Well i think its finally time for me to venture into the world of tortoise keeping. I was put off as a new commer as i was told everywhere they are to hard to look after but have been reading up and i have decided to get a leopard tort. I just have a few questions. Now i will be getting a small 06 i think maybe an 05.

I am going to be keeping it on a tort table for the time being as its freezing outside but when the weather allows he will live outside.

Right now what do i need,

I have a 3x3 'table' for it, I was thinking putting newspaper on the bottom and having a litter tray of sand/soil, water dish, heat lamp, UV tube, hide, i have sup/vits. Now what else will i need?

what will i feed him this time of year? How much? etc

I have read a few are sheets but each have a different view on keeping them.

Any other information would be greatly appriacted

(sorry im in a bit of a rush so spelling/grammar is crap)

thank you

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Obama is a hypocrite, he wants a health plan but is a smoker?? this man is going to be your leader ... shows what america has become

Don't take this the wrong way but I would read up a whole lot more before deciding on a leopard tortoise. They grow huge, need a lot of heating in winter, cannot be kept inside unless you like your house to smell like a stable and are expensive to keep due tothem being an African species needing high temps.
Having said that I have three and would never part with them, but will never be able to retire either LOL
Even when living outdoors then need heated accomodation too.
A 3x3 table will not last long as they grow quickly.
Newspaper is bad for them as they cannot walk on it properly and they cannot dig into it either, they need deepish substrate which they can dig scrapes in.
You feed him on the same in winter as the rest of the year i.e. grasses grassses and more grasses.
You say you have read several care sheets giving different advice for leopards - that is bad. Go to Tortoise Trust Web - Start Page click on care sheets, leopard tortoise and voila there you have it. Follow this guide to the letter, take no short cuts and he will be fine. He will need a whole lawn to himself in summer though so make sure this is OK with the rest of the family before getting one

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Take care
Sue

wizzasmum@aol.com

Thanks for the reply and the link i will read it now. I have always wanted a leopard so im going to have to make it work lol. I was planing on keeping it outside when its older. I have a free 15x15' patch of grass to work on would that be big enough you think? I dont mind getting my hands dirty and building somthing to suit it. and i can extend the 3x3 table at anytime.

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Obama is a hypocrite, he wants a health plan but is a smoker?? this man is going to be your leader ... shows what america has become

Would you suggest a Horsefeild rather than a leopard tort then? i like the look of both and i know russians arnt as big, but its hibernation that gets me. Im scared if i do it wrong and my tort never wakes up

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Obama is a hypocrite, he wants a health plan but is a smoker?? this man is going to be your leader ... shows what america has become

Hi, if you have room for a leopard, get one. People say, ooh this is a starter tort, no it isnt, its just a species of tortoise. If you read up on the species you want, then it will work, as you will no exactly what they need!

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Hibernation is a doddle if done correctly...or so I've heard.

I'm a bit worried about hibernating mine next winter too!

But I'm going to make sure I do everything right and hopefully there will be no problems.

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Leopards are lovely tortoises, lots of personaility.
Please take into consideration their size so you will need a heated shed or garage for winter once older.
If you can do this then go for it.
Their diet is easy 70% grasses and 30% greens

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