First tortoise :)

[LaurieLeopard]

Hi this is my first post and my very first tortoise.



I’ve had plenty of other pets but this is my first reptile. I got him (or her) 11 days ago. He ate a bit when he arrived but since then didn’t eat for a good few days. Research suggested the temperature the pet shop told me may be too low for a leopard so I’ve increased temps to 39°c basking 28°c warm side 26° cooler side



I’ve also increased humidity (haven’t got a humidity monitor yet) but I’ve sprayed the sphagnum moss once a day.



I’ve been giving daily baths. He did have a few nibbles of dandelion leaf yesterday and today has pooped. He does move pretty fast to get to where he wants to be in his house.



They said he’s approx 18 months old



Any help or advice please? I want to encourage him to eat but he doesn’t seem interested and I’ve tried lots of things

 

[zolasmum]

Hi this is my first post and my very first tortoise.



I’ve had plenty of other pets but this is my first reptile. I got him (or her) 11 days ago. He ate a bit when he arrived but since then didn’t eat for a good few days. Research suggested the temperature the pet shop told me may be too low for a leopard so I’ve increased temps to 39°c basking 28°c warm side 26° cooler side



I’ve also increased humidity (haven’t got a humidity monitor yet) but I’ve sprayed the sphagnum moss once a day.



I’ve been giving daily baths. He did have a few nibbles of dandelion leaf yesterday and today has pooped. He does move pretty fast to get to where he wants to be in his house.



They said he’s approx 18 months old



Any help or advice please? I want to encourage him to eat but he doesn’t seem interested and I’ve tried lots of things

Hello and welcome from Devon - congratulations on joining this forum, as you will get the very best help and advice here, from people who have real knowledge and experience. I'm afraid I am not really one of them, though - I'm sure someone who can help will soon be along, though. It can take quite a while for a tortoise to settle in a new environment,anyway.
Best wishes from Angie

 

[LaurieLeopard]

Thank you Angie. I didn’t feel confident as the place I got him from said my basking spot was too hot at 36° but looking online it said that’s actually low for leopards. So I’m happy to have found this group. I just want to do the best for my little guy

 

[zolasmum]

I'm sure you will be able to get things sorted out for him -what is his name, by the way ? One thing I do know is that moss is quite dangerous to have in his enclosure - it is very indigestible, and if he eats any of it it could cause an impaction in his digestive system -that could cause a serious problem - so do take it out at once, however pretty it looks.
Angie

 

[LaurieLeopard]

Oh really! Thank you I will do that. I saw on a few different sites to put it in to create humidity spots.

 

[wellington]

Remove the moss, it can get tangled on limbs/neck and innards if they eat it and some like to eat it. Keep temps at 80-85 day and night not lower. Basking should be 95-100 and humidity 80%.
Replace moss with orchid bark or coconut coir and wet it, spraying will never hold the humidity. You want the bark damp but not floating in water.

 

[LaurieLeopard]

Thank you

 

[Ink]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[TammyJ]

Welcome and all the best with giving your little one everything he needs - you came to the right place!

 

[MenagerieGrl]

Greetings and more welcomes to the forum.
I also might suggest getting an infrared Heat gun.
I'm not sure what size of CHE you are using but it might be position a lil low, getting the area below it a lil too hot...(or maybe not) Heat gun is a useful too for spot checks...

Are you, Laurie, or is your leopard, Laurie?
I have a leopard, His name is Seymour and is 7 years old...

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hi this is my first post and my very first tortoise.



I’ve had plenty of other pets but this is my first reptile. I got him (or her) 11 days ago. He ate a bit when he arrived but since then didn’t eat for a good few days. Research suggested the temperature the pet shop told me may be too low for a leopard so I’ve increased temps to 39°c basking 28°c warm side 26° cooler side



I’ve also increased humidity (haven’t got a humidity monitor yet) but I’ve sprayed the sphagnum moss once a day.



I’ve been giving daily baths. He did have a few nibbles of dandelion leaf yesterday and today has pooped. He does move pretty fast to get to where he wants to be in his house.



They said he’s approx 18 months old



Any help or advice please? I want to encourage him to eat but he doesn’t seem interested and I’ve tried lots of things

Welcome from a fellow uk member! So glad you made your way here! There’s so much misinformation out there and this place is the ultimate tortoise hivemind

Your little guy may take a few weeks to settle and gain a proper appetite, I wouldn’t worry yet in that regard
Temps sound good, make sure it’s not dropping below 26c(80f) at night anywhere, the CHE will be taking care of thatpersonally I’d consider placing it in the middle of the viv for a more even heat distribution at night. It won’t affect its use during the day either, the thermostat knows what to do.

I do have some further friendly suggestions, change up your substrate asap, reptisoils with those white pieces encourage them to eat it, they’re often mixed with sand which poses its own risks in captivity, when trying to create the moisture the substrate needs, it’s makes a horrible muddy consistency that will stick to everything, scratch up the glass. If wanting a ‘soil’ like substrate, stick with damp coco coir, or fine grade orchid bark also works great, or even a combination of both. Definitely ditch the moss too, another impaction risk and there’s much safer ways to maintain your humidity.

For your basking bulb, ditch the halogen, they aren’t the best choice for a variety of reasons(I can get more into if you wish) you want a flood bulb for basking, Arcadia brand do them pretty cheap.

Is that t5 uvb strip lighting? What brand out of interest?

Daily soaks are great at this age, keep them up

In terms of diet, variety is key, if heavily relying on store bought foods, amendments need to be made, A product we personally really like is the Arcadia optimized, it’s such a great way for getting more variety in, especially during the winter months when things are harder to grow, you soak each cube in water(quantities on packet) until it’s a mushy grassy texture, and add it on top of the fresh stuff, any left over can be stored in the fridge. Most tortoises love it, but it could take a while for him to get used to, they’re very stubborn by nature, so don’t worry if it takes weeks/months of attempts for him to eat it.

Have you checked out the tortoise table app? there’s multiple categories to check out, I’d definitely have a look at the ‘wildflower’ section, there’s SO many weed varieties that grow perfectly in our climate! All the different plants also have rough guidelines for how often to feed.

The Tortoise Table - Home

The Tortoise Table plant database and resource site for Tortoise owners

www.thetortoisetable.org.uk

The tortoise hut sell seed mixes, plug plants and lots of plants for indoor/outdoor enclosures

Tortoise Products | The Tortoise Hut | England

The Tortoise Hut is the leading online specialist tortoise shop supplying a range of products & supplies for the care of all species of tortoises. We have baby tortoises for sale which can be collected from us in Devon or couriered by our specialist Reptile courier service. We offer a nationwide...

www.tortoisehut.co.uk

This is another good one;

Live Plants & Seeds | Tortoise Den​

Take things little by little, he’ll slowly start coming round, this article here is a helpful little read

Introducing a Healthier Diet

Introducing a Healthier Diet

www.thetortoisetable.org.uk

This covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc), correct levels, importance of a closed chamber for younger tortoises(only way to maintain the humidity you need), appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, a diet list and a really handy diet link to check out! If ever going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better! but vivs are one of the best starter set ups you can get so no issues there! This is more for inspo on decor, lighting etc

Leopard/sulcata starter

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information below on how I’d personally tackle an indoor starter set up for a leopard/sulcata until they’re bigger. Hopefully it helps give people some ideas!” I know it looks like a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered...

tortoiseforum.org

When it comes time for upgrade there’s a great company called Southdown aquatics that make custom sizes

This one here is really good to go over and keep on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

Hope this all comes in handy! Let me know if you need any uk links to specific products!

 

[MaNaAk]

Hi this is my first post and my very first tortoise.



I’ve had plenty of other pets but this is my first reptile. I got him (or her) 11 days ago. He ate a bit when he arrived but since then didn’t eat for a good few days. Research suggested the temperature the pet shop told me may be too low for a leopard so I’ve increased temps to 39°c basking 28°c warm side 26° cooler side



I’ve also increased humidity (haven’t got a humidity monitor yet) but I’ve sprayed the sphagnum moss once a day.



I’ve been giving daily baths. He did have a few nibbles of dandelion leaf yesterday and today has pooped. He does move pretty fast to get to where he wants to be in his house.



They said he’s approx 18 months old



Any help or advice please? I want to encourage him to eat but he doesn’t seem interested and I’ve tried lots of things

Welcome from Essex!

I have a 90 year old Greek Spur-thighed Tortoise called Jacky. Hopefully members with more knowledge about Leopard Tortoises will be along. One thing I would say though is that hibernating tortoises will think they should be hibernating despite being in an enclosure. Keep bathing and keep the temperature at the figures that @MenagerieGrl suggests she is an expert and has a Leopard Tortoise, a Sulcata, two Redfoot Tortoises and Box Turtles.

Natrah

 

[MaNaAk]

What's your little one's name?

Natrah