My Leopard Baby

[maevamichelle]

Pic's of my baby leo took this morning during breakfast^^
I just read the thread about the damp hay having mold spores that are harmful if breathed in for hatchlings. He's not big enough that he tips any water dishes (yet) so I rarely have "damp hay" and certainly wouldn't let it mold hehe. I think mine's 7/8 months old, not 100% sure. I used to have him on aspen shavings but it seemed to bother him and he was always "wiping" it from his face. I guess I need to try that Bed A Beast stuff next?
He burrows down under the hay every night behind one of his "hides" instead of "in" actually but i guess that's the same effect. I have the bottom covered in green shelf paper and am looking for an african themed horizon shot for the sides. He(she)'s got two water dishes, a main food dish, and two hides so far. Hope he's not too bored. His light is a ZooMed Uvb/Uba heat light 100Watt. I just moved him to his new table few days ago and still have to get a temperature gauge. If you see anything else that I can improve upon please let me know what I need to change. This is my first tortoise so any response good or bad is a learning tool!
{yes I stole a Thomas the Tank Engine tunnel for that hide in the back}

 

[Kristina]

He is certainly a cute bugger

Personally, I would not keep a hatchling on hay. You are asking for dehydration. I personally think it is okay for larger torts as long as other humidty requirements are met, but not okay for babies.

The dry hay can actually pull moisture from their bodies. I would definately use coconut coir and playsand, and keep it moist.

Kristina

 

[maevamichelle]

lol I got worried and pulled him out of his hide and placed him in his water dish....
He yawned two times then drank some water, then yawned again and walked back to his hide and dug under the hay to sleep. He prolly thinks I'm a nut but I feel better just now, lol
:s I'm a nerd
Coconut Coir & Playsand just moved to the top of my To Do List in the morning!

 

[tortoisenerd]

Cute! I had never seen a picture of a baby leopard tort before. Looks like you have a lot of area to cover with the substrate...best of luck (it took me most of an evening to do my enclosure with the coir&sand back when I had that).

 

[Karyn]

What a cutie! I love the Thomas the Tank hide.

 

[Isa]

Your baby is a cutie, thanks for sharing

 

[galvinkaos]

Very cute. The awful pet store near me has a tank with 6 or 8 leopard hatchlings (149.99), several sulcata hatchlings (149.99), 1 sulcata juvenile (199.99) and an 6-8" russian (149.99). I wish I could have bought them all to save them. They are all so cute. I told the "kid" working there they shouldn't house them together - different species and ages. The babies could get hurt. He told me the russian leaves them alone and basically mind my own business. It was hiding in a half log it was too big for. I did talk a lady out of buying her 7 yr old son a "cute little sulcata". She said his RES got too big and the were looking for something little. All I did was educate her a little about the cute little tort and what they could expect from it. I got dirty looks from the employees, but she told her son they would stick to the RES they have. The poor babies need a new home but not an uneducated one.

Dawna

Sorry I didn't mean to rant. Anyone looking for babies I know of some for sale that need good homes.

 

[maevamichelle]

I took ALL the hay out and replaced it w/ coconut coir today. He was already asleep when I started re doing his cage so he's asleep in his travel cage until morning when I introduce him to his new home (again) lol hope this doesn't stress him out.
I'll toss up pics in the AM during his breakfast ^^
Thnx everyone for the advice! <3 it
And yeah I totally agree w/ the pet store situation. If I lived on 10 acres I'd buy them all, lol. Stores at the very least should provide correct care sheets for the right specimen, so at least the buyer understands what he/she is getting in terms of a life-long commitment.

 

[galvinkaos]

Another one to add to the "when I hit the lottery" list. I think the improper housing at the store gives people the wrong impression on care too. Looking forward to pics.

Dawna

 

[maevamichelle]

Out w/ the old In w/ the new!

 

[Kristina]

Looks great! What a huge table for such a tiny tort, lol!

Just remember, if you notice the coir being too "sticky," you can mix in an equal amount of play sand. It gives it a bit more body and allows the baby to tunnel better It also helps keep it from being too wet.

Kristina

 

[Jacqui]

I like his dark coloring. Very nice fella!

 

[Millerlite]

Looks kinda like my guys, i need to post pictures of my leopard. Leopard tortoises are fun to have, mine is very active and has attitude, lol

 

[tortoisenerd]

Wow how big is that table? The new pictures really show how lucky your baby is.

Looks even bigger than mine which is about 8 sq ft.

 

[maevamichelle]

It's only 2.5 feet wide and 3ft4in long he's just tiny lol
I got it for $10 US =p I lucked out =p