Viggo Mortortoise
New Member
Hello everyone! I am the proud new owner of a baby Leopard tortoise (unexpectedly lol). Quick story of how I acquired him: A co-worker last week went out and bought this baby for whatever reason, and at the end of that week decided they didn't want it anymore. They tried to take it back to the reptile store, but they wouldn't give them a full refund for the baby so they reached out via our work's chat system if anyone was interested in taking him and all his supplies for a adoption fee. I own many, many animals so people tagged me asking if I was willing to take the baby since everyone knows I am a crazy animal lady. I was worried the baby might get sold on Craigslist or pawned off to someone not well suited, so I took him ASAP.
I got him yesterday. He has come with a 20 gallon long exo terra tank, a 80w powersun bulb, a deep dome light fixture, flat food dish and a log hide. My co-worker had him on newspaper, but after reading they need humidity, I instead created a mix of coco-fiber and cypress mulch that I had around for my rosy boa. I put the log hide on the warm side, and found a small cardboard box for a hide on the cool side because Petco only had large hides left that were too big for the enclosure.
I got him late afternoon yesterday, so I just set everything up and put him in and let him be last night. I have been doing my research but so many sites say different things, so I figure I join a forum and get information from active owners.
This morning I turned on his light (timer has been ordered on Amazon) and gave him a hour to bask. I then prepared a shallow dish of warm water and let him soak while I prepared him chopped kale, carrot and cilantro with some calcium powder sprinkled ontop. I put the food in the dish and put him right in the dish in front of his food. He sat there for a while, then walked right over it and pushed himself into the corner.
Worried he didn't want to eat, I looked up temperature information more closely. I have read 95-100 degrees is ideal for the hot side and the cool side no lower than 80, even at night. I took the thermometer from snake and put the probe on the basking side. It's only 85 degrees. The cool side is 78 degrees.
The dome is sitting right on the mesh top of the tank, so I don't know how I can get it any warmer. I have a under tank heater that used to be my snakes old one. I didn't know if I could add that under the soil to the basking side, to raise the temperature? And that it may help the cooler side raise a few degrees as well, and keep him warm at night? I keep reading contracting articles about under tank heaters. Some places say do not use them, others say that leopard tortoises aren't much of diggers so it's fine.
Any advice on this and anything else for this new baby would be great!
I got him yesterday. He has come with a 20 gallon long exo terra tank, a 80w powersun bulb, a deep dome light fixture, flat food dish and a log hide. My co-worker had him on newspaper, but after reading they need humidity, I instead created a mix of coco-fiber and cypress mulch that I had around for my rosy boa. I put the log hide on the warm side, and found a small cardboard box for a hide on the cool side because Petco only had large hides left that were too big for the enclosure.
I got him late afternoon yesterday, so I just set everything up and put him in and let him be last night. I have been doing my research but so many sites say different things, so I figure I join a forum and get information from active owners.
This morning I turned on his light (timer has been ordered on Amazon) and gave him a hour to bask. I then prepared a shallow dish of warm water and let him soak while I prepared him chopped kale, carrot and cilantro with some calcium powder sprinkled ontop. I put the food in the dish and put him right in the dish in front of his food. He sat there for a while, then walked right over it and pushed himself into the corner.
Worried he didn't want to eat, I looked up temperature information more closely. I have read 95-100 degrees is ideal for the hot side and the cool side no lower than 80, even at night. I took the thermometer from snake and put the probe on the basking side. It's only 85 degrees. The cool side is 78 degrees.
The dome is sitting right on the mesh top of the tank, so I don't know how I can get it any warmer. I have a under tank heater that used to be my snakes old one. I didn't know if I could add that under the soil to the basking side, to raise the temperature? And that it may help the cooler side raise a few degrees as well, and keep him warm at night? I keep reading contracting articles about under tank heaters. Some places say do not use them, others say that leopard tortoises aren't much of diggers so it's fine.
Any advice on this and anything else for this new baby would be great!
