Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I just brought home my first Leopard Tort. From what I can tell this baby is approx. 7 months old. The pet store gave me a round about answer. Right now I have rabbit pellets as the substrate and a 10"Hx2'Lx2'W glass enclosure. I have a heat emitter on a thermostat and a 24" uv. From experience, is this a decent setup for a baby? I plan on building something more suiting but am worried about the "meantime". Anyone have a Leopard Tort? Any more suitable housing suggestions? Also, any suggestion on excersising a baby?

1 Leopard Tort - Herman
1 Mali Uromastyx - Matilda
1 Shih Tzu - Jake

Lisa

I have a Hermann's tort, not a leopard, but your setup sounds OK for now, except that I would try to get him into a more open enclosure when you can. A bookcase turned on its back with the shelves out works well. Tortoises will use all the room you give them. If you can build an outdoor pen for the warmer months, better still. You would be amazed at how active even a small tortoise is when given room to roam outside.
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Sohni
Northern California

0.1 Baja de L.A. Rosy Boa
0.1 Okeetee Corn Snake
1.1 Rubber Boas
1.0 Leopard Gecko
0.0.2 Hermann's Tortoises
plus my kids' herps:
0.0.1 California King Snake
1.0 Mexican Rosy Boa
0.1 Leopard Gecko

Thank you Sohni! I picked him up on Friday and he seems to be getting more aquainted with his new set up. He did not eat at all yesterday and I was very excited to see that after his soak this morning he ate like a pig! I am going to take your advice and get a bookcase. He is very active last night and today and I feel bad because he's just doing laps around his enclosure. I plan on building a pen outside for the warmer months but am waiting for the weather to get a little bit warmer for me to work outdoors. May I ask, what kinds of things besides a habba hut can I put in my enclosure? What does your Hermann tort like? Thanks again for your reply!
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Lisa

1 Mali Uro - Matilda
1 Leopard Tort - Herman
1 Shih Tzu - Jake

lisasmith@optonline.net

Those white melamine bookcases work really well, because they're easy to keep clean (you might have to put on a better floor/back, though). The one I'm using right now is 3' x 2' (my tort is a little less than 3", but I'm going to set up something bigger for next winter, more like 4' x 6'. I use Habba Huts and cork bark (flat and curved), and sterilize them in the oven every few months. My tortoise likes to climb, and the cork bark is easier for him to clamber onto. For some reason, he doesn't seem to get turned over very easily.

What area of the country are you in? The weather has been great here lately--I've been able to get the tortoise outside for at least a couple hours a day, which he loves. Sooner or later we'll have more rain, though.
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Sohni
Northern California

0.1 Baja de L.A. Rosy Boa
0.1 Okeetee Corn Snake
1.1 Rubber Boas
1.0 Leopard Gecko
0.0.2 Hermann's Tortoises
plus my kids' herps:
0.0.1 California King Snake
1.0 Mexican Rosy Boa
0.1 Leopard Gecko

My tort is about the same size as yours. I soak him in the morning and put him back into the tank near the food. He has such an appetite. For the rest of the day though, he heads directly to the habba hut and that is where he stays. I am going to have to get a bookcase with some cork bark. I think it will work better because I tend to scare him whenever I walk by because he can see me through the glass.

I am on the east coast... I am approx. 45 mins north of NYC. It's been in the 50s lately but unfortunately we are getting snow tomorrow. They are projecting 10 inches of snow!!! I am definitely going to build him an area outside for the summer months. I wish I was in CA now!!!
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Lisa

1 Mali Uro - Matilda
1 Leopard Tort - Herman
1 Shih Tzu - Jake

lisasmith@optonline.net

I think leopard tortoises tend to be a little on the shy side, and yours needs some time to settle in. Also, tortoises don't do very well if they can see through their enclosure, so something with solid walls will help. Put in some bark, sticks, etc. so he has something to break up his line of sight and to climb over. Eventually he'll be less shy. Mine has gotten so used to being handled and moved around that I brought him into my son's 2nd grade class and he just sat there while the whole class trooped by and took a look--didn't bat an eye.
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Sohni
Northern California

0.1 Baja de L.A. Rosy Boa
0.1 Okeetee Corn Snake
1.1 Rubber Boas
1.0 Leopard Gecko
0.0.2 Hermann's Tortoises
plus my kids' herps:
0.0.1 California King Snake
1.0 Mexican Rosy Boa
0.1 Leopard Gecko