Feeding a young leopard

Tina879

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I was given a nine month old leopard tortoise. It wasn’t taken care of I have read quite a bit to do the best I can for it . Soaking it twice a day feeding the proper food hays and grass etc . It won’t eat . Got vitamins and calcium but if it doesn’t eat . Can I put something in the water when I soak it ? I’m sure the temperature isn’t right all I had was a planter box I have two warmers from my chicks and I a uv light . I don’t want it to pass with out doing everything I can to do the best I can for it.
 

zovick

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I was given a nine month old leopard tortoise. It wasn’t taken care of I have read quite a bit to do the best I can for it . Soaking it twice a day feeding the proper food hays and grass etc . It won’t eat . Got vitamins and calcium but if it doesn’t eat . Can I put something in the water when I soak it ? I’m sure the temperature isn’t right all I had was a planter box I have two warmers from my chicks and I a uv light . I don’t want it to pass with out doing everything I can to do the best I can for it.
It needs to be kept quite warm. Probably 85F or a bit more to make it want to eat. You can add baby food carrots to the soak water to help it get going.
 

Yvonne G

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At 9 months your baby won't be interested in eating hay and grass. . . in fact quite a few leopards don't eat grass at all. Try broad leaf weeds and plants. You can also feed endive, escarole, raddichio, mulberry and grape leaves
 

wellington

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I linked the caresheet on your other post.
Please read it.
Baby leopards won't eat hay and if it wasn't fed grass before it probably won't now until older.
Get grocery greens, spring mix, endive, kale, mustard, riddichio.
Temps need to be 80 day and night with a basking spot of 95-100. He gas to be able to bask under those temps to properly digest its food. He also needs uvb. The enclosure must be big enough to have the seperate temps, water clay saucer dish, hide, food plate. Approx size for now is a 3 or 4 x6 feet. That would last a couple years. A 4x4 will last about a year or so.
 

Tina879

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I linked the caresheet on your other post.
Please read it.
Baby leopards won't eat hay and if it wasn't fed grass before it probably won't now until older.
Get grocery greens, spring mix, endive, kale, mustard, riddichio.
Temps need to be 80 day and night with a basking spot of 95-100. He gas to be able to bask under those temps to properly digest its food. He also needs uvb. The enclosure must be big enough to have the seperate temps, water clay saucer dish, hide, food plate. Approx size for now is a 3 or 4 x6 feet. That would last a couple years. A 4x4 will last about a year or so.
 

Tina879

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Here is pipers home I will take away the hay and grass I got grocery store greens but was mixing with hay etc .
 

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Tom

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I was given a nine month old leopard tortoise. It wasn’t taken care of I have read quite a bit to do the best I can for it . Soaking it twice a day feeding the proper food hays and grass etc . It won’t eat . Got vitamins and calcium but if it doesn’t eat . Can I put something in the water when I soak it ? I’m sure the temperature isn’t right all I had was a planter box I have two warmers from my chicks and I a uv light . I don’t want it to pass with out doing everything I can to do the best I can for it.
Read this Tina:

I agree with the other posters. Grass and hay are not appropriate foods for a baby leopard tortoise.

What type of UV bulb? The ones most commonly sold at pet stores can burn their eyes and should not be sold or used.

What type of heat are you using? The colored bulbs for chicks are not good for a tortoise.

What about night heat? They can't get cold over night.

Open topped enclosure don't work for this species. They need warm, humid, monsoon conditions.

The temperatures and environment have to be right to get the appetite to kick in. And no need to soak twice a day. Once a day woofer 30-40 minutes is plenty, and be sure to keep the water warm the entire time.

Questions are welcome.
 

Tom

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Here is pipers home I will take away the hay and grass I got grocery store greens but was mixing with hay etc .
That is that bad type of UV bulb that I just mentioned in my previous post. Turn it off. Use real sunshine a couple of times a week, or get an HO type fluorescent tube for indoor UV.

An open table like that can't work for this species. There is no way to hold in the heat and humidity that is needed. Its like trying to heat your own house with no roof on it.

If those are store bought plants, they are grown with toxic systemic pesticides.

Also the soil the plants are in looks very sandy. Sand impaction is a common tortoise killer.

Last one is a safety concern. Those clamps always fail and should not be used. Your light fixtures need to be hung from overhead.

This is a lot of new info, and it is obvious that you did your research and tried very hard to set up a great environment. Its just a terrible fact of life that almost all of the tortoise care info on the internet, in books, from vets, and from pet stores is all wrong. We've been doing it wrong for decades and only in the last 10 years or so have we figured out what is wrong and why. Most of the tortoise keeping world has not kept up. I hope we can help you and your little one.
 

Tina879

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That is that bad type of UV bulb that I just mentioned in my previous post. Turn it off. Use real sunshine a couple of times a week, or get an HO type fluorescent tube for indoor UV.

An open table like that can't work for this species. There is no way to hold in the heat and humidity that is needed. Its like trying to heat your own house with no roof on it.

If those are store bought plants, they are grown with toxic systemic pesticides.

Also the soil the plants are in looks very sandy. Sand impaction is a common tortoise killer.

Last one is a safety concern. Those clamps always fail and should not be used. Your light fixtures need to be hung from overhead.

This is a lot of new info, and it is obvious that you did your research and tried very hard to set up a great environment. Its just a terrible fact of life that almost all of the tortoise care info on the internet, in books, from vets, and from pet stores is all wrong. We've been doing it wrong for decades and only in the last 10 years or so have we figured out what is wrong and why. Most of the tortoise keeping world has not kept up. I hope we can help you and your little one.
 

Tina879

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Thank you it’s going to take a few days to fix what I need to. What kind of soil can I use I’ll get seed organic and start there can I put some kind of roof over this enclosure that would work? Am moving in about six months and will have a green house. Il take her out side as I can got a big family and don’t have much sit time
 

Yvonne G

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If you buy two of the larger size Zoo Med light stands and place one at each end of the enclosure, extending the arms as far as is safe, then slip a small circumference piece of PC over each end as far along the rod as it will go, then you have something to hang your lights from and also to drape a sheet of plastic sheeting over. Tuck the plastic under the enclosure except for on the front. If it's not touching the lights it won't burn.
 

Tina879

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And you are so right about finding the right info on what to do. I feel it’s a injustice to tortoises selling a animal to people who don’t have a clue they are not fish and they live so long.
 

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