Leopard Tortoise (Tropical Tortoise)

Geochelone pardalis pardalis / pardalis babcocki

THESE TORTOISES DO NOT HIBERNATE

Sophie enjoying a Romaine treat with addition of Calcium Carbonate.

Geochelone Pardalis Pardalis

These are from the western side of South Africa in the savannah. These species are slightly smaller, and they have 2 or more dots on the centre of the Costal and Vertibral Scute, they also have a flatter dome than the pardalis babcocki.

Geochelone Pardalis Babcocki

These are from the eastern side of South Africa in the savannah. These species are slightly larger, and they only have 1 dot in the centre of the Costal and Vertibral Scute, they have a higher dome than the pardalis pardalis.

Captivity

These Tortoise adapt quite well in captivity in most areas as long as the humidity is kept low, as high humidity affects them adversely which they do not like. They seem to be sociable Tortoises and we have read that they even have a homing instinct but we have no evidence of this up to now.

Sex

The male Leopard has a long tail that goes to one side, where the female has a short tail. You may not be able to sex them for the first 3-5years.

Size and Age

These are fairly high domed Tortoises with a yellow background with the addition of black splashes. They can weigh up to 15kg in weight, and be 40-50cms in length. It seems that they can live up to 75yrs of age. You need to be prepared for this as you may need to pass your Tortoise down the generations or you may need to find a new home eventually. A Tortoise Organization may be the best contact, and check them out and see how they work.

The Indoor Area

This should be as large as possible and needs to be able to provide a warm area for them all of the year round. A good size is 1.5metres x 2.5metres for 1-2 adults. They will stay indoors most of the winter so this has to be a suitable size and the temperatures must be right. To get this right you will probably have to use heaters, Reflector Spot Bulbs (100 or 150watt bulbs) positioned so that the floor under the lamp reaches 30-35C, UV Heat Bulbs, which also help to provide D3, and possibly heat mats in part of the shed, but on the walls or above never below the Tortoise. This gives your Tortoise a wide range of different temperatures. They need to have a good strong bright light with the correct temperatures to encourage them to feed well. The indoor temperature should have a gradient from 22C-35C for aprox 12hrs a day. The night temperature must not fall below 20C but you must not have the spot lights on, this is where the heaters can be set to come on if the temperatures drop and go off if the temperatures rise too much.

The Outdoor Area

These are large Tortoises that need a large area that is safe and enclosed, a good size of 5metersx9metres is recommended. These Tortoises must have as much room as possible as they need to exercise to keep their muscles strong. It must have a weedy/grassy area to graze and a dry sandy area. 50/50 Loam/Playpit Sand to give them all options. It must be well drained and preferably in the sun. They also need safe Shrubs that they can hide under if it gets too hot. Pampas grasses are very good. Hard areas such as slabs will help to keep their nails the correct length. This area must be free of pesticides and weed killers etc as they will harm and may kill your Tortoise.

Fencing

This should be around your Tortoise area making it safe and escape proof. It must be a solid fence and about 2metres high so that people outside of the garden cannot see your Tortoise. If you need to fence off part of your garden for your Tortoise then you could do this with strong 1/2metre fencing. We get this made from a local fencing company and it works. The one thing that you must ensure is that they cannot see through it. These are very powerful large Tortoises so please make sure that they are safe and secure.

Water

Leopards like all Tortoises must have water available to drink, but it must not make the area humid. They can have a very shallow pond area, but you must be able to keep the water clean and changed every day for them, they will probably use it regularly especially in hot weather. We use sunken plant pot saucer, which we can keep clean and is safe for them to get in and out off.

Diet

A natural diet of foods needs to be provided which is high in fibre, low grain, low protein and low carbohydrate. These foods, being more natural, take a longer time to digest which is much better for them. Always feed food that you have put into the area on a hard surface with their additives. 75% of their diet should be different grasses and the rest should be weeds and wild flowers. These large Tortoises love to graze every day.

Additives

Leopards use up a lot of Calcium, this is because they grow so fast, so this must be provided on all of their food. Sprinkle Calcium Carbonate on all food every day and also add a pinch of Nutrobal twice a week. You must also put Cuttlefish into their area, some Tortoises will eat at it and some will not. This also will help keep their beaks trimmed. We always have bags of Calcium Carbonate at our Information Days.

Weekly Advice

Soak your Tortoise each week in warm water making sure that it can get its head out of the water so that it cannot drown. Then take this opportunity to wash the carapace and plastron with antibacterial hand wash, and also check your Tortoise to make sure that everything is okay. The limbs and face should be clean with no cuts etc, eyes should be dark and shiny, nose clean and dry, mouth clean and pink with no signs of mouth rot, scutes should not be loose and the plastron and carapace should have no damage. Weigh your Tortoise and keep records of these as they can be very useful.

Injuries that can happen

-Dogs love to CHEW Tortoises because they are a calcium bone, so NEVER leave them together alone.

-Lawn mowers and vehicles can cause serious injury.

-Other Tortoises can get aggressive causing damage like bites / knocks which can lead to serious health problems / shell rot.

-Children can often drop Tortoises and this will damage / kill them.

-Sharp objects left lying around can injure them or may get stuck in them.

Bad things that can cause problems

-Lack of exercise leads to Muscular problems and must be avoided.

-Kitchen food and fruit will cause diarrhoea and digestive problems. Instead of the proper diet taking aprox 3 weeks to digest, these bad foods can take only 1 week to digest which is much too fast and bad for them.

-NO Cat or Dog food as this is too high in protein and as well as being bad for them it will also lead to shell deformities, obesity and kidney disease.

-High humidity, dampness and cold conditions should be avoided to prevent RNS. Leopards are prone to RNS so you need to be careful.

-Never add one species with another species as they all need different husbandry and can pass on different viruses etc.

-Never put another Tortoise with yours without quarantining it first for aproximately 6-12 months.

-Fruit is not eaten in the wild and it raises the lactic acid levels which will cause internal Parasites.

-Avoid any foods that contain Oxalic Acid as this binds the calcium so that it cannot be used by the body eg peas, beans etc

-Avoid Brassica's as they contain Oxalic Acid and can cause goiter.

-DO NOT allow a vet to give your Tortoise a vitamin injection as they should not need it if their husbandry, foods and additives are correct. Obviously if your Tortoise is ill and is being looked after by a proper Tortoise Vet then you must listen to their advice.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Breeding

Leopards mature at aprox 15yrs in the wild, but they may need to be 6-8yrs in captivity. They can have aprox 10eggs per clutch and they may have 3-7 clutches per year. They will also need to have a laying area of mixed 50/50 loam/playpit sand in a warm area, they will dig to about 25cms. You really need to do a lot of research before going down this avenue, and to get it right.

Simple Injuries

A simple injury can be treated with diluted Betadine (from the chemist) and cleaned. Cover with a plaster and keep clean. If the injury is bad then you need to go to a Tortoise Vet.

Illness

If you suspect that your Tortoise is ill in any way, then you must get it to a Tortoise Vet immediately.

Foods

Go to the Feeding section and there is a list of good foods for the Leopard Tortoises.  There is also a list of Bad Plants in the feeding section so that you can check out any dangerous plants.