New Leopard Tortoise owner

[HappyTortoise]

Hello,

My name is Rebecca and I am a new owner of a 2.5-3 year old leopard tortoise. The tortoise was sexed as female but we will have to see when she gets a little older. We have decided to call her Camilla. I am open to any good advice on tips for feeding, habitat and other things that might not be mentioned in books. She is truly beautiful and I will post pictures soon.

Do tortoises get depressed? She was a bit active this afternoon but hasn't really moved in the last 6-8 hours. She is just staying in one corner with her nose buried in the glass and hay. I am worried. She is my first tortoise and I don't have a good read on her yet. Please any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

R.

 

[dmarcus]

Hello Rebecca and welcome to the forum. Congrats on the Leopard tortoise

we are gonna need to know about the enclosure temps and what your setup is like and what you are feeding her to better help you.

 

[ascott]

Welcome to the forum and maybe she is still trying to get use to being he newbie

We love pictures

 

[HappyTortoise]

Ok, well we literally got her last night. Her owner was keeping her in a 20 gallon tank and she is now in a 10. We are going to get her a bigger tank this weekend. He was only feeding her lettuce and she wasn't getting a lot of attention. I have given her a bit of spinach and am going to the store tomorrow to get some grass for her. She has a shallow water dish and the bottom of the cage is covered with hay. This is how we got her. She has been living in this type of environment for the last 2 years. The temperature is about 80 in her tank. I am going to get her a new tank that is bigger and we are currently cleaning our lawn so that it has no fertilizers or chemicals on it so we can make her an outside enclosure.

I know I am kinda paranoid about her but I want to give her a good home. I have wanted a tortoise my entire life but didn't want to get one until I could give it a great home. My husband and I just got our first house and we have a great yard. We will be making a very nice habitat for her outside and inside. So that she will have a place for the summer and winter. Please tell me if I should be worried. Also what should I get when I go to get her a new tank. I know I need calcium and some more varieties of grass for her. Anything else??

 

[Laura]

Welcome.. start reading... A lot..
She may not eat grass hay. try Spring Mix salad.. its dark greens and other stuff.. its good lettuce.
You may consider getting some Mazuri as well. She may need some good nutrition.
Also, make sure you give her a good warm water soaking. shallow, but in a container where she is forced to be in it.
hay to live on is not thebest... It molds when it gets wet and doesnt provide good traction for her.
She is probably going to be shy at first. New home, new everything... so dont force her to be active or pester her too much. let her settle in.
Get outside as soon as possible. Cinder blocks can make a nice and quick outdoor area. be sure you put a screened top on it to protect her.

 

[dmmj]

Welcome
Don't worry yet, tortoises sometimes take time to readjust to a new home.

 

[Angi]

Welcome to the forum. My advice is do your reading here. The books maybe out dated. Check out the habitats others have made. You don't have to use a tank. Check out the diet section.

 

[HappyTortoise]

I have been reading a lot. I am going to Barnes and Noble to personally pick out a good book for care and information. I will the lettuce mix tomorrow. What would you suggest for bedding in the cage? Thank you so much for your help. I really love animal and always want to give them good homes. Both dogs and one cat are rescue. We have a loving home and we are super excited to have her. Thank you for your wonderful advice.

 

[DesertGrandma]

Hi Rebecca. Welcome to the forum. You will find a lot of good information on this forum. My advice would be to read the thread on leopard tortoise "care sheet." There is one for enclosures with lot of pictures of what others have put together to help guide you. Spinach is not recommended for feeding your tortoise. Fresh Express spring mix is a good combination of greens without spinach. Mine also loves cactus. If you have any prickly pear (opuntia) cactus there are instructions here on how to remove all the thorns before feeding it to your tortoise. The temps in your enclosure are important and you will find information on the heat lamps and UVB source lights to accomplish this. We always love to see pics of your leopard and also post some pics of your enclosure for more advice on the setup. Good luck and congratulations on your new tort.

 

[DocNezzy]

Good to have you Rebecca. Welcome!

 

[River14]

Rebecca you will learn that tanks (aquariums) are not the ideal home for tortoises its not a fish water or none. So you or your family might have to make some changes to suit tortoise. Dont worry its all possible.
I seriously would not adopt an animal I didnt know how to keep but I reckon your hearts are in the right place even if Camillas isnt yet, hope it will be soon

 

[HappyTortoise]

In reply to:
Rebecca you will learn that tanks (aquariums) are not the ideal home for tortoises its not a fish water or none. So you or your family might have to make some changes to suit tortoise. Dont worry its all possible.
I seriously would not adopt an animal I didnt know how to keep but I reckon your hearts are in the right place even if Camillas isnt yet, hope it will be soon

Read more: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/newreply.php?tid=29269&pid=274547#ixzz1RRN1wP1f
I adopted her because I have always wanted a tortoise. I have owned and care for many turtles in the past and given them great homes. I do know how to take care of her. You give them love, a safe place to live and keep them healthy and fed. Should I have left her in a place that was feeding her ice berg lettuce and keeping her in the dark. How else are use supposed to learn about raising animals if you don't try and considering i had her a day and go on this forum should show you my dedication to her. Im sorry I am not perfect but I do not feel that i should be insulted for taking on a creature that I know we will be good too. I didn't know how to take care of a cat or dog when I first got them too....should I have not rescued the three animals I have rescued. I mean they were beaten, emaciated and thrown out of a car but apparently taking them in and learning about them was bad..... I do not feel that I should be looked at as bad because I want to give an animal a good home. You learn through doing. I am doing. Sorry if that doesn't fit with you. . Camilla is gonna be extremely happy here and I do not need someone t saying she is in a bad place....that was uncalled for and mean

---

Hi Rebecca. Welcome to the forum. You will find a lot of good information on this forum. My advice would be to read the thread on leopard tortoise "care sheet." There is one for enclosures with lot of pictures of what others have put together to help guide you. Spinach is not recommended for feeding your tortoise. Fresh Express spring mix is a good combination of greens without spinach. Mine also loves cactus. If you have any prickly pear (opuntia) cactus there are instructions here on how to remove all the thorns before feeding it to your tortoise. The temps in your enclosure are important and you will find information on the heat lamps and UVB source lights to accomplish this. We always love to see pics of your leopard and also post some pics of your enclosure for more advice on the setup. Good luck and congratulations on your new tort.

I just picked up the spring mix leafy mix at the store. Thank you for your advice. I read on a tortoise care page that spinach was fine but was going to get new leafy stuff anyhow. I will not feed her spinach again. Thanks.

We have two cats and two dogs what sort of inside enclosure would work best? She has a nice window with a good amount of sunlight...her temp stays around 75-90 depending on the sun.

We are currently making an outside enclosure for her now. So she will be able to go out and graze and enjoy the sun. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Rebecca:

Welcome to the forum!!

I'm sorry you felt you were being insulted. I'm sure that's not how the post was intended. Sometimes the written word doesn't come across like the spoken word. The thinking about using aquariums for tortoise habitats is always evolving. We used to promote NOT using them and now we're back to saying that they're ok if you can get the temp and a bit of a gradient (hot/cold). You do what you think is best for your tortoise. We're here to help.

As to the spinach...it is fine as long as you use it as part of a variety of different greens. A bit of spinach every so often isn't going to hurt anything. A diet of mostly spinach would probably rob the tortoise of its needed calcium from the meal. (spinach binds calcium and it is excreted)

 

[HappyTortoise]

Hi Rebecca:

Welcome to the forum!!

I'm sorry you felt you were being insulted. I'm sure that's not how the post was intended. Sometimes the written word doesn't come across like the spoken word. The thinking about using aquariums for tortoise habitats is always evolving. We used to promote NOT using them and now we're back to saying that they're ok if you can get the temp and a bit of a gradient (hot/cold). You do what you think is best for your tortoise. We're here to help.

As to the spinach...it is fine as long as you use it as part of a variety of different greens. A bit of spinach every so often isn't going to hurt anything. A diet of mostly spinach would probably rob the tortoise of its needed calcium from the meal. (spinach binds calcium and it is excreted)

I am sorry I overreacted but I was insulted. I am going to give her a great home. She has lived her whole life inside a tank. I don't want that for her. I just felt that that person was being very judgmental. It hurt especially since I was asking for help not insults.

I truly appreciate your help. I have been looking over the different habitats that people have on this forum and they are awesome. My goal is to make a great tort table for inside and also have a tortoise haven outside. We are starting her on leafy greens (the spring mix) and going to go get her a new home. Would you recommend anything specific? The tort table will be a work in progress for a little bit. I need to get the materials and tools to make it.

I am planning on getting:
a new habitat (to hold her over till her tort table is complete) , calcium powder for her food
, a couple different kinds of grasses or plants that can go in her , cage
and a cave shelter thing...

Can you suggest anything else that might make her feel at home or more comfortable?

 

[HappyTortoise]

Hi Rebecca:

Welcome to the forum!!

I'm sorry you felt you were being insulted. I'm sure that's not how the post was intended. Sometimes the written word doesn't come across like the spoken word. The thinking about using aquariums for tortoise habitats is always evolving. We used to promote NOT using them and now we're back to saying that they're ok if you can get the temp and a bit of a gradient (hot/cold). You do what you think is best for your tortoise. We're here to help.

As to the spinach...it is fine as long as you use it as part of a variety of different greens. A bit of spinach every so often isn't going to hurt anything. A diet of mostly spinach would probably rob the tortoise of its needed calcium from the meal. (spinach binds calcium and it is excreted)

I am sorry I overreacted but I was insulted. I am going to give her a great home. She has lived her whole life inside a tank. I don't want that for her. I just felt that that person was being very judgmental. It hurt especially since I was asking for help not insults.

I truly appreciate your help. I have been looking over the different habitats that people have on this forum and they are awesome. My goal is to make a great tort table for inside and also have a tortoise haven outside. We are starting her on leafy greens (the spring mix) and going to go get her a new home. Would you recommend anything specific? The tort table will be a work in progress for a little bit. I need to get the materials and tools to make it.

I am planning on getting:
a new habitat (to hold her over till her tort table is complete) , calcium powder for her food
, a couple different kinds of grasses or plants that can go in her , cage
and a cave shelter thing...

Can you suggest anything else that might make her feel at home or more comfortable?

 

[HappyTortoise]

Hi Rebecca:

Welcome to the forum!!

I'm sorry you felt you were being insulted. I'm sure that's not how the post was intended. Sometimes the written word doesn't come across like the spoken word. The thinking about using aquariums for tortoise habitats is always evolving. We used to promote NOT using them and now we're back to saying that they're ok if you can get the temp and a bit of a gradient (hot/cold). You do what you think is best for your tortoise. We're here to help.

As to the spinach...it is fine as long as you use it as part of a variety of different greens. A bit of spinach every so often isn't going to hurt anything. A diet of mostly spinach would probably rob the tortoise of its needed calcium from the meal. (spinach binds calcium and it is excreted)

I am sorry I overreacted but I was insulted. I am going to give her a great home. She has lived her whole life inside a tank on crap lettuce with no attention or anything in her cage. I don't want that for her. I just felt that that person was being very judgmental. It hurt especially since I was asking for help not insults.

I truly appreciate your help. I have been looking over the different habitats that people have on this forum and they are awesome. My goal is to make a great tort table for inside and also have a tortoise haven outside. We are starting her on leafy greens (the spring mix) and going to go get her a new home. Would you recommend anything specific? The tort table will be a work in progress for a little bit. I need to get the materials and tools to make it.

I am planning on getting:
a new habitat (to hold her over till her tort table is complete) , calcium powder for her food
, a couple different kinds of grasses or plants that can go in her , cage
and a cave shelter thing...

What material should i get for the bottom of the cage?

Can you suggest anything else that might make her feel at home or more comfortable?

 

[HappyTortoise]

Hi Rebecca:

Welcome to the forum!!

I'm sorry you felt you were being insulted. I'm sure that's not how the post was intended. Sometimes the written word doesn't come across like the spoken word. The thinking about using aquariums for tortoise habitats is always evolving. We used to promote NOT using them and now we're back to saying that they're ok if you can get the temp and a bit of a gradient (hot/cold). You do what you think is best for your tortoise. We're here to help.

As to the spinach...it is fine as long as you use it as part of a variety of different greens. A bit of spinach every so often isn't going to hurt anything. A diet of mostly spinach would probably rob the tortoise of its needed calcium from the meal. (spinach binds calcium and it is excreted)

I am sorry I overreacted. I was insulted

---

Hi Rebecca:

Welcome to the forum!!

I'm sorry you felt you were being insulted. I'm sure that's not how the post was intended. Sometimes the written word doesn't come across like the spoken word. The thinking about using aquariums for tortoise habitats is always evolving. We used to promote NOT using them and now we're back to saying that they're ok if you can get the temp and a bit of a gradient (hot/cold). You do what you think is best for your tortoise. We're here to help.

As to the spinach...it is fine as long as you use it as part of a variety of different greens. A bit of spinach every so often isn't going to hurt anything. A diet of mostly spinach would probably rob the tortoise of its needed calcium from the meal. (spinach binds calcium and it is excreted)

I am sorry I overreacted. I was am sorry I overreacted but I was insulted. I am going to give her a great home. She has lived her whole life inside a tank. I don't want that for her. I just felt that that person was being very judgmental. It hurt especially since I was asking for help not insults.

I truly appreciate your help. I have been looking over the different habitats that people have on this forum and they are awesome. My goal is to make a great tort table for inside and also have a tortoise haven outside. We are starting her on leafy greens (the spring mix) and going to go get her a new home. Would you recommend anything specific? The tort table will be a work in progress for a little bit. I need to get the materials and tools to make it.

I am planning on getting:
- a new habitat (to hold her over till her tort table is complete) - calcium powder for her food
- a couple different kinds of grasses or plants that can go in her cage
- a cave shelter thing...

What material should i get for the bottom of the cage?

Can you suggest anything else that might make her feel at home or more comfortable?

 

[dmarcus]

Looks like you have got a ton of advice since yesterday.

When we first got our hatchling we used 4 pieces of fence wood "because it's not heavy" and build a box and put chicken wire on top to keep predators out and when it wasn't in use we just leaned it against the fence out of the way. Just make sure you have shade and a hide or two and it will be fine. Or you can build something more permanent for your tortoise using the same consept but with better wood.

 

[HappyTortoise]

Thanks. I will be making a better enclosure over time but i want to get her something this weekend. I want her to be outside and enjoying the New Mexico summer. I will definitely makes sure to put shady areas for her. Any other tips??

Hope you have a great night and thank you again.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Rebecca:

If you don't already have a temporary habitat, then you can go and buy the biggest plastic tub you can find. You might even consider buying two of them and cutting out a corresponding side on each then placing them together to make one big habitat.

I like to use orchid bark or cypress mulch on the bottom (this is called substrate). You can add a bit of water to it for humidity and it doesn't mold or smell sour.

A couple hiding places, one at each end...a light for heat and to imitate the sun. Of course, a waterer (a plant saucer, large enough for the tortoise to crawl into) and a feeding tile or flat stone.

You are so going to enjoy this little animal. Good luck and we're glad to have you here with us!!