New African Leopard Tortoise

[Tyronne Fourie]

Hi everyone. Some one found a African Leopard Tortoise wandering the streets (full of dogs btw) and asked around for the owner. We ended up taking in the tortoise because we could not find the owner.

I Googled the subject allot, and I have no idea whether it's a male or female, nor do I know how old it is. I have some photos if anyone can give me an approximate age!

Also we made a little house for the critter. I don't think its used to being a 'cared for' pet, I'm not sure. It doesn't enter the house on its own ever, but if I pick it up at night time and put it inside the house, it doesn't leave the house either.

Me and my girl friend put a cloth on it the floor and roof, covered the roof with a black trash can bag, so to absorb some sun and keep in the heat.
I live in Africa, so this is its 'homeland' but at at the same time, I live next to the sea, we have miserable weather, its usually covered with fog, cold and damp.

We put the house in its little living corner, I have only once seen it leave that corner.. (I check on it like 10x a day) That was on the second day of living there, and then never again.

We don't have allot of grass, I have seen it eat the grass and plants, but I am wondering about the grass cover we have allot of. I didn't get a nice photo of that though.. If anyone can recognize it and whether a African Leopard Tortoise can eat it? (I could not find that specific ground cover when searching)

The tortoise was very dirty when we found it, I gave it one bath / soaking, it pooped. (on its 3rd day I bathed it) I plan on soaking it once a week and giving it some carrots or somethings afterwards, so to get used to us.

I want the tortoise to trust us and start walking around at least. I read that African Leopard Tortoises are not territorial nor violent, my mother is giving me hers, that she got from a friend, so that my Tortoise has a friend.
They are the same size as well.

It is kinda getting used to us.. It's still very defensive and scared, but it doesn't hide completely anymore when we are close.

I kinda forcing it to take walks, by putting it in the middle of the yard and leaving it there, then I gain a few meters distance from it and look after it, observing the dog and cats reactions to it. (so far they completely ignore it) I have only read bad things about dogs and tortoises, but my dog sleeps on my bed. I trust it, still I'm cautious.

We have had the tortoise for about 4 days now. It doesn't walk around yet, that worries me. Only stays in its corner 24/7. We have no money to spend on the tortoise so don't tell me to buy anything. Here are some photos of its environment.

It hides away so much, I feel sorry for it and worried, is it normal to always be hiding away?

 

[wellington]

I am so surprised no one claimed it. It looks to be in very good condition and no pyramiding. Being in Africa and the condition it's in you could guess it may be wild, I'm not sure about that though. You can check out the Tortoisetable.org for edible plants.

 

[Tyronne Fourie]

It has a little hole in the back of its shell, a little bigger than a pens 'ink cylinder' / cartridge. No idea why that is.. Does it look like it will survive, judging by the eye? (food and shelter wise) we wet that area once a week, so I will have to place it in its house on Saturday. Also, after the plants get water and is all wet and muddy, can I place it back that area? Everywhere is getting wet besides the grass cover, I could move its house there on Saturdays. I will look at your link, thank you.

 

[Greg T]

That is a fantastic looking tort you found. Nice of you to take it in and provide care. You can get a ton of information on Tom's thread links posted in Wellington's reply above.

Your yard looks nice and would be great for that young guy to roam around. Being wet isn't usually a problem unless it is cold too. That is a bad combination. Sunny and wet is fine.

Keep us posted and continue asking questions - we love to share ouor experiences.

 

[LeopardTortLover]

It'll be hiding because it's not used to its new environment yet. I'm sure once it learns there is no danger it'll come out more. Has it eaten?

 

[wellington]

Hot and wet is not bad, cold and wet is. Hard to say what the hole is from. Could be a large bird or even a dog bite. Be sure to keep the dog away from your Tort. Dogs and tortoises never mix, ever. It's fine to water and let him/her choose whether it wants to be in the water or go into its house. Also be sure he/she has shade to get under, not just the house. If you post pics of the underside, tail area, we may be able to tell you if it's a male or female. From what I can tell, he/she looks good.

 

[Tyronne Fourie]

I took two photos of the hole in its shell, also we caught it eating sweet potato leaves on photo as well. I am guessing its a girl from the U shape, but I am not certain.

 

[Tyronne Fourie]

Thank your Greg T. Yes I have seen it eat grass, sweet potato leaves and some other random leaves I don't know what it was, my girl friend saw it eating that time. Only 'mistakes' I know of so far is, my soaking session; it was only about 5 minutes. I just used a tooth brush to clean its shell gently. and Not using a giant container to let it soak for 10+ minutes, it kept trying to run away, so I had to hold it in the air, and gently throw some water over its shell.

On the plus side, I saw it soaking on its own before I knew what soaking was. It took it's 1st poop there. Saturday I will do it properly.

 

[LolaMyLove]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong bit isn't that a drill hole from someone tiring to tag this tort? Isn't that the old school method for ID/tagging? So my guess is this is not a wild animal but someone's lost pet.


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[Tyronne Fourie]

I just said the same thing in the introduction post, haha! (about it looking like a drill hole) We did look for the owner though, could be a few blocks away. The tortoise was very lucky though, these streets are infested with dogs and no gates to keep them in theyr yards.

 

[yagyujubei]

The hole was used to tether the tortoise to something. Looks like a female, but still too small for positive ID. Where in Africa are you?

 

[Tyronne Fourie]

Namibia, it's next to South Africa. (on top of) If by tether you mean chain, that's just cruel iMo. Excuse my bad English and grammar.

I have a new question. Our average temperature is about 20 degrees Celsius, that's 68 Fahrenheit. Problem I might be facing is that, the tree and roof, blocks the sun out of the back yard, where the tortoise is living, at about 3 pm on average. Is this dangerous / bad?

 

[LolaMyLove]

I just said the same thing in the introduction post, haha! (about it looking like a drill hole) We did look for the owner though, could be a few blocks away. The tortoise was very lucky though, these streets are infested with dogs and no gates to keep them in theyr yards.

Could be several miles away, these guys can travel pretty far. He/she is beautiful.

 

[Tom]

Ugh. Where to begin... What part of Africa are you in? Huge difference between Durban on the coast and Hout Bay on the coast.

Your tortoise isn't real active because its fall. With the days getting shorter and the weather getting cooler, it is preparing for its winter "rest period".

For soaking you need a tub with sides high enough that the tortoise can't see out of. The water should be warm and only come up to the bridge of the shell. Plop her in there and leaves her for 20-30 minutes. Its okay if she walks around a lot in the soak.

Your tortoise does not need or want a "friend". Other tortoises are seen as competitors, intruders and combatants. She will be happiest all alone.

Blankets do not keep a tortoise warm, since they do not generate their own heat. She'd be much better off with some hay in there. Know anyone near you with horses? Got a feed store nearby?

If I'm not mistaken, sweet potato leaves are toxic. She should not be allowed access to them.

Your dog sleeping on your bed has nothing to do with its natural instincts to chew on a tortoise. Your tortoise needs its own fenced off area where the dog physically can not get to it. If you can't provide this, I recommend you give your tortoise to someone who can. I beg you, do NOT leave your dog loose in the garden with access to the tortoise unsupervised. NOT ever. One day after months of no problems, you will briefly walk into the house to answer the phone or use the loo, and when you come back out and find your dog gnawing at the tortoises remaining bloody stump of a leg, you will be horrified and think to yourself, "I should have listened to that pushy American." JUST DON'T RISK IT!!! No one whose dog chewed up their tortoise actually thought their dog would ever chew up their tortoise.

If this tortoise were living wild it would have spent weeks or months preparing for the oncoming winter. It would have found shelters and microclimates that your garden can not provide. Because we have interfered with and interrupted this process we now must help this tortoise make it through the winter with artificial means. It needs some sort of dry dog house where it will not get wet with the rain, and it needs a heat source for the upcoming cold nights and days. A heat mat or an overhead ceramic heating element, either or both on a thermostat will work nicely. Again, if you can't provide this, find someone to take the tortoise who can. If you don't do this, it is very likely you will induce a respiratory infection in your tortoise. Even though they are native to your area, your garden is not like the wild. We have the same issues here with the native California Desert tortoises. A backyard in Los Angeles City, is not the same as a burrow in Mojave. Something like this will work:

The hole in the shell was where a string was tied to keep this tortoise from running away. it was likely tied to a stake in the ground. Thankfully, mercifully, it looks like the knot somehow came untied.

Good luck. Ask lots more questions.

 

[yagyujubei]

As long as it gets some sun it should do fine. It wouldn't be sitting in the sun all day anyway. If you have cactus (opuntia ssp) it's a very good additional food. I know it's a widespread invasive species in SA. Devil's thorn and desert thistle seem to be favorite foods for wild Namibian leopard tortoises.

 

[Tyronne Fourie]

Thank you littlestella, I agree!
Tom, I respect the fact that you know allot, I even read some of your threads / guides. The African Leopard tortoise is not territorial or violent and should be fine living with a partner.
We have stables nearby, I will get some hay there thank you. How often will I need to change to fresh hay?
My dog barely goes outside unless it poops. It's a house dog.

www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-10051.html

There's a thread on sweet potato leaves being poisonous or not, apparently it's not, thanks for the warning though.

We have cactus yes!

I can't afford to put in a heat source, but I assure you it didn't have it where it came from, also that no one else would go through the trouble.

 

[Tom]

[split] New African Leopard Tortoise

There are, by some accounts, 11 "types" of leopard tortoises throughout the range. There is no way to tell which type you have there, but it is likely one of the South African types. This is the type I have. Over here we have two main types available, and of course many that are hybrids. The "regular" leopards are generally not too combative, but the South Africans generally are. Also, in any species, pairs are generally not a good idea. If yours is female and the other one a male, he will harass her relentlessly. She will have no peace. If its two females, they may be okay, but they'd still be better off alone. Lastly, you are saying you have no money to care for this one properly, so why would you want to take on another?



P.S. I stand corrected about the sweet potato leaves. Apparently it is just the regular potato leaves that are toxic.

 

[GeoGpp1012]

The money spent on proper care isn't "unnecessary". A human can survive on the street without proper care and so can a tortoise but that doesn't make it ok and right. Just like a human needs proper care to thrive and be healthy so does a tortoise but a tortoise can't tell you that. You should listen to the advice given to you here because we are all people with a passion for our shelled friends with experience. You came here looking for help and I commend you for doing so...now you should listen to the help given or else you have wasted your time. Because you are inexperience in tortoise care you most likely wouldn't even recognize bullying between two tortoises to even realize you should separate. Bullying can be very subtle and to the untrained eye unnoticeable but it's still there.

Leopard tortoises like to be kept alone. Does not need a friend. And if you can afford to get another you should more wisely spend the money on the proper care of the one you now have.

Tom was trying to give you the help you requested. He is extremely knowledgable in leopard care.
I hope you try and see we are giving you good advice backed by experience.

Happy to hear you are now part of the leopard community . You have luckily acquired a lifetime pet and friend.
will have no peace. If its two females, they may be okay, but they'd still be better off alone. Lastly, you are saying you have no money to care for this one properly, so why would you want to take on another?

Because the tortoise was left to its own devices and somehow survived prior to you finding it, is not justification for further neglect.

You asked for help. I granted your request. You don't want to listen to someone who has been keeping this species for decades, but you openly admit you don't know what to do.

 

[Tom]

Tyronne, you are wrong about food and shelter in the wild compared to a garden or yard. As I stated before, a closed in yard miles from the natural territory is not the same as freedom to move around over hundreds of square miles to find just the right niche for surviving the various seasons and weather. In our yards we must provide what they need to stay healthy. Experiences has taught me what they need and I shared that info as requested.

 

[EchoTheLeoTort]

I think in this case, the best advice really is Tom's. I find some people (very few) on threads read his directions or advice in a negative matter, maybe by the way he words or whatever it be, but honestly he isn't trying to put anyone down or make them feel he is forcing things, he gives great advice, and he has done so much research and experiments raising leopards, (and sullies) that he really knows his stuff. I think what Tom said is completely reasonable. You took on a responsibility to bring in a tortoise you found in the street, which is a good kudos to you. However, taking an animal in for care, isn't just about the walk home. It's about learning what an animal needs to receive better care, doing your research if your not familiar, and acting upon what you find out. The best thing you could do for this tortoise, is to either find some sort of way to get money to properly care for it, or maybe look for someone from the forums to adopt it, or find someone local that knows what they are doing. I am not saying you are clueless by any means, I just think you came to a forum about tortoises for advice, so you should listen to what people are telling you. No one is being negative to you, we are offering the advice you seek. The tortoise needs a heat source, it is a reptile, and a cold blooded one at that. It needs to thermoregulate to keep itself the proper temperature, and it cannot do so if there is no heat. Also, I am sure tortoises in africa have favorite foods in the wild, and I am sure many of those are not kept in the small space of yard you have, Look up more research to what leopards can eat and try and plant some plants, or find a way to get that food to the tort so it eats good nutritional food. I know how it is with money. I set up a cage for my leopard hatchling, doing the best I could with what little I had. But with Tom's and many others advice I found this wasn't in the best interest of my tortoise.So I figured out how to get money to build Echo a proper enclosure. I am only 18 so it's not like I am incredibly rich either.I admit at first it brings you kind of down knowing you didn't do things right, but you have to get over it. If you love the pet and want it, fix your mistakes. The main concern of forum members is to help you raise, or care for, a healthy tortoise. No one attacks others here, they merely tell you what they know and what they have learned from THEIR mistakes. Yes, even the smartest ones here have made mistakes in raising their own. Please just don't let your ego get in the way here, the tortoises care comes first. It needs a heat source, proper food, and space to roam. Leopard tortoises are the 4th largest species, so they definitely need space. If you honestly can't afford to get what he needs, then its in the best interest to find a new home.