New Tortoise Owner! Just Some Questions!

[Nmcgowan]

Hello everyone! Well, today I went out and bought myself a leopard tortoise. The exotic pet shop where I bought her claims that their breeder tries to breed females so for now I have named my new baby Molly. Before making this purchase I spent alot of time researching how to make her the happiest and healthiest tortoise possible. (I am also a pet cate specialist for a pet store chain) I still have some question though:

1.) In the pics I have posted please look to see if I am missing anything. She has food and water dishes, a hide, and a uvb bulb on the right. The left bulb is the heat spot lamp. Her tank has been cruising at around 79-80 degrees farenheight. The substrate is a 50/50 mixture of eco-earth and sand.

2.) Does Molly know when to stop eating? In her bowl I have placed collard greens and some mushed up Zoomed tortoise pellets. She really likes the greens and I was told that she ate them at the pet shop as well.

3.) Should I bathe Molly? How often and for how long?

I am asking these questions because Google gave me very mixed answers on the subjects and I want to know what you guys think.

Any info would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome. Get rid of sand, causes impactions. Feed a bigger variety of food and keep food in dish during day time hours. Warm water soaks daily and get the humidity to 80% with temps day and night not below 80.
Please read Toms threads below for proper housing, etc for your leopard, the sulcata thread will apply too. If you are using a coil type bulb, CFL get rid of it, they are known to cause eye problems.

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welcome to the forum. I too have leopard although mine was a rescue so a lot bigger than your baby.
Are you in the UK? I'm guessing that because you used the word pet shop instead of store - apologies if I'm wrong.
This website is full of up to date information from keepers world wide who have been involved in research and thankfully they are willing to share their tried and tested methods with us. I don't look anywhere else for advice now.

Your enclosure is quite small so you will need to be planning on making or getting something much bigger sooner rather than later, as he will soon outgrow that one. My tort is approx. 4 years old and already 11 inches long so he actually has his own adapted room rather than an enclosure.
Sand is not widely recommended because if ingested with food it can cause the gut to become impacted, the same is true for any substrate with small white bits in it. Your tort would appreciate some plants in there to hide under and add interest. Spider plants are widely used but if shop bought you need to repot in chemical free soil and allow time for any fertilisers and sprays etc that may have been used to grow out. Cuttings from established plants you know are safe and good. See www.thetortoisetable.org.uk for tort safe plants for food and enclosures. if you leave in pots and bury in the soil they are easily replaced of nibbled or flattened.
Do you have night heat for your tort? They do need night heat in colder climates.
I soak my tort in warm water everyday as humidity is something I struggle with in a room, and it gives me chance to make sure he is OK because I am in work all day.

The care of leopards is very similar to sulcatas so if you find that caresheet under species specific then it will tell you all about temps, diet, humidity and substrate. The Beginners Mistakes thread is also good for learning from other people's mistakes (link below) and the Enclosures thread is great for ideas.

 

[wellington]

Btw, most pet stores and other internet sites give bad out dated info.

 

[Nmcgowan]

Hi and welcome to the forum. I too have leopard although mine was a rescue so a lot bigger than your baby.
Are you in the UK? I'm guessing that because you used the word pet shop instead of store - apologies if I'm wrong.
This website is full of up to date information from keepers world wide who have been involved in research and thankfully they are willing to share their tried and tested methods with us. I don't look anywhere else for advice now.

Your enclosure is quite small so you will need to be planning on making or getting something much bigger sooner rather than later, as he will soon outgrow that one. My tort is approx. 4 years old and already 11 inches long so he actually has his own adapted room rather than an enclosure.
Sand is not widely recommended because if ingested with food it can cause the gut to become impacted, the same is true for any substrate with small white bits in it. Your tort would appreciate some plants in there to hide under and add interest. Spider plants are widely used but if shop bought you need to repot in chemical free soil and allow time for any fertilisers and sprays etc that may have been used to grow out. Cuttings from established plants you know are safe and good. See www.thetortoisetable.org.uk for tort safe plants for food and enclosures. if you leave in pots and bury in the soil they are easily replaced of nibbled or flattened.
Do you have night heat for your tort? They do need night heat in colder climates.
I soak my tort in warm water everyday as humidity is something I struggle with in a room, and it gives me chance to make sure he is OK because I am in work all day.

The care of leopards is very similar to sulcatas so if you find that caresheet under species specific then it will tell you all about temps, diet, humidity and substrate. The Beginners Mistakes thread is also good for learning from other people's mistakes (link below) and the Enclosures thread is great for ideas.

I am actually from upstate New York, but no worries . Once Molly has gotten bigger I planned on moving her into a tub. My husband is also looking into creating a tortoise drawer stand that would be quite large. As far as the sand: it's calcium sand which in small quantities is ok to be ingested. (I also own a leopard gecko and pacman frog, the gecko is on the sand.) I am watching her like a hawk right now to make sure she isn't just gulping the substrate. Thank you for the info about the plants and water soaking!!! That's a huge help!!

 

[Nmcgowan]

Btw, most pet stores and other internet sites give bad out dated info.

The thing about pet stores is that they know the animal won't be staying with them for long so the items and info that is offered isn't considered in owning for the long run. Where I work, we tell customers that this is what the animal will need for now but we give them a care guide and tell them to make sure to pay attention to the growth and needs of the animal.

 

[Lyn W]

Only a few thousand miles out then!!!
If you don't have night heat, a ceramic heat emitter is a good option as it just gives heat without light because torts need darkness to sleep. Mine is run through a thermostat which switches it on and off as required. I think I've read that a min of 80'F (maybe slightly more) is recommended for babies, but check that on the caresheet.

 

[Nmcgowan]

Hello and Welcome. Get rid of sand, causes impactions. Feed a bigger variety of food and keep food in dish during day time hours. Warm water soaks daily and get the humidity to 80% with temps day and night not below 80.
Please read Toms threads below for proper housing, etc for your leopard, the sulcata thread will apply too. If you are using a coil type bulb, CFL get rid of it, they are known to cause eye problems.

Ty for the info about the bulb. Her UVB bulb is currently a coiled bulb so we will be changing that for sure. As I told Lyn, the sand in actually calcium sand (I should have mentioned that, my bad). Calcium sand is ok to be ingested in small amounts. Also like I told lyn, I'm watching her like an over protective mama bird right now to make sure she isn't gulping the substrate. I went for this substrate for now because it is easier on her little feet than the wood chips are. As far as food variety, can you tell me what you would add. I did also pick up some endive for her.

 

[Bducks16]

Sand is sand. Get rid of it!!! I'm fairly certain your uvula bulb is the coil type since its in that type of fixture. It will blind your tortoise. The spot bulbs concentrate the heat on one spot. Get a flood lamp bulb and a 10.0 uvb fluorescent tube bulb and a ceramic heat emitter (Che). Or a mercury vapor bulb which has Uva and uvb in one bulb and a Che. Covering that screen top is a must to keep in humidity and heat. A towel can cover it anything to keep the heat in.

 

[wellington]

The link that Lyn gave you will have a list of safe tortoise food. Coconut coir is a great substrate, holds humidity well and won't mold. Has for their little feet, the chips won't hurt them, remember they are on their own in the wild. As for the sand, please don't by into what the maker of that sand wants you to believe. Sand/ and that sand will/can cause impactions and it won't take much on one that size. By the time you know, it may be too late. We have been able to learn the good stuff and the bad stuff by the experience of the members of this forum and save ourselves from the heart ache others have gone through. It's best to be safe then sorry.