really, many of which are not common veggies in the west so not listed in most sites.

kangkong(convolvulus) is good, but make sure it's from a clean source. a lot of waterways where it's grown are highly polluted so i'm wary of this veggie.

i avoid anything from the cabbage/lettuce family. i do feed these occassionally as part of a varied diet.

 

[Rainie Nxe]

Its great to hear that they're leopards! I bought them from a reliable breeder.

As for the list of veggies that are great for them, things like endives, mulberry leaves, even turnip greens are quite rare. thankfully kangkong is an option. Thanks guys!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

WELCOME from South Florida, USA

 

[Yvonne G]

I think you can probably feed any of the greens you can buy locally. Just mix it up. Don't feed the same one all the time

Welcome to the Forum!

 

[J.P.]

i strongly suggest you read up on closed chamber enclosures. you leopards will benefit from high humidity and temps...

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome. Please read Toms threads below in my post for adding humidity to those cuties and getting them growing smooth.

 

[Rainie Nxe]

Thanks for all the info guys, the humidity in my country is actually quite high and similar to the levels they need so i've got that covered. Also have the lamps they need.

I have 2 torts, 1 of them is eating very healthily, and i have noticed her poop and pee when i simulated rain. She has been quite active as well roaming around her enclosure.

However, the other tort has been sleeping a lot! And i haven't seen him eaten anything at all. He doesnt seem to want to eat anything. He is awake for probably half an hour and goes straight back to sleep. I have no idea how to make him eat. Any suggestions?

 

[J.P.]

Rainie Nxe,
a properly setup closed chamber enclosure will fix your problem. believe me. i am from the philippines. hot and humid, like your country i would presume. but still, we need to control heat and humidity. a lot of tortoises in my country die due to not controlling heat and humidity, because the owners think it's ok due to the hot and humid climate. i keep mine in a closed chamber but still one of mine got sick because i let it out too long on a sunny day, and it hid in a cold burrow. i guess it's not smart enough to thermo regulate. it got runny nose and stopped eating. after a week of keeping him warm and hydrated, it is almost back to perfect health.

basking lights are not enough, especially on open top enclosures. your sick one is showing signs of lethargy. inspect your tortoise for runny nose, droopy eyes, and listen to it breath. raise your temps and humidity. 95F and 80%.

what kind of bulb are you using? coil type UV bulbs can also cause problems.

it is also wise to separate your tortoises since one is showing signs of sickness. the stress of bullying sometimes causes the other to hide and not eat.


many other things can cause problems for baby leopards....but if the issue started when they got to you, meaning you received perfectly healthy babies, then the issue is your husbandry.

 

[J.P.]

to help convince you that humidity is a problem, let me ask if the babies were bred locally in your country? if yes, then the pyramiding is proof that your place is not humid enough. otherwise, they will be perfectly smooth....

if you are still keeping them in that red plastic basket lined with paper towels, please please change it asap. something as simple as a cover plastic tub lined with damp cocofiber will do as a remedy, just until you can set up a proper enclosure. if you do not have cocofiber, maybe spraying the paper towel a little can be a quick fix.

 

[Rainie Nxe]

Rainie Nxe,
a properly setup closed chamber enclosure will fix your problem. believe me. i am from the philippines. hot and humid, like your country i would presume. but still, we need to control heat and humidity. a lot of tortoises in my country die due to not controlling heat and humidity, because the owners think it's ok due to the hot and humid climate. i keep mine in a closed chamber but still one of mine got sick because i let it out too long on a sunny day, and it hid in a cold burrow. i guess it's not smart enough to thermo regulate. it got runny nose and stopped eating. after a week of keeping him warm and hydrated, it is almost back to perfect health.

basking lights are not enough, especially on open top enclosures. your sick one is showing signs of lethargy. inspect your tortoise for runny nose, droopy eyes, and listen to it breath. raise your temps and humidity. 95F and 80%.

what kind of bulb are you using? coil type UV bulbs can also cause problems.

it is also wise to separate your tortoises since one is showing signs of sickness. the stress of bullying sometimes causes the other to hide and not eat.


many other things can cause problems for baby leopards....but if the issue started when they got to you, meaning you received perfectly healthy babies, then the issue is your husbandry.

My temperatures are at about 34degrees celsius and humidity at 70%. The basking lamp i bought from a pet store, will check the type later on when im home.
Im using a peatmoss and vermiculite substrate and theres a hide box he always hides in. I will try to spray the enclosure more often and see how it is. Thanks!

 

[J.P.]

overall temp and humidity seem ok. how about temps in the humid hide? high humidity plus low temp is a recipe for resperatory infection.
check your torotise and let me know if it's showing any symptoms aside from lethargy. i really hope RI is not the issue.
peatmoss is ok. i do not think vermiculite is a good choice (silicates pose risk of impaction).

 

[Rainie Nxe]

The vermiculite im using seems to be quite fine, and im only using some for the surface because the peatmoss seems a little too soft for my torts to walk on.
the humid hide is away from the heat source, should i shift it?
My tort is not hiding in its shell, and just stays in one place to sleep. It doesnt even bother walking to its hide box after a soak. And he doesnt seem to 'smell' the food when i place it directly infront of him. The other tort would see the food from across the enclosure and make its way down Immediately.

my tort doesn't seem to be lethargic in his movement when he does wake up and move around the enclosure. But it is for a very short period of time. ive only had them for 3 days now, and they seemed accustomed to me picking them up for a soak and putting food in their enclosure. The only problem seems to be the sleeping. Are babies supposed to sleep for that long?

 

[J.P.]

babies sleep a lot, but not all day. they will walk, eat, bask, drink, even soak themselves...yours sleeping a lot and not eating or walking qualifies as lethargic, in my opinion. check it's eyes and nose..the plastron too, is it stiff or squishy?

try to move the hide near the heat. but check the temperature. your tortoise may choose to hide even if it gets too hot in there because they sometimes prefer security over having right temp.

regardless of texture, silicates(sand, perlite, vermiculite, etc.) are at risk of clumping together in the stomach and cause blockages. peat moss is ok, it just looks messy but no a big issue. leave it like that for now, and it will pack down nice and tight after a few days or weeks. you may also provide flat rocks or peices of floor tiles (rough side up) to serve as stepping stones.