Soooooo this cropped up in Tom's Leopard 2010 Thread and I found it pretty interesting.
Now I sure hope Tom doesn't mind me lifting that, but I Didn't want to derail his thread, but really wanted to respond. My eternal apologies if I did bad.
This kind of plays into what I've been thinking about Leopards. I don't own one yet, but sure hope to someday.
Now with a redfoot, if you let it get too dry and cold, it can get respiratory problems. With all of our new learning pointing to Leopards (at least as babies) needing far greater hydration than previously thought, they might actually be at greater risk for disease, especially respiratory, if NOT kept humid.
Not that I think it really matters in this case, but I really challenge the notion that a Leopard IS a desert tortoise. Everything I've read about G.p.p. in any case suggests that it is not even really Savannah. Its more like really, really dry woodland, and seldom more than a days walk from forest.
Any thoughts?
Tom said:Nofx said:Wow, great topic!
I just wish to say one thing. I have a Leopard tort, i have him for 8 month now, and before i got him he was cca 6 month's ( i think.. ) old and 2.8 inches ( i hope the converter cm to inch did it right ). The first few months i gave him food every second day and he had the RND ( runny nose.. ) and was capt on a 30 and lower % of humidity, and the only food i was giving him were the grasses that grow on my yard, with a once per week 5 min souping. Then the summer came, he was out and he got a bit bigger ( just a bit, really..A BIT! ) and still had the RND. Then a ''miracle'' happened.
On the 2nd of this month ( 2.11 ) i fist saw your 'How to raise a baby Sulcata' and i was like..Hmm seems reasonable.
Since then I keep him in a 70-80% humidity housing, i feed him with spring mix and allso yard weeds, and I water him 3x a day + 10-15min of souping every day. And the little dude is getting bigger! I just cant believe it, I can ''see'' him grow in front of my eyes lol. And the RND is like 85% gone!! In 9 days he grow that much, that he did in 8 moths lol.
You just can't believe how happy I am, the poor guy is 1 year or maybe a bit more old and he is 3.1 inches. But not for any more, every day that passes he get's bigger!
Even tho, when i got him he had a bit of pyramiding, still not much but it was. But now, the new ''skin'' is smooth and it seems its not pyramiding any more.
Tomorrow i will go to the store and buy that gosh darn cable for the camera, cuz' i just cant find it,..and i will post some pic of him.
Nofx, I'm glad the info helped you, but I never intended it for an animal that is already sick. Your experience might help all of us learn a thing or two, so THANK YOU for sharing it. Just make sure you keep those temps above 80F (or 27C) ALL the time every where in the enclosure. Even at night. Ordinarily, people try to dry them out and keep them out of humidity in your situation, but maybe that has been a mistake on everyones' part. Including mine. Please keep us posted on this and be careful. I'd feel awful if anything bad happened because of something I recommended.
Now I sure hope Tom doesn't mind me lifting that, but I Didn't want to derail his thread, but really wanted to respond. My eternal apologies if I did bad.
This kind of plays into what I've been thinking about Leopards. I don't own one yet, but sure hope to someday.
Now with a redfoot, if you let it get too dry and cold, it can get respiratory problems. With all of our new learning pointing to Leopards (at least as babies) needing far greater hydration than previously thought, they might actually be at greater risk for disease, especially respiratory, if NOT kept humid.
Not that I think it really matters in this case, but I really challenge the notion that a Leopard IS a desert tortoise. Everything I've read about G.p.p. in any case suggests that it is not even really Savannah. Its more like really, really dry woodland, and seldom more than a days walk from forest.
Any thoughts?