Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello Everyone
I have a new leopard tortoise and hes great! He eats well and everything but he hides ALOT. He is a hatchling and in a Rubbermaid container 31"L X 15" W. I have ground wallnut shells and a strip of Timothy Hay against the wall and he always hides in this. Is the cage too big or am I doing something wrong? Thanks
--Nick

Hello Everyone
I have a new leopard tortoise and hes great! He eats well and everything but he hides ALOT. He is a hatchling and in a Rubbermaid container 31"L X 15" W. I have ground wallnut shells and a strip of Timothy Hay against the wall and he always hides in this. Is the cage too big or am I doing something wrong? Thanks
--Nick

The size sounds fine for a hatchling - but he will outgrow it soon.

I say get rid of the ground walnut shells. They are sharp and indigestible. If the tort swallows the shells it can mean death or an expensive trip to the vet. You could just put down newspaper instead and continue with the pile of hay.

I've never had a hatchling leopard, just some small adults, so I don't know their behavior patterns. Some hatchlings of other species are shy.

This caresheet covers general topics in caring for leopards:

www.chelonia.org/Articles/pardaliscare.htm

What you have is a leopard. Normally new tortoises take some time to get used to their surroundings. Leopards normally take even more time and they are shy to begin with. There are exceptions but this is the norm for a leopard.

I'd suggest using a dirt/sand or sand substrate with a layer of hay on top of that. Don't forget to soak it daily.

>>Hello Everyone
>> I have a new leopard tortoise and hes great! He eats well and everything but he hides ALOT. He is a hatchling and in a Rubbermaid container 31"L X 15" W. I have ground wallnut shells and a strip of Timothy Hay against the wall and he always hides in this. Is the cage too big or am I doing something wrong? Thanks
>> --Nick
-----
Ed @ Tortoise Keepers
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

>>What you have is a leopard. Normally new tortoises take some time to get used to their surroundings. Leopards normally take even more time and they are shy to begin with. There are exceptions but this is the norm for a leopard.
>>
>>I'd suggest using a dirt/sand or sand substrate with a layer of hay on top of that. Don't forget to soak it daily.
>>
>>>>Hello Everyone
>>>> I have a new leopard tortoise and hes great! He eats well and everything but he hides ALOT. He is a hatchling and in a Rubbermaid container 31"L X 15" W. I have ground wallnut shells and a strip of Timothy Hay against the wall and he always hides in this. Is the cage too big or am I doing something wrong? Thanks
>>>> --Nick
>>-----
>>Ed @ Tortoise Keepers
>>Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care
-----
Ed @ Tortoise Keepers
Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

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