Leopard Tort adjusting to new environment?

[Ashley Rolison]

We have a 3.5 year old leopard tort and only recently ( yesterday) did we become aware that his shell wasn't normal. We just assumed it was normal but now that we have figured out it isnt. It is starting to pyramid. You have no idea how horrible we feel! Today we did research, changed over his environment from dessert to tropical.We are In the process of getting him a larger enclosure, but we were able to modify what we had for now. We put Oscar in there about an hour ago. The temp is 81.2 degrees and the humidity is at 79%. At first he was walking around exploring but now he is laying in his water dish located in the corner of the terrarium. Any advise out there on what we should do? Is this a shock to him should we slowly work up to the accurate temp? We dont want to make him miserable. We are trying to make things better.

 

[Tom]

Here is my guess: The environment you've now created mimics the rainy season. After a long dry spell, tortoises will seek out puddles to soak in and drink from when it rains.

I don't see anything wrong with your tortoise self soaking.

The pic in your avatar is small, but he doesn't look too bad.

 

[Ashley Rolison]

Here is my guess: The environment you've now created mimics the rainy season. After a long dry spell, tortoises will seek out puddles to soak in and drink from when it rains.

I don't see anything wrong with your tortoise self soaking.

The pic in your avatar is small, but he doesn't look too bad.

 

[Ashley Rolison]

This was taken about 2 hours ago in his new home.

 

[Tom]

Looks like he's had the dry routine. That's a bummer, but he looks healthy otherwise. Don't beat yourselves up about it. I can't even count how many leopards I raised that looked FAR worse than yours does before I learned about all this. Now you know. He's going to have a great, healthy life and this pyramiding won't look nearly as bad in a few years.

 

[Ashley Rolison]

Looks like he's had the dry routine. That's a bummer, but he looks healthy otherwise. Don't beat yourselves up about it. I can't even count how many leopards I raised that looked FAR worse than yours does before I learned about all this. Now you know. He's going to have a great, healthy life and this pyramiding won't look nearly as bad in a few years.

Thank you SOOOO much!! We just want to give him a good home he (we think) is such a sweet torty. I really wish there were more people like you out there. This little guy means the world to us. The people that sold him to us were just in it for the money. They told us he could live in the same environment as our Russian.

 

[Tom]

Thank you SOOOO much!! We just want to give him a good home he (we think) is such a sweet torty. I really wish there were more people like you out there. This little guy means the world to us. The people that sold him to us were just in it for the money. They told us he could live in the same environment as our Russian.

For the last 30 years or so people have been keeping and caring for African tortoises all wrong. We just didn't know better and most of the books, "experts", vets and even breeders still have the wrong idea from the old days. Care info was/is based on incorrect assumptions about the environment these tortoises come form. Its only in the last few years that we've really begun to figure it all out and put it into practice.

 

[Careym13]

Don't be so hard on yourself. I too was keeping my Leopards wrong in the beginning and though it wasn't long enough for them to really pyramid, it was long enough for them to get respiratory infections. I felt awful. But I came here and got tons of helpful advice and now my tortoises are thriving. Make sure to soak him often in water that is 85-95 degrees. Soak him inside his enclosure so he stays warm enough. Soon you'll see lots of new, smooth growth!

 

[Yvonne G]

That's a beautiful new area, and the diet looks great! I too have a pretty bumpy leopard tortoise, and I raised him from an egg, so the bumps are all my fault. No sense in crying over spilt milk. You've made the necessary adjustments now you can sit back and enjoy him.

 

[Ashley Rolison]

Awww poor thing =( I agree at least we all found this site and have access to valuable information! The information isnt as easy to find as some may think. Trusting the information found is an entire different story. At the end of the day we just want to make sure all our tortoises are happy and healthy. We purchased two russian torts years ago from a local pet store. Not once did they inform us that Russians don't do well together. The two were great together up until year 5 then the fighting started. A family friend took one of them and he is happy. We still have the other and he is just as happy as can be in his own separate torty home =) About 3.5 years ago we attended a local Reptile Convention just to look for new lighting, enclosure ideas and any other new items. Well, we saw Oscar and just fell in LOVE at first site. It took us about two hours to go through the pros and cons in addition considering our Russian at home. Ended up purchasing our little Oscar and was given very little information. It makes me sad that they are selling these little guys and not supplying any type of information. I will say, we should have done our research but he just stole our hearts. But like you said we have corrected the issue and giving him an appropriate environment to fit him. He seems to be adjusting good as of this morning. He is walking around and seems very comfy! I am glad this forum exist and people like yourselves can share experiences.