I’ll try to get more pics of Ernie. In the winter...my son ( who will be the steward of all the torts when I’m unable) keeps Ernie for the colder months as we have too many large indoor individual enclosures as it is. Ernie comes back here in the summer as all the outdoor pens are in our yard. I try to stay away from any legumes because of their high protein content...but might try them as a occasional treat. Our torts commercial diets are Zoomed Grassland ( for the Leopard and Sulcatas) and Zoomed Forest for the Redfoots. I feed Mazuri only to the rescue boxies and Zoomed Aquatic to our Central American wood turtle. All our tortoises...for natural food...receive spring mix, collard greens, cactus and hibiscus. The boxies and wood turtle get leftover vegetables and fruits from our kitchen preparations...besides their pelleted diets. I do on the rare occasion ( maybe once a month) feed fruit to Ernie and the Sulcatas ...usually melon ...but only as a treat...because fruit can cause issues with grassland torts gut flora. I would definitely pay attention to humidity...to reduce pyramiding...but also some Leopards can be more supseptable to RI’s than other species which I take into consideration.. Pyramiding seems to be more prevalent in Leopards...and as long as it’s not obscene or possibly health impacting...I don’t obsess over it..but I won’t ignore it either and will make the effort keep it from happening. Most of our torts have been rehomes and came pyramided already.I’m so very blessed that Douglas when not sleeping which is quite nosy about what I’m doing. He thinks he’s getting a green bean. Honestly he would follow me anywhere to get one. Have you fed a snap green bean. They are the thinner ones that you can toss in a skillet and quick fry. (Just FYI) if you didn’t know. I’ve not offered any other type.
I think he is a high white but not sure about that or snow leopard. I do know he’s quite blonde and light blonde skin. 10 lbs is quite large I think. I think they grow slower than the eating machine sulcatas.
I have to take pictures of Douglas about every day doing something cute. And the home I got him from said they rescued him and had him about 6 months and had also rescued a fairly larger young sulkata and leopards are not quite as easy. So they put him on Craigslist. And I can’t believe he’d been available for 2 months. No other tortoise would have hit my button. And he ate the morning after I brought him home late evening. And I read all the foods and once he smelled most things he attacked it in my hand. But the green bean if you’ve not offered go get some. Slice it in half longways so it has great smell and hold it up to offer. I’d love to hear she couldn’t resist and then actually think you have one every time she sees or smells you. Douglas usually rises from 10 to 11 and is in be at 5 with our time change and days being shorter. BUT this morning I got up at 7 and let my dogs out and did my thing and got my coffee at he was sitting at the glass enclosure door that I have been opening waiting on me at 7:15 ?
I had to apologize that I didn’t have his bean. So went to kitchen and grabbed one sliced long ways and he came right at the doorway which has several inches of glass holding in the substrate. I have never actually got to see all the way down his throat and all his tongue till this morning. I got a really close up video as I video feeding him so had my phone already recording so I could just pick it up and get him.
l‘d truly love pictures of her. I love when people post pictures. And I’d love to see more leopards. His shell has significant pyramiding in the middle and the next set of scutes and then is smooths out more. I’m really hoping with the right humidity and diet he will grow smooth and it may may the top appear mor even if it spreads out some with his growth.
I’m happy she’s with someone that loves her????
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