Hi! I have a few questions about leopards.

[Isaiah C.]

Hi! I was active on this forum for about about 6 months a couple years back. You can check my post history for the exact story, but the outcome was that unfortunately the tortoise from the story never really recovered and eventually passed. The whole experience left me pretty upset and I have been scared to venture back into owning a tortoise ever since despite my love for them.

I am finally working up the courage and just had a few questions. I have a 36x48 enclosure made by Mark from this forum and it still has all of the lights and such that it came installed with. I also have a good amount of stored food still left that I bought from Kapidolo Farms, as well as Mazuri. Would these still be good? They were stored in sealed plastic containers in a cupboard for at least a year and a half without being touched much.

I also wanted to ask about where to buy a leopard tortoise from. I can find plenty of places online, but reading Tom's guide on African tortoise care again, he suggests asking this forum and so I thought this might be the place to do that. Who would be reputable to buy from? I really want to make sure that everything goes well this time and I don't go through getting attached to another tortoise just to lose them. I'll admit that I get attached to animals very easily and it takes me a long time to recover after they are gone, which was part of what the appeal of a tortoise was to me even as akid--a lifelong companion to some degree.

I just wanna make sure I'm doing everything right. Any advice is welcome and appreciated! I apologize if this is not the correct place to post this.

 

[wellington]

I would ask @Kapidolo Farms if his food would still be good. I would think if it looks okay and smells okay it likely is. Same with the mazuri. I buy large bags and store mine in the freezer. It doesn't last a year, but what I bought in the spring, will be gone once I start back up with it in the fall/winter
As for where to buy one. From a forum member that is an active long time member and starts them out from being laid to hatch ling to your door the hot and humid way, like Toms hatchling caresheet.

 

[Tom]

Hi! I was active on this forum for about about 6 months a couple years back. You can check my post history for the exact story, but the outcome was that unfortunately the tortoise from the story never really recovered and eventually passed. The whole experience left me pretty upset and I have been scared to venture back into owning a tortoise ever since despite my love for them.

I am finally working up the courage and just had a few questions. I have a 36x48 enclosure made by Mark from this forum and it still has all of the lights and such that it came installed with. I also have a good amount of stored food still left that I bought from Kapidolo Farms, as well as Mazuri. Would these still be good? They were stored in sealed plastic containers in a cupboard for at least a year and a half without being touched much.

I also wanted to ask about where to buy a leopard tortoise from. I can find plenty of places online, but reading Tom's guide on African tortoise care again, he suggests asking this forum and so I thought this might be the place to do that. Who would be reputable to buy from? I really want to make sure that everything goes well this time and I don't go through getting attached to another tortoise just to lose them. I'll admit that I get attached to animals very easily and it takes me a long time to recover after they are gone, which was part of what the appeal of a tortoise was to me even as akid--a lifelong companion to some degree.

I just wanna make sure I'm doing everything right. Any advice is welcome and appreciated! I apologize if this is not the correct place to post this.

After two years, I'd just get newer fresher food.

@Kapidolo Farms and @gijou both have regular leopards. I think @Neal is probably still breeding them too.

@Rodriguez Chelonians has the real deal South African leopards.

All of the above start them in a healthy way.

 

[Isaiah C.]

Thank you both for the help. Will go ahead and toss out this older food and place an order for new food before purchasing a tortoise. Will also reach out to the people mentioned about a tortoise as well.

 

[cmacusa3]

Are you in Sapulpa Oklahoma? If so, you're in luck, were minutes apart, shoot me a message.

 

[EricW]

Are you in Sapulpa Oklahoma? If so, you're in luck, were minutes apart, shoot me a message.

Bixby, I swear the best peanuts I ever had came from Bixby.

 

[Neal]

We've not had much hatch out the past two years due to moving them around so much, and I don't generally offer them for sale directly much anymore, but we just had our first egg hatch this morning for the season. Give it another month and we should have a bunch, and I am sure a lot of others will have them as well.

 

[Isaiah C.]

In the process of setting up my enclosure before purchasing a tortoise. The guide pinned mentions 45-65 watts, I've had trouble getting the temperatures in my enclosure to not get too hot with a 55 watt bulb. Are these the correct bulbs? I was planning to buy lower wattage but wanted to make sure that I was actually finding the right thing.

This is a bit of an older picture of the enclosure (with a photo bomb from my basset hound). The basking light is about 14" above the substrate. It is staying 94 under the light according to the temp gun. The general temperature of the enclosure is hanging around 91 degrees. I don't have an exact reading on humidity but it's humid enough that condensation gathers on the doors of the enclosure.

Are these temperatures okay? I worry about it being potentially too hot for a young tortoise. The coolest around inside is the hide and even that is in the very high 80s. It gets down to 85 at night.

 

[Tom]

Those bulbs look fine.

The enclosure should cool to 80 at night. High 80s to low 90s for ambient is ideal for day time.