leopard tortoises

[dreefman1]

Are leopard tortoises easy to maintain when young...I hear they have issues with illnesses when very young....Interested in leopard tortoise...

 

[Jeremy]

I don't think they are harder to keep than other young torts just do some research BEFORE you buy and try to pick one that appears alert and active. Make sure you can provide a proper diet(lots of grasses,endives,kale,collards,hibiscus,dandelions,and other weeds is what I feed mine). Use a vitamin suplement with D3 since you probably shouldn't leave it outdoors to much as a hatchling(don't get me wrong real sun is also important) but you will need a light with U.V.B indoors. Also give it a basking area and cool spot with a dry and humid hide. Soak it in shallow warm water every other day so it won't get dehidrated and you should be fine.

Good luck

Jeremy

 

[katesgoey]

I agree with Jeremy. I chose an older juvenile because any tort hatchling is susceptible and requires great care. Since I adopted my first Leopard when he was around 10 years old, I didn't feel confident enough to go with a hatchling so my second tort adoption was of a 4 year old. Whatever choice you make, researching is helpful (including the input you get here from experienced keepers). You can research more about Leopard tortoises at these websites:
http://africantortoise.com/
http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/pardaliscare.htm
http://www.infotortuga.com/eng_stigmochelys_pardalis.htm

Good luck and have fun!

 

[LIttleGreys]

I have a leopard hatchling and she has been sick every since I got her. Actually, I bought 2 and one died within 36 hours of arrival. That being said, I believe these torts were ill when shipped. Mine has been to the vet so many times I have lost count. She is receiving all the best care, but is not getting better. My suggestion would be to be very careful who you buy from, and get a juvenile rather than a hatchling.

 

[RTfanatic]

My two have been pretty easy to care for so far, though I've had trouble finding info on a good growth rate to expect. I have a moderately small indoor enclosure which is a storage bin, though I do have a protected area within a larger tortoise pen for Russian's outside that I leave them in periodically during the day. Outside they get more exercise and can browse the vegetation as they please. They seem to be more active and eat more outside. They still sleep a lot, even outside. They are much like other babies in that respect in that they have many active-sleep cycles in a day with light eating in between, rather than older tortoises who have longer active-sleep cycles. I do have a three year old RT whose active-sleep cycles over the past year have been somewhat in between, so it seems normal for the Leopards by comparison.

I've now had them two months and they were about 4-6 weeks old when I got them. They've not grown more than about 1/16 inch from what I can tell, but as I mentioned I don't know if that is a good growth rate for this time period. But since they've grown very little while having the ability to browse food most days, I've been a little concerned that they're not growing faster. However, I think they're eating as much as they want and growing slowly is better than over-feeding them and growing too fast. So I'm monitoring it carefully, but I'd say I'm more "attentive" than concerned about it for now.

 

[-EJ]

once you have it figured out after the first year... they are as easy as any other tortoise.

They can be delicate though.

email me at [email protected] for some information on the species.

Are leopard tortoises easy to maintain when young...I hear they have issues with illnesses when very young....Interested in leopard tortoise...