Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am trying to decide on whether i should get a baby or an adult leopard tortoise. Would it be better to adopt an adult or buy a baby from LLL Reptiles? I'm trying to figure out whether to save for a few years while the baby is growing or build the enclosure now and plan on breeding next year. Thanks.

One thing to consider. I've bought products from LLL and have no issues with them, however you may what to consider buying your lepoard from a breeder who specializes in leopards. That way if anything goes wrong they'll back it up and provide knowledgable help.

Also,a hatchling or juvenile will acclimate to your environment faster than an adult.

Do you think a adult would die if he was all of the sudden moved to a humid area? Or would I have to slowly acclimate him to the humidity? I would really like to breed them. They're such beautiful animals.

Leopard's come from grassland areas in Africa. Humidity is a problem since they get RNS (Runny Nose Syndrome) very easily. A captive bred hatchling may be able to handle higher humidity, but there is always a danger playng with long established genetics.

If your desire is to keep and breed large tortoises that can handle humidity (60-100%) look into Burmese mountain tortoises. They can reach 60-80 pounds, are very personable, have a limited number of breeders, and are tough to import in to this country.

Good luck.

Here's the care sheet on leopard's. Read what it says about humidity.

http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/pardaliscare.htm

Here's the one on Burmese mountain torts.

http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/burmmtortoise.htm

You decide which will due better in a humid environment.

I can get a smaller tortoise if they are able to handle the humidity. I looked into russian and Texas tortoises. What do you think about them?

Texas (Berlandier's) tortoises are a big no for humidity. Russians are adaptable, but another choice would be Redfoots. They get to around 12-14" and 10-15 lbs. Can adapt to humidity from 50% and up. They are a tropical species so higher humidity is better. They are also very friendly and very hardy tortoises. There are quite a few breeders so finding either a hatchling, juvenile, or adult will be easy. Check out the classified boards here and you'll find plenty of captive bred redfoots of all sizes for sale.

They would be my first choice if you live in a humid area and want a medium-sized tort. You had mentioned wanting a large one (leopard) originally so I didn't bother to mention Redfoots.

Good luck.

Leopards just seemed so cool looking and I'm just kinda looking around at the diferent types to see what i like better. Any suggestions would be great.

Now how much does a Burmese Mountain Tortoise cost? How many eggs do they lay? Are they easy to get? Do they need a large inclosure? Can you breed them easy? Just stuff I forgot to ask.

"Now how much does a Burmese Mountain Tortoise cost? How many eggs do they lay? Are they easy to get? Do they need a large inclosure? Can you breed them easy? Just stuff I forgot to ask"

1) $150 and up (Hatchlings and Juveniles)

2) 6-10 per clutch

3) Somewhat. There are more breeders now than 3 years ago. Check the Kingsnake classifeds for Tortoises. There are about 3-4 Burms for sale right now.

4) Any tort that can reach 70 lbs. needs a good amount of space, however Burms need less that a Leopard or Sulcata. An 15-18" Burm would need an enclosure roughly 18' x 18'.

5) I don't know, but I would imagine that if you have an adult male and adult female and they are acclimated then nature will take its course.

Do red foots require alot of space? I saw one at the zoo and the guy said that they feed theirs rats and greens. Is that a healthy diet?

There are advantages and disadvantages to both. I'd recomend getting a small guy and raising it. It is so much more rewarding.
Another note... unless you are adopting a small animal be prepared for the worse. The majority of the time if the animal was nice enough to sell it usually is sold rather than adopted. Most adoptions, as far as leopards go are usually not the nicest looking animals. Also, you never know what you are getting. Remember... you rarely get Something for nothing.
Now as far as humidity goes... leopards are very tolerant. Most of the Leopards that are available are of the northern form. In their range they go through monsoonal periods and drought. They can be kept very successfully in humid areas. You just have to provide the proper microhabitat. That is, if you are keeping them in a dry area you should provide a humid area for them to retreat to and if they are in a moist area you should provide a warm dry area.
Side note... Berlanders tortoise range throughout east Texas in addition to south Texas. Check out some of those news reels of the people standing on the hoods of cars to escape the flooding during certain times of the year. Same suggestion applies here as for the leopards, and that is the animal should be offered a choice.
Ed
(imho)
(that usually smooths ruffled feathers, no?)