First time tort owner. Need advice and help identifying species.

Karmac

New Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2020
Messages
6
Location (City and/or State)
Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
Hi everyone!
I recently received 2 tortoises that have been orphaned twice and would like to give them the care they deserve.

History:
- Their first owner kept them in an extremely small (30cm * 20cm) glass enclosure for ~6 months before passing them on to their second home. Not much other info was given.
- At their second home, where they stayed for 1.5 - 2 years, they were allowed to roam freely in a small garden but they received no special care (soaking, housing, heating, etc.). They were fed some store produce and what they could find in the garden.

Location: Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa

What I did before finding Tortoise Forum:
- Built an open indoor enclosure ?where they are staying at night. It features a small area with soil and plants with the daylight lamp above, a rock stack with a heating lamp above it, a small hide with some dry bedding and a water dish.
IMG_20200706_083636.jpg
- Purchased a daylight (100W) lamp and reptile heating (50W & 100W) lamps
IMG_20200706_084550.jpg IMG_20200706_084608.jpg

Tortoises:
I'm not sure what species, but I suspect they are South African Leopard Tortoises. Also, excuse their temporary names

Linda
Length:
12cm (4.72")
Weight: 286g
Age: Unknown (anywhere between 2 and 4 years)
Sex: Unknown
IMG_20200705_122737.jpgIMG_20200706_112602.jpg
Bart
Length:
13cm (5.12")
Weight: 324g
Age: Unknown (anywhere between 2 and 4 years)
Sex: Unknown
IMG_20200705_122906.jpgIMG_20200706_112552.jpg


Outside Enclosure:

I have made available a large protected area for them to roam. This area features a lot of plant growth, grass and rocks which should provide sufficient basking and shading areas as well as a natural source of food.
This area is where they spend most of their day (as soon as the outside temps hit 20 °C / 68 °F)
I am in the process of building a heated pen where they can stay once the winter has said its goodbyes and spring has arrived.

Eating and Drinking:
One of my main concerns has been the lack of eating and drinking. When they first arrived they found some yellow oxalis weeds (woodsorrel?) which they munched on for a bit and Bart found and ate some young leaf lettuce I have planted. Other than that they haven't touched any other food.
I haven't seen them approach or drink from any of the water sources provided.

Poop:
I have not seen any signs that they have pooped in the last 2-3 days. Probably because they haven't eaten much yet.

Soaking:
I soaked them for about 15 minutes yesterday and I'm planning on soaking them again today.

Observations:
- When outside Linda explores a lot, while Bart just finds a shaded area to lay in.
- Bart is much shier than Linda and generally takes up to 10 minutes to just start moving when outside.
- Over the last 24 hours, they didn't move at all until they were taken outside.

I need some advice on what can be improved (e.g. replace the open-top enclosure with a closed-top enclosure) and if anyone sees any issues please point them out so I can fix it ASAP.

IMG_20200706_112053.jpg
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,389
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
Hi, and welcome!

We have a very good care sheet for you to read. You'll find it pinned towards the top of our Leopard section.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Thanks, I thought so!


I was already looking at Tom's guide; it's very thorough and detailed. Thank you.
Hello and welcome!

Just to make sure that you've got the most current info, here is the care sheet. My apologies if you've already found this one:

You have two leopard tortoises there. Stigmochelys pardalis. Dry ness isn't good for them, and they need to be separated into their own enclosures, as living as a pair isn't good for them either.
 

Karmac

New Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2020
Messages
6
Location (City and/or State)
Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
Hello and welcome!

Just to make sure that you've got the most current info, here is the care sheet. My apologies if you've already found this one:

You have two leopard tortoises there. Stigmochelys pardalis. Dry ness isn't good for them, and they need to be separated into their own enclosures, as living as a pair isn't good for them either.

Thanks, Tom.
I am planning on separating them and will close the indoor table so as to keep in the humidity and heat.

Should I be concerned that they aren't eating a lot and haven't had a drink since they arrived 3 days ago? If yes, what can I do to fix this issue ASAP? We are in our dry spell as it is wintertime.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Thanks, Tom.
I am planning on separating them and will close the indoor table so as to keep in the humidity and heat.

Should I be concerned that they aren't eating a lot and haven't had a drink since they arrived 3 days ago? If yes, what can I do to fix this issue ASAP? We are in our dry spell as it is wintertime.
Getting them up to the correct temperatures with the use of a large closed chamber, separating them to remove that stress, lighting them correctly, and daily soaks will all contribute to increasing appetite. In your climate, they know its winter time and they are physically prepared for cold temps and not eating. You will need to get them warmed up and well lit to convince their minds and bodies that its not wintertime and its okay to resume feeding.
 

New Posts

Top