New African Leopard Tortoise

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Tyronne Fourie

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I have shade, sun and a water proof house. How is the natures protection better against the weather? Do you know what being humble means? Or is that why you gracefully bow out?
It's not what you say, but how you say it. I acknowledge your experience and knowledge, but, I don't argue 'with' your points, I argue out the points, and then make my own decisions, you don't seem to like that. Your opinions are welcome, even your opinions on my decisions, just choose your wording a little better.
 

TommyZ

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Hmph...gotta chime in. I have gotten literally ALL of my CORRECT info, right here on this forum. Much of it from Toms threads. Many knowledgable and intelligent people here. In my personal experience when a very knowledgeable person speak to someone about a subject they are well versed on it can sometimes sound very pointed and direct which I think was the case here but in my opinion not at all rude. Unfortunatly, we can not "hear" tone or connotation via text on a forum. I think this is just a miscommunication here gang...

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Neal

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Don't mean to deviate the thread topics here, but since the picture was posted in the thread and maybe there's someone else out there with the same question who, like me, is not up to date with all the reptile "toys", what's this thing Tom? (highlighted in red)

Heater_zps12d3ba44.jpg
 

JennBell0725

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Lol Neal I was wondering the same thing

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wellington

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I am a mod, and really don't like having to play as one. So, please lets not take this thread where it shouldn't go. Thank you.:)
 

Levi the Leopard

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Tyronne Fourie said:
I have shade, sun and a water proof house.

Access to sun and shade is good. The yard to roam is great.

My suggestion to you would be improving the tort's shelter. Building an heated, insulated box is the most ideal. If you aren't willing to do that another option (not as good as the insulated box but still better than what is currently set up) is you could build a huge mound over and around the plastic hay filled tub you have. The layers of dirt around will help insulate it. Still a burrow effect and will help during the warmer weather.

As for diet, even if your yard/garden doesn't have a lot of variety for him to choose from you can always supplement and add extra greens.

Since your pooch is a house dog just keep watch on the times he does go out to do his business. Also, keep Rover inside when you aren't home. It's free to do ;) and saves you $$ by avoiding vet bills since no injury can occur if they are separate without you around.

**I think I read that is a heat panel on the roof of the house in Tom's picture.
 

Tyronne Fourie

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Hey the mound sounds like a really good idea, thanks. That combined with the hay I am fetching tomorrow should provide a much better shelter against the cold. I will post a picture of it after I make it tomorrow.
 

Levi the Leopard

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Tyronne Fourie said:
Hey the mound sounds like a really good idea, thanks. That combined with the hay I am fetching tomorrow should provide a much better shelter against the cold. I will post a picture of it after I make it tomorrow.

Yes post pics after. :)
 

jjsull33

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If you don't have enough variety of greens and grasses for him and no money to get more could then go into the woods near by and pick some plants including the roots and then replant them in your yard? More variety offered and its free, just a thought.
 

Tom

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Neal said:
Don't mean to deviate the thread topics here, but since the picture was posted in the thread and maybe there's someone else out there with the same question who, like me, is not up to date with all the reptile "toys", what's this thing Tom? (highlighted in red)

In that night box there is a heat mat on the floor (kind of dirty in the pic) and the red circled thing is a radiant heat panel. It basically does the same thing as a CHE, but it spreads the heat out over a greater area. In larger or higher domed species (like leopards) I have seen damage at the top of the carapace from the intense concentrated heat offered by a red bulb or a CHE. These radiant heat panels are made for large boas and pythons that will frequently reach up to the tops of their enclosures. Any sort of hot to the touch heating elements would burn them, so some keepers use these. You can literally hold your hand right on it and it won't burn you, but yet it radiates heat down over a large area, which is much better than a hot "spot" for a large tortoise. I find them ideal for use in a low box with a big tortoise. Both of these heating devices are on a thermostat and I adjust the temperature for different times of the year. I keep it warmer in winter since they can't get out and warm up on a cool overcast winter day. And I set it cooler during fall and spring when we have hot sunny days. I usually unplug them in summer when the nights are relatively warm and the days are all really hot.
 

Tyronne Fourie

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We don't have woods over here! If you go on the main road to leave town, to your left you will see the Atlantic ocean, to your right you will see miles and miles of dunes. Thus the bad weather.
We have (some) grass, palm trees, salt and sand!
Other than that, some shrubs in the dessert, and foreign botany in peoples yards.
 

jjsull33

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Tyronne Fourie said:
We don't have woods over here! If you go on the main road to leave town, to your left you will see the Atlantic ocean, to your right you will see miles and miles of dunes. Thus the bad weather.
We have (some) grass, palm trees, salt and sand!
Other than that, some shrubs in the dessert, and foreign botany in peoples yards.

Oh I didn't realize that lol, well keep an eye out if you do notice any random plants haha.
 

Tyronne Fourie

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I'm not sure yet, but I think the garden can feed it? It has the grass, sweet potato leaves, cactus / cactus fruit, we have a olive tree if its feeling really brave haha.
a Fig tree, tomato bush, carrots, parsley and daisy lawn cover, (not sure if it can eat these two mentioned) we have some arum lilies, that tortoises like to eat, according to my girl friend.
Also, I read it can also eat hay, which I'm going to get a bunch of, and of course, the vegetables that I will feed it each Saturday after its bath. :)
 

Tyronne Fourie

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Alright, thanks much. I don't think its eaten it, but my girl friend thought they liked to. Tortoises wont eat some thing poisonous if they have other food will they?
 

JoesMum

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Re: RE: New African Leopard Tortoise

Tyronne Fourie said:
Alright, thanks much. I don't think its eaten it, but my girl friend thought they liked to. Tortoises wont eat some thing poisonous if they have other food will they?

It depends. Wild caught should be able to ignore poisonous stuff from their home range. In some cases the smell will be enough to put them off other plants. In other cases, a tiny nibble is enough to tell them the plant is not good and the amount of toxin consumed is small enough not to harm them.

Joe is very good at ignoring the poisonous stuff in our garden. Despite his obsession with all things red, even poisonous yew berries don't get eaten when they drop and I haven't picked them up.

I think it's different with stuff that's picked and served to torts kept in small encloures though. They don't necessarily have the knowledge, ability or choice to avoid the toxic plants.
 

Tyronne Fourie

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Well the arum sillies are in a hard spot to reach, there are non poisonous food everywhere along the way, doubt it will go there to eat it. Also it doesn't move away from its corner yet, I keep checking, hoping it does.
 

Tyronne Fourie

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Here's a picture of the burrow we made, and one of the amount of hay I put in there.

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I put the tortoise in there, but she left it soon afterwards and went back to hide in the plants again.

We made allot of noise while making it, laughing and chasing off a over sized spider etc.
I'm hoping that's why the tortoise left, noise shell shock, instead of her not actually liking the burrow.
Doesn't matter I guess, we compared the heat from inside the burrow, to that of under the plants by hand, and it seemed much warmer to us.
So if it gets cold, I am sure she will use? The only other thing I can think of that could bother as well is the plastic floor beneath the hay.
 

Yvonne G

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In the wild, leopard tortoises don't dig a burrow, rather, they find a nice bush to hide under, then they smoosh (scientific term) their body back and forth, back and forth, making a sort of indentation in the earth. The sun shining through the leaves and branches camouflages the tortoise, that's why he's colored like he is.
 
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