Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a leopard tort that is about 4 years old and seems to be doing very well but I'd like to know if I can be doing better for him (her?). He is apparently a blonde or hi-white from what I've seen offered for sale here.
He's(?) was about the size of a big walnut when we got him at a Hamburg show. He's about as big as a mature box turtle now and is an eating machine. I mean I can't believe the amount of romaine lettuce this guy can put away! Doesn't seem possible at times. I dust the lettuce every couple of feedings with calcium and vitamin powder and offer other veggies but they arn't accepted with much enthusizum. Romain lettuce seems to be his favorite but there has got to be a more varied diet I can offer him. Can anyone offer suggestions?
Also how big do these guys get?
I'm really a snake guy (colubreds)so I not in my game here.
What really happened was the familiar story of, Daddy can I show you something I found?...well you know where that went.
Incidentally she did promise to take care of it too,...and you know what happened there too.
Mike.

Dear Mike, Yes, you really do want to diversify that diet. Romaine is among the best of the lettuces, but lettuce is not real nutritionally packed, hence they eat a lot of it, mostly water... Some things my leopard likes are grazing on grass, bermuda, clover and various hay types, weeds like dandelions, hawksbit, sow thistle, chicory. Cactus pads and fruit of (go to a market that has a Mexican clientele), and various leafy type lettuces, turnip greens, in moderation. On occasion I offer yellow squash, shredded carrot, melon rinds, lavatera and hibiscus flowers, as a treat,not a staple. Your tortoise can be spoiled/hooked on lettuce, so do try to diversify its diet. I use oyster shell powder and cuttle bone too. I think G. pardalis is a grazer of grasses when it has the opportunity, and seems to like the grass to be short. Mine eat a lot of cactus, which is high fiber and Ca, very low protien.

A good read for you will be: Leopard tortoises, by R. and J. Fife, 2006 ISBN0-9638130-6-4, I learned a lot and maybe you will too. Good luck, vic h. OH BTW, depending on "race", it could get from 12-20" and from 15-50 lbs. I should think. A few may get much larger...

Thanks, I have been contemplating putting him out in the yard as I'm seen gopher torts in Florida grazing on grass like cattle. That will have to wait until I build a movable pen...and now the spring. I have no shortage of dandelions and clover for sure. When he gets as big as you've said he can roam free within the fence because its buried a foot into the ground, I'm more worried about not being able to find him within the yard or something preying on him at his size now so I guess I'll whip up a movable 2x4 and chicken wire pen for next spring. I doubt I'll be able to find the other things you've mentioned around by me, I'm on the east coast. I guess I'll have to shop around for the winter at least. By the way he turns away from comercial ready made products I've offered. At best I've crushed the fruity smelling colored pellets and dusted the lettuce with it. Though he takes some in he kind of eats around it.
Mike.