Hello from so cal

Mattopb3

New Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2020
Messages
4
Location (City and/or State)
LA VERNE, CA
Hi I'm Matt my wife and I are the new parents to a leopard tortoise we adopted yesterday at the reptile show in Anaheim. We will be utilizing this site to help us care and maintain the new addition to our family.

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KarenSoCal

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jul 8, 2017
Messages
5,749
Location (City and/or State)
Low desert 50 mi SE of Palm Springs CA
Hi, and welcome!

If you haven't read this yet, it will get you started with correct equipment and methods, food, housing, etc.

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

And here's a generic list of foods for torts. I don't know leopard diets, but you're safe with these foods to start.

Before long someone who keeps leopards will pop in and help you with specifics.

You may need to rely on grocery store foods for now. Good foods for tortoises are "chicories," types of lettuce that are likely to be on the far side of the more common floppy green heads of lettuce most people buy. Anything labeled as simply "chicory" is good, as are radiccio, frisee, escarole, and endive; you might even find something labeled as dandelions. You may find a bag of "Spring" or "Spicy" mix that is good, just check the label to be sure it has some of the chicories I just mentioned. The leaves (just the leaves) of turnips and radishes are also good, as are carrot tops. Collards, mustard greens, bok choy, and other dark, leafy greens are okay as well. If you have any kind of Mexican/hispanic market near you, they will sell cactus, labeled "nopales." Cactus is a great food to rotate in the diet, as it is high in calcium.

You don't need to feed all of these at one time, just make sure your tortoise is getting access to different types of food. As you get more experienced, you can find the better types of food listed on the care sheets.

Here are a whole bunch of non-grocery store suggestions.

Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Nasturtium
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads

Weeds:

There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard

Other good stuff:

"Testudo Seed Mix" from http://www.tortoisesupply.com/SeedMixes

Pasture mixes or other seeds from http://www.groworganic.com/seeds.html

Homegrown alfalfa

Mazuri Tortoise Chow

ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food

Ones that you can buy in every store:
Arugula
Lambs lettuce
Chicory
Kale
Mustard greens
Organic kohlrabi leafs
Organic carrot leafs
Organic radish leafs
Dandelions
Radiccio

Their main diet should be broad leaf weeds, succulents and grasses. Store bought foods are okay, but not the best. Collards and dandelions are a good food, but neither should be used every day. Check out the plant ID section for lots of ideas on weeds to feed. You can get spineless opuntia cactus pads from most Mexican grocery stores, or grow them yourself. You can also easily grow grape leaves, african hibiscus, regular hibiscus (if it will survive in your area), and mulberry leaves. You can try red apple, ice plant, and jade plant too. Also look into Gazania, pansies, nasturtiums, carnations, geraniums and many others. At the grocery store, favor endive and escarole, but also use cilantro, carrot tops, mustard and turnip greens, bok choy, radiccio, swiss chard, watercress, parsley, all the lettuces, etc. Lots of variety is best. There are also tortoise "weed" seed mixes that you can grow. I like the "Testudo Mix" from Tortoisesupply.com.

Desert food for torts...
Well he is a desert tortoise, right? He should be used to eating all that scrub. Buckwheat; cactus; vetch; Mohave aster; creosote bush; desert four o’clock; tacoma stans; bladderpod; globe mallow; goldenhead; burro weed; so many things!
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
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Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,405
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
Hi Matt, and welcome to the Forum!

My tortoise partner, Will, alias Kapidolo Farms, was a vendor at that show. I hope you were able to meet him. Another of our members, Mark, alias Markw84, shared the booth, exhibiting his enclosures.

You've got a beautiful tortoise there. I hope you and your wife have many enjoyable years with him.
 

MPappagallo

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2019
Messages
368
Location (City and/or State)
Myrtle Beach, SC
Hi I'm Matt my wife and I are the new parents to a leopard tortoise we adopted yesterday at the reptile show in Anaheim. We will be utilizing this site to help us care and maintain the new addition to our family.

View attachment 284556
Welcome to the forum! Your leopard is a real cutie! Check the species tab at the top of the page for lots of great info about their care and housing needs! Enjoy!
 

kanalomele

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10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
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Joined
Apr 2, 2012
Messages
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Location (City and/or State)
East Bay area
Welcome to TFO! A beautiful youngster you have there
 

Gijoux

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Tortoise Club
5 Year Member
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Joined
May 28, 2014
Messages
469
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Hi I'm Matt my wife and I are the new parents to a leopard tortoise we adopted yesterday at the reptile show in Anaheim. We will be utilizing this site to help us care and maintain the new addition to our family.

View attachment 284556
Welcome! I am so happy you found Tortoise Forum! Your little one looks quite Happy. I hope you have as much fun with this baby as I have had getting him/her ready for you. Keep the pictures coming.
 
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