Is there anybody who could possibly help me. Im thinking about getting a leopard tortoise. I went to my local reptile shop and they had sum there but when i said that i was going to be keeping my tortoise in a tortoise table that my husband was making, he told me that they are only suitable for the summer months and that my tortoise will require a viv for a much warmer enviroment. I also mentioned about getting a megaray lamp setup and he said that they can cause eye damage to the tortoises. He then suggested for me to get strip light and red bulb to keep on all the time and the strip light on in the day. im so confused.


please help me x

many thanks x x

Hi

i don't have leopard torts but from reading posts made by those that do ..... they do get to a fairly big size and most of the owners keep theirs in the garden with a shed or greenhouse for them to sleep and warm up in if the weather isn't great
I would guess that they would be ok in a tort table or a viv for the first year or so.
It really doesn't matter whether you go for a tort table or a viv as long as you get the right temperatures.
I am sure you will get some better replies from Leo owners soon

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Hi Becky

I have 3 Leopards tortoises and personally I feel they are not really suited to a viv. There are plenty of people who do use vivs but they are experienced enough to know how to adapt them. You will need a back ground temperature with a table in the winter.

Tinkerbruce has recently posted a thread on vivariums - you should find that informative.

I personally use a powersun but am changing to megarays when I get my next bulbs - they need to be the right height away from the shell.

There are a few experienced keepers on here - Terry - Ed and Ali who may shed some light on the "eye damage" comment - I have never heard of this.

You will be able to gain a lot of good information/help on here with the set up - diet - temps for your new little one.

Leopards are lovely tortoises generally they do not hibernate in this country.

The others will no doubt add to my little bit of info soon.

yeah as long as the heat reaches the tort it should be fine, just get a bigger watt bulb for winter?

he only said that because he wants you to buy a viv from him

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ANDY B 1

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What ive got0.1.0 '07 Amel corn snake2.1.0 Hermanns Tortoises2.3.0 Cats0.2.0 Guinea pigs

Well during the summer months surely (temps dependant) your tortoise would be outside!? What size viv would he recommend for a full size leo?
. Ask him what evidence he has that megarays damage eyes? It is probably that he cannot get any to sell on to the public making him make remarks like that! Vets are actually prescribing the megarays to aide recover to sick tortoises.

Tortoises do not need ANY lights at all during the night. A combined lamp for the day and set to come on should night time temps fall .....

I would only return to ask the questions rather tongue in cheek! A leo will thrive in a tortoise table set up correctly and megarays are proving to be the best on the market. His replies to you come from his wanting to sell you things you do not need, not the welfare of any tortoise!

JMHO

Tamie

leopard tortoises need a high average temperature and as much space as you can provide.

If a leopard tortoise small, you could keep it in a vivarium, the temps will be much more stable than in an open topped table. this is how i do it.....

My juveniles (up to 7 inches) are kept indoors in open tables that have a megaray type lamp at one end and a ceramic heater and the cool end. the warm end has a basking temp of approx 32-34c for 12 hours a day and the ceramic heater is on at the cool end set at 26c 24 hours a day. the hide where they sleep is under the heater so they are warm at night time. so the ambient temperature is always at least 26c.

Megar ray combi lamps are fantastic, but they CAN cause eye damage if they are not used correctly, as can any uvb source. they must be positioned at a certain distance from the animal, depending on the wattage. Each wattage has a safe minimum distance and you can check the reviews for each make at www.uvguide.co.uk .

i really wouldnt suggest a tube uvb lamp for a leopard as they produce a tiddly amount of uvb and this species requires a larger amount to function happily indoors. Reptiles can also "see" the uv spectrum so by denying them uvb light we are in fact taking away part of there visual colour spectrum. And all keepers that have started using combi uvb have reported an increase in the amimals appetite and activity, i firmly believe thats down to the much higher UVB output of the combi compared to the tubes.

Once a leopard tortoise reaches a certain size, it will become very difficult to keep indoors. they make alot of mess and can casue some considerable damage in a domestic setting. When we moved house one of our leos climbed on top of the sky box and urinated on it, and another one ate the flowers off my wall paper.

i have a heated shed for the bigger leos. it has a megaray type lamp and a ceramic heater. in the daytime the lamp is on for 14 hours a day and then when it turns off the ceramic heater is set to come on if the temps drop below 18c. i have my shed attached to a greenhouse so they have a dry , warm area in the winter. But even in snowy weather my bigger ones have warmed up for a few hours and then gone outside to graze.

Isnt the eye damage down to a megaray not being set up properly?

I think you have to switch them on for a period of time before you put them near a tortoise but not sure what the length of time is.

There are a few users of them on here and Im sure they will be able to answer your question for you.

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it could be the bulb bieng too low down

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ANDY B 1

Taken the place of Tops in his absence
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What ive got0.1.0 '07 Amel corn snake2.1.0 Hermanns Tortoises2.3.0 Cats0.2.0 Guinea pigs

Im sure ive read somewhere that they have to be allowed to burn for so many hours before use.

Will have a look for the info.

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Our new foster dog Tag is here http://www.freewebs.com/manytearsres...ngforhomes.htm

My Pets2 Hermanns & 2 Marginateds1 Rottie, 1 Springer Spaniel1 Border Collie, 1 Shih-zhu6 cats6 rabbits, 5 guinea pigs

yeah because theres a build up of uv, says it on the instructions im sure

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ANDY B 1

Taken the place of Tops in his absence
Ñ Ç

What ive got0.1.0 '07 Amel corn snake2.1.0 Hermanns Tortoises2.3.0 Cats0.2.0 Guinea pigs