Optimum humidity levels for leopard

SAMW

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Hi there

I have two young leopard tortoises.

I reside in South Africa, where the climate and temperate very closely reflects their natural one. However, I know how important the correct humidity is for their early years so I am building a device to effectively mist their enclosure.

What optimal humidity levels am I looking to achieve? TIA
 

TeamZissou

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Welcome!

I noticed you're from Durban SA. I hope to make it down there and run the Comrades marathon someday.

Tortoises shouldn't be housed in pairs. They're solitary animals and don't need a partner to be happy. You'll need to build to enclosures or find a new home for one of them.

Here's a great guide that will answer your questions on the setup, lighting, humidity and other aspects of raising a leopard:

 

wellington

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Agree with above. Should not be in pairs. The humidity should be no lower then 80% and the temp should not be below 80
 

Blackdog1714

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Closed chamber high heat mid 80's and high humidity 80+. A closed chamber just needs hot water added to substrate occasionally
 

SAMW

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Durban, South Africa
Welcome!

I noticed you're from Durban SA. I hope to make it down there and run the Comrades marathon someday.

Tortoises shouldn't be housed in pairs. They're solitary animals and don't need a partner to be happy. You'll need to build to enclosures or find a new home for one of them.

Here's a great guide that will answer your questions on the setup, lighting, humidity and other aspects of raising a leopard:

Hi there!

Yes, I am. Hope you get a chance to make it down here soon, it's a lovely vacation spot.

Thanks so much for that resource, it's so helpful. Got so much good stuff in it that I'll definitely be using moving forward.

Also, the torts will be separated soon. Just building them safe outdoor enclosures right now and in the meanwhile the one they're in is quite spacious.
 

TeamZissou

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Great. Glad you found the forum.

Keep in mind that although you live in the SA Leopard's natural range, it's probably a better idea to keep the tortoises in indoor closed chambers for the first few years to maintain the proper temperatures and humidity levels. Baby tortoises in the wild generally spend most of their time hiding in vegetation or buried underground to avoid predators. These conditions provide the high humidity needed. If they don't have ample place to hide and get out of the sun, dehydration can happen.

Keep in mind what we are trying to do is provide optimal conditions. Wild conditions aren't necessarily optimal; very few baby turtles and tortoises make it to adulthood living in the wild. This is the model of turtle reproduction. Sea turtles lay 100 eggs per nest and maybe only 2 of them make it to adulthood.

Even though their enclosure is spacious, it's possible that bullying can happen. The signs of bullying are not outward and don't look like bullying to us. If they start sleeping next to each other, or one begins to grow more slowly or not putting on as much weight, they need to be separated.
 

SAMW

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Definitely noted, thanks! Yeah, we get a lot of rain and harsh sun here. So the outdoor enclosure will most likely be built on our closed verandah to be safe.

How often does bullying occur between two female tortoises? And what does it mean if they sleep next to each other?
 

TeamZissou

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I don't think the sex of the tortoises matters much. Also, if yours are still young and small, there isn't an easy way of knowing what the sex is. Breeders often claim one sex or another when trying to sell hatchlings. Sometimes they may incubate at certain temperatures to produce one sex or another, so they may have some basis in making a guess, but the guess is often incorrect.

Sleeping next to each other is the dominant tortoise signaling to the submissive tortoise that it should get out of it's territory. This causes stress for the submissive tortoise who has nowhere to go. This is the chronic stress that we worry about with 'bullying.' The chronic stress over time can add up to one not making it.

I'm not sure what size of enclosure you'd need to safely house two tortoises, but it would probably be enormous. They would have to not come across each other for weeks at a time like in nature. It's generally recommended to have separate enclosures for this reason.
 

SAMW

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I don't think the sex of the tortoises matters much. Also, if yours are still young and small, there isn't an easy way of knowing what the sex is. Breeders often claim one sex or another when trying to sell hatchlings. Sometimes they may incubate at certain temperatures to produce one sex or another, so they may have some basis in making a guess, but the guess is often incorrect.

Sleeping next to each other is the dominant tortoise signaling to the submissive tortoise that it should get out of it's territory. This causes stress for the submissive tortoise who has nowhere to go. This is the chronic stress that we worry about with 'bullying.' The chronic stress over time can add up to one not making it.

I'm not sure what size of enclosure you'd need to safely house two tortoises, but it would probably be enormous. They would have to not come across each other for weeks at a time like in nature. It's generally recommended to have separate enclosures for this reason.
I see. We weren't sure of the sex of them but a family friend who's quite knowledgeable about tortoises looked at their plastrons and based on those, assessed that they might be two females. We'll see with time if they're right though.

I'll definitely make sure to take note of any of those signs of bullying though and watch them closely in the meanwhile, while we're sorting out other enclosure spaces for them to be separated. Thanks again for all the help!
 
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