How to Care for a Leopard Tortoise
Buy a healthy tortoise - if you know of a reliable, reputable pet store that specializes in reptiles, they may have one for you., Create a natural habitat - the Leopard tortoise is found natively throughout south and east Africa., Create an outdoor...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Buy a healthy tortoise - if you know of a reliable
Better yet, contact a tortoise breeder and get one directly from them.
You can also get one at a reptile expo.
In either case, examine your new pet carefully before buying it.
Make sure that its eyes are clean and glossy (not cloudy or filmy) and that its fecal droppings are not too runny.
Do not pick one up from the road. -
Step 2: reputable pet store that specializes in reptiles
They are typically found in areas with dry or semiarid climates.
They prefer areas with lots of grass.
You should try to emulate this sort of habitat for your 'captive' tortoise.
By captive this means non-wild, not necessarily in a cage and never captured from the wild
- see "Warnings" below. , (That’s a subject for a separate article) , Start with a nice size pen or terrarium, at least 2'x2' with smooth, 12' (min.) vertical walls so that your tortoise will not try to escape and accidentally flip over.
Cover the bottom of the pen with clean paper (newsprint is cheapest) and then put down a layer of substrate using a combination of the following
- barks, soft sand, dry grass.
You may also want to add some rocks for your tortoise to bask on.
You should definitely include some sort of hollow log or other cave-like covering for your tortoise to retreat to when he's feeling overwhelmed by the world.
Most importantly, supply your tortoise pen with proper heat and lighting. (that is covered below in another step) , For captive kept tortoises, a mixture of grasses.
Leaves and straw are best.
Many have had good results with timothy orchard grass.
Some have also found that a nice mixture of spring greens will work well.
Be careful with vegetables though
- too much wet food can cause digestive problems and will lead to excessively soft, smelly fecal matter.
It's good to cultivate weeds and wild plants in your yard that are palatable to your tortoise such as: clovers, dandelions, wild grass...etc. , For the daylight, you should buy a UVB lamp (100 watt) to emulate the full spectrum of the sun's light.
Also, provide natural light for your guy whenever possible.
For the nights, use a 60 watt red heat lamp to keep the cage warm.
It is good to put the lights on timers so that they will turn on and off automatically and keep the cage at a fairly constant temperature.
The temperature should average around 100 °F (38 °C). it should never be much cooler than 70 (F) or hotter than 100 (F).
Use a small disk thermometer to monitor the heat at all times.
Adjust the timing and wattage of the lights as needed. , The Mazuri tortoise pellet was developed for Galapagos tortoises but may tortoise owners have found that it works well with many other tortoises.
Due to their rate of growth, their demand for calcium and mineral trace elements is high.
A calcium-D3 supplement should be provided daily to juveniles and also for adults less frequently. , When your tortoise is still a baby, begin socializing him by gently picking him up and holding him in the palm of your hand.
Do not tap on its shell or yell at it to come out, as this will frighten and stress your tortoise.
Instead, let it take cover inside its shell until it is ready to come out of its own accord.
As your tortoise grows up and realizes you are its food and care provider, it will be comfortable enough to eat right out of your hand, it may even let you pet it sometimes. -
Step 3: they may have one for you.
-
Step 4: Create a natural habitat - the Leopard tortoise is found natively throughout south and east Africa.
-
Step 5: Create an outdoor captive habitat - if you live in a warm
-
Step 6: dry climate similar to that described above
-
Step 7: you are poised to emulate the tortoise's natural habitat by building an outdoor pen for your new pet.
-
Step 8: Create an indoor captive habitat - avoid the use of an aquarium since they do not offer enough horizontal space for your tortoise to roam about in.
-
Step 9: Provide suitable food - the leopard tortoise feeds primarily on grasses in the wild.
-
Step 10: Select appropriate heat and light - your tortoise will need two main sources of light for daylight and heat.
-
Step 11: Provide appropriate supplements - a supplement that can be fed to the tortoise is the Mazuri tortoise food.
-
Step 12: Enable socialization - tortoises are mostly solitary animals in the wild
-
Step 13: but they are not opposed to a little attention once in a while
-
Step 14: especially when they get older.
Detailed Guide
Better yet, contact a tortoise breeder and get one directly from them.
You can also get one at a reptile expo.
In either case, examine your new pet carefully before buying it.
Make sure that its eyes are clean and glossy (not cloudy or filmy) and that its fecal droppings are not too runny.
Do not pick one up from the road.
They are typically found in areas with dry or semiarid climates.
They prefer areas with lots of grass.
You should try to emulate this sort of habitat for your 'captive' tortoise.
By captive this means non-wild, not necessarily in a cage and never captured from the wild
- see "Warnings" below. , (That’s a subject for a separate article) , Start with a nice size pen or terrarium, at least 2'x2' with smooth, 12' (min.) vertical walls so that your tortoise will not try to escape and accidentally flip over.
Cover the bottom of the pen with clean paper (newsprint is cheapest) and then put down a layer of substrate using a combination of the following
- barks, soft sand, dry grass.
You may also want to add some rocks for your tortoise to bask on.
You should definitely include some sort of hollow log or other cave-like covering for your tortoise to retreat to when he's feeling overwhelmed by the world.
Most importantly, supply your tortoise pen with proper heat and lighting. (that is covered below in another step) , For captive kept tortoises, a mixture of grasses.
Leaves and straw are best.
Many have had good results with timothy orchard grass.
Some have also found that a nice mixture of spring greens will work well.
Be careful with vegetables though
- too much wet food can cause digestive problems and will lead to excessively soft, smelly fecal matter.
It's good to cultivate weeds and wild plants in your yard that are palatable to your tortoise such as: clovers, dandelions, wild grass...etc. , For the daylight, you should buy a UVB lamp (100 watt) to emulate the full spectrum of the sun's light.
Also, provide natural light for your guy whenever possible.
For the nights, use a 60 watt red heat lamp to keep the cage warm.
It is good to put the lights on timers so that they will turn on and off automatically and keep the cage at a fairly constant temperature.
The temperature should average around 100 °F (38 °C). it should never be much cooler than 70 (F) or hotter than 100 (F).
Use a small disk thermometer to monitor the heat at all times.
Adjust the timing and wattage of the lights as needed. , The Mazuri tortoise pellet was developed for Galapagos tortoises but may tortoise owners have found that it works well with many other tortoises.
Due to their rate of growth, their demand for calcium and mineral trace elements is high.
A calcium-D3 supplement should be provided daily to juveniles and also for adults less frequently. , When your tortoise is still a baby, begin socializing him by gently picking him up and holding him in the palm of your hand.
Do not tap on its shell or yell at it to come out, as this will frighten and stress your tortoise.
Instead, let it take cover inside its shell until it is ready to come out of its own accord.
As your tortoise grows up and realizes you are its food and care provider, it will be comfortable enough to eat right out of your hand, it may even let you pet it sometimes.
About the Author
Beverly Coleman
Creates helpful guides on cooking to inspire and educate readers.
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