Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was just wondering if there is a good way to do this. I would love to raise a leopard tortoise someday (probably when I get out of college), but around here the weather is only good enough for tortoises to go outdoors maybe a couple of monthes every year. I have two russians that are doing great indoors, but they are known for being hardy enough to live indoors.

I was thinking that if I was able to dedicate a room to a leopard tortoise (someday), I could build a large cage that would fill up almost the entire room (so kind of like a room inside a room, to prevent damaging the house), so that the tortoise could have dirt to dig in, lots of light, a nice basking area, etc. etc.

Just something I was thinking about. I know it's impossible to recreate what they get outside indoors, but I was wondering if anyone has found any ways around it. I'll probably just stick with the smaller mediterranean guys anyways though.

Thanks in advance.

I'm not entirely certain on building a room within the house for a leopard tort. As far as the articles I've read on the matter are concerned, raising a African tortoise indoors for part of the year is one thing, but all-year round is quite another. Most leopard tortoise keepers seemed opposed to the idea of this, as it's impossible to imitate the conditions they would receive outdoors.

That being said, I'm currently trying to raise my baby leopard tortoise indoors for part of the year, since I live in a cold climate for a good portion of the year. I've been researching the best ways to mimic the natural sun with UV bulbs. So far, and any one is free to correct me on this, I've been finding that there are bulbs out there that produce the same amount of UVB as the sun. The Megaray seems to be the best commercial bulb out there for the average reptile owner. There are more powerful bulbs, but these should be used with caution, as too much UVB is detrimental to the torts health.

Another thing to keep in mind is that leopard tortoises like to graze, so you’d need to be able to provide some area for this. Also, providing the tort with the right temperatures is crucial. I’m not sure how much you already know about the leopard tortoise setup, so I apologize if I’m telling you things you already know.

My leopard had been experiencing serious symptoms of MBD, it turns out that it was probably a lack of UVB and inadequate calcium. Even though I provided both, they weren’t enough. In the last few weeks I've learned a lot about UV lighting.

I would really consider researching the matter as fully as possible. It's really important that the tortoise be allowed outdoors at some point throughout the year.
I wish that I had done my research better; there are a lot of health issues I could have avoided.

If you would like some websites with good leopard tortoise information, I would be happy to provide them. Just send me an email letting me know. skyscream@gmail.com

Mariam

What kind of symptoms is your leopard showing that indicates MBD?

He had a really soft shell. Scarily soft. He was still able to hold himself up, but he was becoming lethargic and sleeping most of the day and not eating. The biggest tip off was when I would take him outside and he would eat half-heartedly and fall asleep within 10 minutes. He had never acted like this. Normally he loved being outside.
I took him to the vet and she checked for RNS, but his breathing was normal and I hadn't noticed any nose bubbles. I gave him plenty of calcium on his food, but the vet said that it probably wasn't being entirely absorbed by his body. So, I started him on Neo-Calglucon twice a day for 2 weeks and now once a day. He's been taking it for the last 3-4 weeks and his shell feels a bit firmer. I can definitely feel the difference. Also, his normal activity has returned. He eats heartily and seems happier.
He has a Powersun MVB in his tank and a heat emitter and he goes outside daily. However, in the winter he doesn't get to go outside, so I don't think he was getting enough D3 either, which contributed to the condition. I'm making serious attempts to better his living situation though.

Situations change (drasticaly) over time. I raise my leopards in a shoebox for the first or second year depending on how fast they grow.

There is no way around it but you can accomodate it.

Ed

>>I was just wondering if there is a good way to do this. I would love to raise a leopard tortoise someday (probably when I get out of college), but around here the weather is only good enough for tortoises to go outdoors maybe a couple of monthes every year. I have two russians that are doing great indoors, but they are known for being hardy enough to live indoors.
>>
>>I was thinking that if I was able to dedicate a room to a leopard tortoise (someday), I could build a large cage that would fill up almost the entire room (so kind of like a room inside a room, to prevent damaging the house), so that the tortoise could have dirt to dig in, lots of light, a nice basking area, etc. etc.
>>
>>Just something I was thinking about. I know it's impossible to recreate what they get outside indoors, but I was wondering if anyone has found any ways around it. I'll probably just stick with the smaller mediterranean guys anyways though.
>>
>>Thanks in advance.
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Ed @ Tortoise Keepers
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

I felt bad for sounding so discouraging in my last post to your question. I don't want to turn you off from getting a leopard. I just want to put it out there that they're a little tricky to care for in cold climates. It's possible. I found this article that might help you out. I'm not sure about the accuracy of everything it recommends.

Here's the link:

http://africantortoise.com/leopard_tortoise_care_in_the_north.htm

Hope it helps.
Mariam

I work at a petshop (petsmart... a good one though. We take great care of our animals and deny sales when necessary)... I hate having to beat around the bush when I'm trying to tell someone they shouldn't be doing something. I like people to be forward with me.

I will read the article, but I think you are right about it being difficult to keep them where I live. Besides, I just started getting into tortoises, so I should focus on my russians for now. I just took them out today to run around the yard and get some sunlight. It was so great watching them. The little guy (who's about 3.5" right now, a cb baby I got in november) was very scared, because it was his first time outdoors, and plus I had to stay hot on his trail to make sure he didn't get lost, so he was only out for about 15-25 minutes. The large adult that I rescued about a month and a half ago (who is in GREAT condition!) was having a ball. She wandered around eating clovers and dandelions for an hour and a half before she started getting tired.

To be truthful, that's the first the russians have really been outside, and I think it's great. I'm going to start scheduling time into my work schedule so that they can go outside almost everyday in the summer, and on nice days in the fall and spring. I'm also planning on hibernating at least the older one this winter.

So I think I'll stick with the two russians for now, and maybe in the future get a marginated tort instead of a leopard, because they get to be a good size without being too big to spend a lot of time inside.

Thanks a lot for the info!