54 weeks STRONG

[Kapidolo Farms]

Those baby leopards at one year and two weeks. Yeap, high humidity, the diet I posted, and they are all 'about' 5-3/4 inches long, totally non-pyramided, vibrant, vital, healthy, okay being picked up (not the least bit shy). Some would like one over another based on the color/pattern, I like them all.

 

[TortieLuver]

Wow Will fabulous job I agree they are all beautiful and unique in their own way what humidity did you keep the enclosure and humid hide at? Did you use a tortoise table/plastic bin setup or complete closed chamber? What was the main staple for food and/or your food routine? Some believe variety is good, while others I know who have raised hundreds of torts for 50 years believe the mazuri is the best diet for them, along with adding grasses and weeds, but the mazuri being the main staple. Some start off with the mixed dark greens while hatchlings, and then move into the natural foods (grasses, weeds, flowers, dandelions, cactus). Always interested to hear how others raise healthy torts thanks for sharing!

 

[diamondbp]

Wow what a group! Impressive in all regards. I too am curious to hear about your routine/ setup/ diet/etc. Please share!

 

[TortsNTurtles]

Beautiful !!! Wow

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

Wow Will fabulous job I agree they are all beautiful and unique in their own way what humidity did you keep the enclosure and humid hide at? Did you use a tortoise table/plastic bin setup or complete closed chamber? What was the main staple for food and/or your food routine? Some believe variety is good, while others I know who have raised hundreds of torts for 50 years believe the mazuri is the best diet for them, along with adding grasses and weeds, but the mazuri being the main staple. Some start off with the mixed dark greens while hatchlings, and then move into the natural foods (grasses, weeds, flowers, dandelions, cactus). Always interested to hear how others raise healthy torts thanks for sharing!

I'll get to your questions later. BUT NO ONE has used Mazuri for 50 years, it has not been available for that long. Yeah!

 

[Levi the Leopard]

Will, are these guys still for sale or did you decide to keep them?
Can you see the beginnings of gender differences yet?

---

Lol. I just saw the for sale thread.

Why do you think females? Did Yvonne incubate with higher temps?
Do you have current profile pics of them?

I think my juvi's are 2:1 so I'm considering adding a female since I won't know my babies genders for a while. Hmm...

 

[Neal]

Great job Will! Thank you for sharing.

 

[Tom]

It would appear that your "grow out" chambers have served their purpose very well.

 

[Yvonne G]

Yes, the eggs were incubated at the higher end of the spectrum.

 

[Neal]

Will, I didn't see this in your diet thread so I apologize if you have already typed this out, but how frequently do you feed the babies?

 

[Yellow Turtle]

Will, they are perfect. I love their smoothness. I believe I've read your diet thread before, but I think I miss your close chamber one.
So can you share your link or post some pictures and setup here?

Thank you.

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

Diet offered is http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-81609.html at least five days a week, to Egyptians, pancakes, the leopards, and as a base for Forsten's and Spekii. The Egyptians will frantically pace when no food is offered so they are 7 days a week tortoises, no kidding on that, so everyone else is more often than not 6 days a week. Offered so there is some left over at the end of the day, just like in nature.

The chambers are http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-77044.html and that is what they, the leo's, still are.

Now I recently had a nostalgic conversation with Yvonne about my turtle room when I lived in Clovis. I did not use a chamber or go to any 'special' measure for humidity, and I raised sulcata hatchlings for a friend. Those hatchlings might be in my care for a few weeks to a few months, all grew just fine and then later pyramided. The deal is the room also had a few hundred gallons of aquatics, so as Yvonne put it, the humidity "hit you in the face when you entered".

So again as I at least once said in person to Tom, and I think here, it is his drive to establish a mind set that neonates and hatchlings require a different environment than adults. David Morafka, a famous tortoise science guy for those who don't know such, drove this same idea through the science community while many scientists did not care to consider the ecological need for a range of environments for the whole life cycle of a tortoise. The deal is it has to be a whole different environment for hatchlings, at their level of participation, which is different than the adults. Thanks Tom for have the patience to keep that in the mind set.

I also use the T5 HO tubes that Mikeh has been talking up. I found these independent of Mikeh, but like humidity as Tom has talked it up, give a listen to Mikeh on lighting.

As for decades of care and the result, Kay Booth's "40 years with tortoises" will probably beat out the 50 years guy, as she advocated the use of Layena, and it has been available for about 70 years now, her book came out in the 70's, now another 40 years ago. Mazuri adds sugar, somehow I won't advocate that.

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

Will, are these guys still for sale or did you decide to keep them?
Can you see the beginnings of gender differences yet?

---

Lol. I just saw the for sale thread.

Why do you think females? Did Yvonne incubate with higher temps?
Do you have current profile pics of them?

I think my juvi's are 2:1 so I'm considering adding a female since I won't know my babies genders for a while. Hmm...

---

I think you ought to just drive down here, see them live, and make your choice. We've danced the dance on these tortoises a few times. Bring a credit card, cash, or checkbook, drive on down to beautiful San Diego, take in the Zoo, see the beach, swing by and purchase the leopards you want.

 

[Yellow Turtle]

Will, so it seems you still using open top table for your closed chamber version? But you seem to drench the substrate with a lot of water to increase humidity all over the area. Do you still using the same setup until now for those leopards? I'm curious to know what the swamp effect to their plastrons.

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

Will, so it seems you still using open top table for your closed chamber version? But you seem to drench the substrate with a lot of water to increase humidity all over the area. Do you still using the same setup until now for those leopards? I'm curious to know what the swamp effect to their plastrons.

I have no idea what "Will, so it seems you still using open top table for your closed chamber version?" means.

The chambers stay closed 23 + hours a day, but of course I removed the lid so I could photograph them. They are plastic tubs, there are no 'tables' in any image in that thread. No problem with plastrons, they have places to be where the 'swamp' is not. I vacuum the water out that collects on the bottom every day. The heat spot is directed towards the water, which assures that warm humid air is new everyday.

In the original thread "chambers, my take" Neal asked about the 'swamp' as well. It is not an issue, there is no plastron damage, erosion, rot, disease, discoloration, or harm visible in any perceivable way. They make hollows in the substrate so they can be at rest in 'swamp'. A few times I have looked in at night, and most will be in the water. During the day they are in frequent walking around episodes.

 

[Yellow Turtle]

I have no idea what "Will, so it seems you still using open top table for your closed chamber version?" means.

The chambers stay closed 23 + hours a day, but of course I removed the lid so I could photograph them. They are plastic tubs, there are no 'tables' in any image in that thread. No problem with plastrons, they have places to be where the 'swamp' is not. I vacuum the water out that collects on the bottom every day. The heat spot is directed towards the water, which assures that warm humid air is new everyday.

In the original thread "chambers, my take" Neal asked about the 'swamp' as well. It is not an issue, there is no plastron damage, erosion, rot, disease, discoloration, or harm visible in any perceivable way. They make hollows in the substrate so they can be at rest in 'swamp'. A few times I have looked in at night, and most will be in the water. During the day they are in frequent walking around episodes.

Okay I get it, I focus mainly on the pictures and only skimming through the words there.

My single leopard also seems to sleep on very wet surface a lot of time. No idea whether he prefers it that way or just doesn't care where he sleeps.

One thing that comes up when reading your whole setup, is the use of the infra red bulb. Many people in the forum recommend to use CHE to IR bulb due to the thought of torts able to see the red spectrum and start to eat the seemed "red substrate". What you think of this?

 

[mikeh]

Hard to believe any are still available. It just shows the lack of knowledge amongst general public recognizing an animal raised in thriving conditions.
Any of these would be my clear choice. One on the top right catches my eye the most due to its overall highly rounded carapace, stunning. I only hope for the one here to turn out like yours, so far so good.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

Hard to believe any are still available.

That's what I said!

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

One thing that comes up when reading your whole setup, is the use of the infra red bulb. Many people in the forum recommend to use CHE to IR bulb due to the thought of torts able to see the red spectrum and start to eat the seemed "red substrate". What you think of this?

Never something I have experienced. IR light is directed mostly to the water tray, and a towards the super humid hide. I also feed in abundance during "daylight" hours.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Only two left now.

 

[Yellow Turtle]

Never something I have experienced. IR light is directed mostly to the water tray, and a towards the super humid hide. I also feed in abundance during "daylight" hours.

Noted Will and thanks for sharing. I just put the link to your thread and pictures in my local forum below as a perfect example of closed chamber result.

http://www.reptilx.com/forum/showth...lis-gw-dehidrasi?p=845266&posted=1#post845266