Lazy Leos?

[jruckart]

Hi all. I have a couple of Leo's (Peachy & Blondie) that are about 4-5". I have had Peachy for about a year and Blondie for about 6 months. The kids named them by the way.

My question is regarding their activity. They are not very active and only eat every couple of days on their own or when I take them out of the hide and spray them with water. Once they are out and about, they seem happy and wander around for a while before hiding again. I have heard and read that Leos can be shy but I want to make sure I'm not missing anything that could be effecting ther health.

I soak them 2-3 times a week in warm water for 15-20 minutes. They are in a 4'x2' rabbit cage with coco fiber, sphagnum and Timothy hay. The have a 100 watt UVB bulb on one end and a 60 W ceramic heater on the other. The get romaine lettuce, greens, dandelion mostly with a suppliment every few days. They always have access to fesh water in a small dish.

Is this normal behavior for young Leos or am I missing something?

Cheers-

 

[Yvonne G]

Hello, jruckart:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

What would you like us to call you?

and may we know appx. where in the world you are?

Any kind of tortoise baby hides a lot. They are prey and their safety is to stay out of sight.

In my opinion, a pile of hay to hide in is ok, but the majority of the substrate should be something you can moisten. Baby leopard tortoises benefit from being kept a little more humid and moist than we were led to believe in the past.

My routine with my baby tortoises is to turn the light on, put the baby in soaking water then go chop up the food. Put the food on the feeding tile, then place the baby in front of it and move quickly out of his sight. Then several times during the day, I'll get him out and place him in front of the food again.

 

[wellington]

WELCOME The temp should be 80-85 through out day and night with a basking spot of 95-100. Humidity should be 80-85. They do not roam a lot. Mine is 10 months old and he does sleep most of the day. If the humidity and temps are correct and there is no visible problems, they are just probably a bit shy yet.

 

[bubbles01]

Welcome to TFO!

 

[pdrobber]

welcome

 

[jruckart]

Thanks for the kind welcome.

I'm in Atlanta so they will enjoy some outside time when the weather is warmer. The whole yard is chemical free too so I dont have to woryy about that.

I mix the sphagnum and hay on one end (hide) and coco and sphag (UVB light) on the other to help retain moisture. I could make is more so if that would help.

 

[Neal]

I think there is a difference between being shy and being inactive. A shy tortoise should still be active when they can't see you. When a tortoise is not very active at all, it often indicates something isn't right. Even the so-called "shy species" should be very active in looking for food and getting some exercise throughout the day.

You said they only eat every couple of days...how often do you offer them food? I have found that when I consistently feed mine 2 times a day, they become more active. When I skip a couple of days, they become noticeably "shyer" and not as active. I would recommend increasing their feedings to twice a day (once in the morning and once in the evening). When I am consistent with the timing, I will always see them pacing their enclosures waiting for their meal when I enter the room.

Another thing you might want to look into is increasing the lighting. There are a lot of good articles on this forum and all over the web regarding reptile lighting. My opinion is that while a 100w MVB might be adequate with your size of enclosure, but your tortoises might benefit more from some additional lighting.

 

[DesertGrandma]

Ditto to what Neal just said. My little leo sure became more active when I started using a tube fluorescent light over the enclosure in addition to the MVB bulb. With both on for 14 hours a day he is more active and eating more too.

 

[jruckart]

Thanks. I'll try twice a day feedings, I usually only feed them in the morning and again at night only if the ate all the food. The cage is by a south facing window so they get natural light too.