How do I know if it was too late! Please help

Yaaapops

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I recently purchased my baby Leopard Tortoise from a dry breeder who also did not know his age. (I will never make the same mistake again) I now have no idea the age of my lil guy or if he already has signs of pyramiding. I also have a scale coming in the mail so I can start tracking his weight each week. I’m just concerned now that his growth may be stunted and want to know any signs of problems I should look out for. Plus anything else I could do besides make sure he has a humid habitat and great diet :) 7292C9C0-1A5B-44B3-A59C-4ED6D3C0D8FF.jpeg
 

Yaaapops

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Greetings.

Set up your enclosure, substrate, lighting, soaking, food, etc per Tom’s how to properly raise a Leopard or Sulcata guide. Soak daily. Keep your humidity levels and temperatures up, etc. good luck.
Thank you! I am currently doing all of those, feeding plenty and a variety of foods :) trying my best to mend my mistake.. in a way I’m hoping I can save this tort
 

Tom

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50 grams is the bench mark. "Breeder Failure" animals will usually reach right around 50 grams and then hover there for weeks or months despite eating and behaving normally. If they stall at 50ish grams, then you can prepare yourself mentally for the worst. If it hits 55 then 60, etc..., you can breathe easy as your baby will make it.
 

Lyn W

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Hi and welcome,
I have no idea how old my leopard is as he was found in a field. A vet told me he was about 10 but when I saw a 7 year old twice the size of him I think he may only have been about 3-4 years. However torts all grow at different rates and there isn't an age/size/weight norm to go by. I only weigh Lola about once a month after he's had a good poop.
Your baby looks good to me so far and if you follow the caresheet advice hopefully he will thrive.
 

Yaaapops

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50 grams is the bench mark. "Breeder Failure" animals will usually reach right around 50 grams and then hover there for weeks or months despite eating and behaving normally. If they stall at 50ish grams, then you can prepare yourself mentally for the worst. If it hits 55 then 60, etc..., you can breathe easy as your baby will make it.
Thank you for the help, that was exactly what I was looking for. So far I haven’t seen any signs of growth but this is the 11th day I’ve had him so could just be my eyes ? can’t wait to get the scale in and start tracking it, I need this stress off my mind.
 

Cathie G

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Thank you for the help, that was exactly what I was looking for. So far I haven’t seen any signs of growth but this is the 11th day I’ve had him so could just be my eyes ? can’t wait to get the scale in and start tracking it, I need this stress off my mind.
Hello and welcome ☺️ you have a beautiful baby but I'm glad you found the forum. They'll help you with knowledge on the best care for your little one. They've helped me so much but especially with the mental stress of owning a tortoise. Having more experienced owners to talk with really helps. Best wishes for your little one.?
 

Yaaapops

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Thank you very much! I don’t know what I would of done without this forum either they have saved my torts life most likely :) I have re done my enclosure many times now to make sure I have the perfect Lil home
 

Cathie G

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Thank you very much! I don’t know what I would of done without this forum either they have saved my torts life most likely :) I have re done my enclosure many times now to make sure I have the perfect Lil home
Well... trying to do what is best with diet, humidity, and etc is good. The thing I found the hardest to control was me. I had to make myself not stress to much over my little adult Russian and let him be a little tort. I didn't find TFO until a few years after I got him but you've found them early on. You and your tort should be good.?
 

Skip K

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Follow the advice given here...especially for babies...but remember some Leopards in the wild naturally have pyramiding. Take steps to avoid creating unnecessary pyramiding with improper husbandry but I wouldn’t stress or obsess over it.
 

Yaaapops

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Well... trying to do what is best with diet, humidity, and etc is good. The thing I found the hardest to control was me. I had to make myself not stress to much over my little adult Russian and let him be a little tort. I didn't find TFO until a few years after I got him but you've found them early on. You and your tort should be good.?
Thanks again I’ll take all the reassurance possible! I’m just stressing bc I got him from a very bad dry breeder and I’m stressing the damage may already be done but I’ve followed everything on this forum to a T to make sure he can thrive and not survive so if he does happen to pass, I’ll know I did every single thing I could have :)
 
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