spcarman
New Member
Hello everyone!
I very recently acquired my first ever tortoise! This is NOT my first reptile, but it is my first tortoise and I want to be absolutely sure I am giving him the best care. I decided to start this thread because:
Background
My wife and I were originally going for a Russian, since they are recommended for beginners. Unfortunately, we did not know there is a ban on them right now (at least in California), and he was the only one they had in the store. According to the store owner, he is approximately 12 years old and was bullied by some other tortoises he was housed with and did not receive the best care - not awful care, but certainly subpar. He has a fair amount of pyramiding (not excessive, but not a small amount either), a bit of an overgrown beak, and is (was) fairly timid. We have a weak spot for animals in need of a loving home, so we ended up purchasing him.
It has only been one week since we got him and he is definitely not timid anymore. He is very personable and loves to explore, be pet, and be hand fed. Though I am not qualified to make this assessment, he seems in fairly good health. He's active during the day, has a good appetite, contains no parasites that I can see (I still need to get his stools checked), and appears to be quite happy overall.
Here is what I have been doing so far for him, and I'd love any comments/questions/concerns from any experts out there who know the dos and don'ts of Leopard tortoises:
Enclosure
My wife and I live in a 2nd story apartment, so we couldn't do an outdoor setup. Right now, we have him in a 4' x 2' x 2' PVC tank (for comparison, his shell diameter is about 11"). The front of the enclosure is glass, but we put one of those panorama backgrounds along the bottom so that about 6-8" above the substrate is totally opaque.
In the warmer months (April/May - September), we may convert our deck into a pseudo-enclosure. It has smooth concrete flooring, is about 8' x 3', and there is no risk of falling since the vertical railings only leave about a 2" gap above the concrete. Of course, we would clean the entire deck thoroughly.
Diet
Right now, his diet consists mostly of supermarket leafy greens since that is what he was previously fed and we've only had him for 1 week. Dandelion greens are his favorite, but we usually provide him a mixture of dandelion, collard greens, mustard greens, romaine lettuce, and the occasional zucchini and yellow squash as a treat. I know how important fiber is for their diet so I am trying to mix all this with timothy hay in the hopes it becomes an acquired taste. Everything is lightly dusted with calcium (+D3) powder. Our local grocery store carries tons of tortoise-friendly foods so we'll likely also occasionally add something new just for variety's sake.
Other Care
I am aiming for giving him baths/soaks about twice a week for around 10 minutes each time, during which I clean him by gently scrubbing with a toothbrush.
Specific Questions:
If you feel you need pictures in order to make a good assessment, just let me know. Thank you so much!
I very recently acquired my first ever tortoise! This is NOT my first reptile, but it is my first tortoise and I want to be absolutely sure I am giving him the best care. I decided to start this thread because:
- There is much less out there on leopard tortoise care than I had expected (especially for adults), and I've had to approximate some of his care with advice about Sulcata tortoises.
- I want to make sure I am not making any obvious mistakes with his care from the get-go (e.g., diet).
- I would like to know what are some things to look out for and/or check on a fairly regular basis - standard health checks, etc.
Background
My wife and I were originally going for a Russian, since they are recommended for beginners. Unfortunately, we did not know there is a ban on them right now (at least in California), and he was the only one they had in the store. According to the store owner, he is approximately 12 years old and was bullied by some other tortoises he was housed with and did not receive the best care - not awful care, but certainly subpar. He has a fair amount of pyramiding (not excessive, but not a small amount either), a bit of an overgrown beak, and is (was) fairly timid. We have a weak spot for animals in need of a loving home, so we ended up purchasing him.
It has only been one week since we got him and he is definitely not timid anymore. He is very personable and loves to explore, be pet, and be hand fed. Though I am not qualified to make this assessment, he seems in fairly good health. He's active during the day, has a good appetite, contains no parasites that I can see (I still need to get his stools checked), and appears to be quite happy overall.
Here is what I have been doing so far for him, and I'd love any comments/questions/concerns from any experts out there who know the dos and don'ts of Leopard tortoises:
Enclosure
My wife and I live in a 2nd story apartment, so we couldn't do an outdoor setup. Right now, we have him in a 4' x 2' x 2' PVC tank (for comparison, his shell diameter is about 11"). The front of the enclosure is glass, but we put one of those panorama backgrounds along the bottom so that about 6-8" above the substrate is totally opaque.
- Substrate: Zoo Med Forest Floor, about 3-4" deep.
- Lighting: 1 ~40" UVB light fixture spanning the length of the enclosure, 1 basking bulb (basking temperature is about 95-100 degrees), and one ceramic heat lamp for the evenings. Ambient temperature is about 80 degrees and ambient humidity is about 50-60%.
- Plants: 2 live potted plants, both perfectly safe according to this forum, with no hazardous soil or anything. We also have one fake plant, but we were very careful to make sure he doesn't try to eat it.
- Other decor: 1 hide (made of wood, intended for guinea pigs); 1 ~10" diameter terra cotta water dish he can drink from or soak in, cleaned daily; 1 piece of slate where we place his food; 1 cuttle bone; 1 small toy ball made out of timothy hay.
In the warmer months (April/May - September), we may convert our deck into a pseudo-enclosure. It has smooth concrete flooring, is about 8' x 3', and there is no risk of falling since the vertical railings only leave about a 2" gap above the concrete. Of course, we would clean the entire deck thoroughly.
Diet
Right now, his diet consists mostly of supermarket leafy greens since that is what he was previously fed and we've only had him for 1 week. Dandelion greens are his favorite, but we usually provide him a mixture of dandelion, collard greens, mustard greens, romaine lettuce, and the occasional zucchini and yellow squash as a treat. I know how important fiber is for their diet so I am trying to mix all this with timothy hay in the hopes it becomes an acquired taste. Everything is lightly dusted with calcium (+D3) powder. Our local grocery store carries tons of tortoise-friendly foods so we'll likely also occasionally add something new just for variety's sake.
Other Care
I am aiming for giving him baths/soaks about twice a week for around 10 minutes each time, during which I clean him by gently scrubbing with a toothbrush.
Specific Questions:
- (The obvious one) How am I doing so far, between his enclosure, feeding, etc. ?
- What is the recommended humidity for an adult leopard tortoise? I have a spray bottle that I use to keep the humidity between 50-60% on average, but it can vary from a minimum of about 45% all the way up to 80% if I just misted the cage. I know baby tortoises require higher humidity, but I can't seem to find very much out there for adults. I worry about this in particular because I know some reptiles that come from arid environments can get pretty bad respiratory infections if the humidity is too high.
- What are some things I should watch out for that indicate health problems RIGHT NOW (due to his history)?
- What are some things I should watch out for IN THE FUTURE (i.e., daily health checks to indicate his overall health)?
If you feel you need pictures in order to make a good assessment, just let me know. Thank you so much!