new leopard tortoise

[stephondamic]

Hi to all....

Im new to having a tortoise, i rescued it. I know that it is a leopard tortoise but I have no idea how old he/she is and i dont know what the best diet for it is, It fits in to one of my hands. I have called it Herbie and i really want to be a good owner. I live in the U.K and the weather here is dreadful so I have purchased a cabinet fitted with heat lamp and strip lights, pool, hiding hole and a temperature magic eye. I have been feeding herby on cabbage, lettuce, tomato, cucumber and other leafy things. Im hoping for some help here as the books ive bought seem to be useless...I was hoping for some experienced advice. Thankyou so much in advance

Stephanie

P.S what is pyramiding??

 

[Tom]

RE: Pyramiding in leopards

Hi to all....

Im new to having a tortoise, i rescued it. I know that it is a leopard tortoise but I have no idea how old he/she is and i dont know what the best diet for it is, It fits in to one of my hands. I have called it Herbie and i really want to be a good owner. I live in the U.K and the weather here is dreadful so I have purchased a cabinet fitted with heat lamp and strip lights, pool, hiding hole and a temperature magic eye. I have been feeding herby on cabbage, lettuce, tomato, cucumber and other leafy things. Im hoping for some help here as the books ive bought seem to be useless...I was hoping for some experienced advice. Thankyou so much in advance

Stephanie

P.S what is pyramiding??

Welcome to the forum! Check out these sites and them get back to us with specific questions.
http://africantortoise.com/
http://ivorytortoise.com/

Pyramiding is abnormal shell growth where each scute grows upward, forming a pyramid, instead of flat. The cause and how to prevent it is a matter of great debate. New info is currently surfacing. We know that humidity for hatchlings has something to do with it. Most people believe its a combination of things. Check out this thread for our most recent debate about it.
http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-13106.html

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Stephanie:

to the forum!!

Just a word of advice: You should start a new "thread" when your comment or question doesn't pertain to the original poster's thread. So I've moved your post from Starry night's "pyramiding in leopards" thread to it's own thread. You will get more replies that way.

Can you put up a picture of Herbie? We'd love to see him.

Herbie can eat many of the different kinds of succulents or grasses and weeds. Cabbage, lettuce, tomato and cucumber aren't really that good for him. If you can find dark, leafy greens at the market, that would be good. Something like endive, escarole, turnip greens, dandelion greens, etc.

Read the links that Roachman suggested. They will answer many of your questions. And remember, a cold tortoise won't eat. So make sure his habitat is warm enough.

 

[terracolson]

Pics please

 

[spikethebest]

Welcome to the forum!!!