New Leopard Owner

[Joey B.]

Hey everyone,

So, finally, after lots of going back & forth over what species to get & what setup to use, I finally got my baby leopard tortoise last Thursday. He arrived weighing 34.5 grams & he’s already gained 3 grams since.

I’m hoping his setup is ok, he seems to be thriving so far. He’s active & eats everything I put in front of him (except Mazuri, he’s not too impressed with that). I’m growing the grazing mix that Andrew sells at Arizona tortoise compound and I’m also adding in some Spring mix from the store on occasion (with the spinach taken out). Planning to start offering some hay soon. Also sprinkling calcium on it every few days. His container is 36” x 24” & I’m using a 24” Reptisun strip and a 65 watt flood lamp during the day. The area right under the light is right at 100 degrees & the rest of the enclosure is anywhere from 77-95. At night I switch on a 65 watt CHE that’s just to the side of his hide and that keeps the area around there at around 85 degrees overnight. I had a hard time trying to figure out how to keep the humidity up with this but I finally started using aluminum foil and even though I can’t quite get it to 80-90%, I manage to keep it between 70-76% most of the day (the room is usually at around 40%). The foil also does a good job at keeping the inside a few degrees warmer overall.

I’m looking to purchase a 48”x30” home from Arizona Plastics in the new few weeks. I know those take a while but I’m hoping this will do in the meantime.

Is this a good start? Anything else I can be or should be doing?

Thanks in advance!

Joey

 

[Jodie]

It is a good start. The baby seems to be doing well. I try to keep my low temperatures above 80F, especially when they are this small. Babies will not eat hay. You could add grass in small amounts, cut up into small pieces to get him started that direction. Very cute little one you got there.

 

[Robber]

Do not worry if the humidity is not over 80%...70% range will be fine especially if they are well hydrated.

It takes babies a while to start on Mazuri, but almost all will eventually eat it and come to like it...just be persistent and add very small amount.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

I’ve been raising Leopards for 19 years ! I grind my Mazuri into a powder with Timothy hay ground up as well and sprinkle it on their food daily they all baby’s and adults all eat it and like it ! [emoji217]

 

[Joey B.]

Thanks so much for the information. I feel better about the humidity now. He's been getting soaked twice a day & seems to enjoy it. Also, thanks for the info on the hay & Mazuri. I'll try that pretty soon. I was thinking the best way might be to chop it up fine and mix it in so he gets some by accident. How do you grind up the hay?

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

I put the Timothy hay in the food prosser and then the Mazuri on top of it and turn it on . When I no longer hear the grinding of the Mazuri

 

[wellington]

I actually would try to get the humidity up to 80 and the temps not below 80. I see some very slight pyramiding and once it starts it's hard to stop specially with leopards.
Walmart has some cheap tote boxes that are bigger and would give cheaper option for the approx 2-3 years he needs to be house mostly inside. You can attach to the one you already have too.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Sorry got interuped .
I open the grinder to find some long strands of hay I just take the sizzers and cut the long strands and regrind until I’m happy !

 

[Robber]

I put the Timothy hay in the food prosser and then the Mazuri on top of it and turn it on . When I no longer hear the grinding of the Mazuri

Thanks so much for the information. I feel better about the humidity now. He's been getting soaked twice a day & seems to enjoy it. Also, thanks for the info on the hay & Mazuri. I'll try that pretty soon. I was thinking the best way might be to chop it up fine and mix it in so he gets some by accident. How do you grind up the hay?

You can also use a coffee grinder for the Timothy pellets, only takes a few seconds to make a powder out of a handful of those. Now, two of my leopards will munch on whole pellets, so I generally leave some in the food dish most of the time throughout the winter ; they are less inclined to eat them in the summer when they are outside and have other more desirable options to choose from.