Lepoard tortoise

[katefurnell]

Hi all, I'm new to the group. I live in England and wanted to get a leopard tortoise. I want to know if its realistic that I can provide the right conditions for it to live in my garden all year long. I was thinking of getting a shed that I could heat up that I could allow it to move in and out of.

 

[JoesMum]

Leopard tortoises don't hibernate, so you are going to need a large shed that you can insulate and use as outdoor accommodation complete with heat, insulation etc. We get far too many frosts and snow, even where I live in the south for any species of tortoise to simply be left outside all year round.

 

[katefurnell]

With a heated shed would it be able to stay in the garden all year? Or would I need an indoor enclosure?

 

[Jodie]

I think an indoor enclosure would definitely be best for winter months.

 

[JoesMum]

An indoor enclosure is best.

Once they get to near full size they can probably be allowed a "cat flap" approach to going outside; my vet keeps one and he does this. He has a huge shed (think garage) that is big enough without outside access, but he has told me that he is surprised that in the colder weather they still choose to go out for short periods. They are sort of thermal stores so once warmed up the bigger tortoises can roam for quite a while before needing a recharge under a basking lamp.

You have to accept that a tortoise is cold blooded and thus solar powered. They must have access to heat to bask which ensures they can digest their food as well as move and stay healthy. Tortoises also need space to roam and that is proportional to their size. Leopards are one of the biggest species and so you are talking a big space requirement both indoors and out.

The smaller Testudo also needs plenty of space indoors if kept up all winter. We have only done this once (for health reasons) with Joe who is normally free range including our garden; it's fair to say he hated it and it was very stressful for him and us. He can, and does, hibernate every winter from late November/early December until March /April depending on the weather. We try to get him down before the first frost... he seems to know when its coming and usually we will put him down the night the first frosts occurs! We have an soutdoor heat lamp for him to keep him going until it's time to be hibernated.

 

[JoesMum]

Tom's beginner mistakes thread is worth a read by the way, as well as the care sheets in the Leopard forum

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/forums/leopard-tortoises.87/

 

[Careym13]

Welcome to the forum! Leopards are awesome!