New keeper need advice

Ian555

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image.png Hi all i have 3 leopard tortoises coming in a few weeks
I have always wanted to keep a tortouse and have been researching fir a while
I lost my pet dog ladt year after 18 years together i was devastated
So now i ready fir the tortoises
I seen these advertised so i went to have a look the keeper is seriously ill and has 24/7 care and is immobilised so i bought them
There is a smaal male about 3 to 4 yrs old and a slightly larger female ariund 5/6 yrs old in one set up and then a large male in another set up
I didnt want to keep these in my house i do have a large shed at the bottom of our secure garden and would idearly like to keep there and give them free roaming also i prefebably do not want to keep them in the vivariums and would rather build a pen inside the shed any pics and advice would be greatly appreciated also advice on bedfing substrate etc thanks ian
 

Ian555

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image.jpg image.png image.png image.png Hi all i am a new keeper and have 3 leopards on coming in a few weeks
I need some advice on jeeping these grear crearures
I didnt want 3 but when i went to view to chap i bought them off is poorly and has 24/7 care so i just bought the lot including set ups
1st photo is my garden and i would like to house these in the shef second photo is the larger male whi had his own st up the second pic is the female who lives with the small male in the 3rd pic
Ideally i would like to build smething in the shed rather than keeping them in vivs and give them free roam of the garden i need advice and pics of your set ups and advice on substrates etc
Thanks ian
 

Lyn W

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Hi and welcome there is a good caresheet for leopards under species specific which will tell you all you need to know about diet temps humidity and substrate - it was a godsend when I rescued my leopard.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.78361/
The Beginners Mistakes thread (link below) will help you avoid problems encountered by others and the Enclosures thread is full of great ideas.

Where are you located? My leopard is about 5 years old and already approx. 12 inches long - he lives indoors most of the year as here in the UK it is too cold for outdoors in winter but as he is too big for a table or viv he has his own adapted room. Leopards need warmer temps than some species and don't hibernate, so need uvb and heat day and night all year around. My leopard does have an outdoor enclosure for days that are warm enough (ground temps at least 70'F) I use a mercury vapour bulb (MVB)which gives heat light and essential uvb in one bulb this is mounted in a ceramic bulb holder with a wide dome, don't buy coiled or loop type cfl bulbs as these can damage torts eyes At night I use a ceramic heat emitter (CHE) in the another holder and dome this is run through a thermostat so it switches on and off as temps rise and fall. You may need more heat/light sources depending on the size of your enclosure and because you have more torts.

It isn't recommended that torts are kept in pairs as one becomes dominant and 'bullies' the other - not always aggressive - can be so subtle you may not even notice it until one tort become stressed and ill, and when the male becomes sexually active he could harass the female to death, but having the 3 together wouldn't be ideal either as then the 2 males could fight and both will harass the female so she could really suffer! Having a lot of space so they can avoid each other may help though, but more experienced people will advise on that,

Anyway read and search and ask as many questions as you like -there are lots of very experienced keepers with a wealth of up to date information here to help.
 
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Ian555

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Hi Lyn sorry about my spelling typing on my phone I'm on the pc now
Thanks for your reply I am in the uk in Coventry west midlands
The big Male has his own set up and then I have the small male and female together in one set up is this not advisable then and should be kept apart?
As for the shed this is where I would like to keep them the vivs have the heating coming with them but I really wanted to install/build an enclosure in the outside shed and keep them there and not use the vivs
I am a experienced joiner and can build anything hust dint know if I can keep warm enough and if anyone else does this and how
cheers ian
 

Lyn W

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, but
Hi Lyn sorry about my spelling typing on my phone I'm on the pc now
Thanks for your reply I am in the uk in Coventry west midlands
The big Male has his own set up and then I have the small male and female together in one set up is this not advisable then and should be kept apart?
As for the shed this is where I would like to keep them the vivs have the heating coming with them but I really wanted to install/build an enclosure in the outside shed and keep them there and not use the vivs
I am a experienced joiner and can build anything hust dint know if I can keep warm enough and if anyone else does this and how
cheers ian
I personally wouldn't keep them together in a small enclosed space, from the stories/warnings I have read here. One male with a few females seem to be a good combo as more females to share the males attentions, but 1:1 when he is active he will make her life a misery and could really hurt her.
The minimum size enclosures for adults of smaller species is 4' x 8' but leopards can grow up to 2' (maybe a little less in captivity) so you are going to need a very big area for 3 separate spaces.
Tom has a great design for insulated/heated night boxes which you could keep in your shed and if you insulated and heated that as well it could be very cosy. I'll see if I can find the link.
My sister lives in S. Leics and she tells me there is a good Tortoise Club that meets in Blaby and another village I can't remember; the British Association of Tortoise Keepers (BATK) is also based in Leamington Spa. so there is quite a good community in the Midlands for UK advice but I do find the advice here is most up to date though.
 

Lyn W

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Are you sure of the genders of each?
if you can post pics of the plastrons and tails then members can confirm for you. It's not always easy to tell when they are young - even the vet got it wrong when I first took Lola - he told me I had a female - hence the name. Lola has since shown me in no uncertain terms that she is in fact a he!!
 

Ian555

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if this is the case I will try to swop the large male for a female I do not collect them until week commencing 18 aug as going on holiday in a few weeks so I wanted to get the shed ready for them
I can give them around 8ftt by 10 ft of floor space up there and free roaming
this site is great just getting to grips with it if you hear of any one wanting a make let me know I can advertise this onve ive picked them up I would have a small male and 2 females then see if you can gets toms design and thanks for your help
just got the pics thanks yeah that looks good is he keeping them in there over winter I'm sure something like that inside the shed would be fine I do not have pics of them as don't have them yet and no I'm not 100percent sure of there sex I may go up and get some pics and post them over the bloke can only talk with his eyelids and a carer being present so its a bit weird bless him
thanks
 

Ian555

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going up there at 3 today will get some pics of underneath's and the set up that comes with them ill post later cheers
 

Lyn W

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That is just a night box - they still need space to roam out on winter days - that's where your heated insulated shed would be good.
Even 2 females in together can be a problem, Ian. Torts are solitary creatures and don't like or need company they are very territorial and don't like competition for food or the best basking spot etc. However you may be OK with 2 gals and 1 guy - hopefully someone who keeps groups will jump in and give you the benefit of their actual experience. I'll tag @Tom, @Team Gomberg to see what they say.
 

Ian555

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if you go on pets4homes website you can see the add there and the torts and set up have a look
 

Lyn W

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They definitely need more space!! especially the large male!
 

Lyn W

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Had a quick look - not the worst conditions I've seen on the forums but they will need more much space and a water dishes big enough for them to self soak in ( terracotta plant saucers sunk level with the substrate are cheap and safe.). Plants for humidity and make them feel secure etc You'll see when you look for ideas in the Enclosures section.
 

Lyn W

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really want to get away from keeping in vivs don't like it
Vivs are ok for small young torts as they help with humidity but torts need space to roam.
 

Lyn W

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008.jpg They like to soak to keep hydrated.
This was Lolas first few days with me He is now too big for that 35cm saucer and has been upgraded to a larger size.
 
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