haydog_99
Active Member
I just got a new tortoise back in February and thought I would share what I learned throughout the process.
Buying your new tortoise:
I looked the internet and thought I did a good amount of research before buying my tortoise, and still purchased from a site I wish I wouldn't have. I suggest you look for threads on sites like this, and ask for recommendations on breeders, so you get a tortoise that you know was started correctly. I have a feeling my tortoise was started in an environment that was too dry. My tortoise is almost a year old and is a slow grower. His name is Max (leopard tortoise) and he was 10 months old when he arrived. After researching growth rates for leopard tortoise I was just as confused as when I started, it seems that the growth rates can vary tremendously. Here is a good site that I found on growth rates: http://leopardtortoises.com/leopard-tortoise-growth-rates/ . In the end as long as your tortoise is gaining weight and growing that's what matters. Weigh your tortoise regularly and give them the once over every few days to ensure he looks good. Watch that they stay active and eat well, also watch for open mouth breathing or snorting sounds as that indicate respiratory problems. Summary, ask for recommendations and only buy from the breeder, not sites that act as a middle man.
Enclosure and accessories:
DON'T buy a starter kit for any tortoise, they look nice but they aren't functional for a young tortoise. I bought a starter kit that came with an enclosure (zoomed tortoise table), lighting, substrate, water bowl...... After all this, I am not using one thing that came in the starter kit except the Zoomed tortoise food. I am going to re purpose the tortoise table as an outside enclosure this summer. Look for, or make a fully enclosed enclosure so you can easily maintain the correct temperature and humidity levels. I now have a 4' x 2' x 2' enclosure I purchased from DIYcages.com and so far I really like it (picture attached). I am using one Powersun 80 watt heat/UV bulb over my basking area (I had this left over so I am gong to continue to use it), one Reptisun 10.0 22" mounted on the top of the enclosure and on 100 watt heat emitter on the far end of the enclosure for night heating. I have my heat emitter hosed in a lighting enclosure (fire safety precaution) and one thing I've noticed is after 4 or 5 hours it can't produce the same amount of heat as the first few hours. Even in the beginning it doesn't keep the enclosure as warm as my Powersun and Reptisun bulbs, I am going to try a 100 watt infrared heat lamp at night and see if that does a better job. After all the back and forth attempts to make the first enclosure and work and dialing in the new enclosure I have wasted a lot money on accessories I probably won't ever use. This the area you will likely spend the most money getting right, do your research on enclosures and build your enclosure before buying your new tortoise. You can find plenty of discussions on this board regarding the correct temperatures and humidity levels for different types of tortoises, I'm going withe the 80/80 method.
Food:
This has been pretty easy so far, I have focused on feeding Max mixed greens, dandelion, collard greens and give him Zoomed tortoise food every couple days. I also add a little calcium to his food every couple days. I have just started growing some food for him, I bought some seeds on line which are a mixture of grasses flowers and other things. There is a really good thread on the board that lists all the weeds and grasses that tortoises can eat if you are confused with what they can and can't eat.
In summary, buying your first tortoise can be very overwhelming and a bit frustrating, but once everything is done and working well it is very satisfying. Do your research spend time on figuring out the type of enclosure you are going to build, or just go the easy route like me and buy one. Buy from a reputable breeder and enjoy your new tortoise. Hopefully this will help someone avoid some of the pitfalls I went through.
Cheers
Buying your new tortoise:
I looked the internet and thought I did a good amount of research before buying my tortoise, and still purchased from a site I wish I wouldn't have. I suggest you look for threads on sites like this, and ask for recommendations on breeders, so you get a tortoise that you know was started correctly. I have a feeling my tortoise was started in an environment that was too dry. My tortoise is almost a year old and is a slow grower. His name is Max (leopard tortoise) and he was 10 months old when he arrived. After researching growth rates for leopard tortoise I was just as confused as when I started, it seems that the growth rates can vary tremendously. Here is a good site that I found on growth rates: http://leopardtortoises.com/leopard-tortoise-growth-rates/ . In the end as long as your tortoise is gaining weight and growing that's what matters. Weigh your tortoise regularly and give them the once over every few days to ensure he looks good. Watch that they stay active and eat well, also watch for open mouth breathing or snorting sounds as that indicate respiratory problems. Summary, ask for recommendations and only buy from the breeder, not sites that act as a middle man.
Enclosure and accessories:
DON'T buy a starter kit for any tortoise, they look nice but they aren't functional for a young tortoise. I bought a starter kit that came with an enclosure (zoomed tortoise table), lighting, substrate, water bowl...... After all this, I am not using one thing that came in the starter kit except the Zoomed tortoise food. I am going to re purpose the tortoise table as an outside enclosure this summer. Look for, or make a fully enclosed enclosure so you can easily maintain the correct temperature and humidity levels. I now have a 4' x 2' x 2' enclosure I purchased from DIYcages.com and so far I really like it (picture attached). I am using one Powersun 80 watt heat/UV bulb over my basking area (I had this left over so I am gong to continue to use it), one Reptisun 10.0 22" mounted on the top of the enclosure and on 100 watt heat emitter on the far end of the enclosure for night heating. I have my heat emitter hosed in a lighting enclosure (fire safety precaution) and one thing I've noticed is after 4 or 5 hours it can't produce the same amount of heat as the first few hours. Even in the beginning it doesn't keep the enclosure as warm as my Powersun and Reptisun bulbs, I am going to try a 100 watt infrared heat lamp at night and see if that does a better job. After all the back and forth attempts to make the first enclosure and work and dialing in the new enclosure I have wasted a lot money on accessories I probably won't ever use. This the area you will likely spend the most money getting right, do your research on enclosures and build your enclosure before buying your new tortoise. You can find plenty of discussions on this board regarding the correct temperatures and humidity levels for different types of tortoises, I'm going withe the 80/80 method.
Food:
This has been pretty easy so far, I have focused on feeding Max mixed greens, dandelion, collard greens and give him Zoomed tortoise food every couple days. I also add a little calcium to his food every couple days. I have just started growing some food for him, I bought some seeds on line which are a mixture of grasses flowers and other things. There is a really good thread on the board that lists all the weeds and grasses that tortoises can eat if you are confused with what they can and can't eat.
In summary, buying your first tortoise can be very overwhelming and a bit frustrating, but once everything is done and working well it is very satisfying. Do your research spend time on figuring out the type of enclosure you are going to build, or just go the easy route like me and buy one. Buy from a reputable breeder and enjoy your new tortoise. Hopefully this will help someone avoid some of the pitfalls I went through.
Cheers