Re: leopard tortoise questions

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Posted by EJ on January 09, 2001 at 15:37:15:

In Reply to: Re: leopard tortoise questions posted by Terry on January 09, 2001 at 12:21:28:

Keep in mind that Misty lives in the area of the South African Leopard. It comes from a much drier area. Leopards can be raised with perfectly smooth shells. I know of one breeder who can consistantly raise his animals smooth. (high temps pop up again)
Ed

: Hi,
: some pyramiding is normal/natural for leopard torts. They are not absolutely smooth like sulcatas and other species, but have higher domed carapaces with a lumpy look to them.I was watching the Crocodile Hunter yesterday,Steve found a Leopard Tort under a shrub in it's natural habitat and picked it up. It had that high domed, bumpy carapace.

: If the individual scutes are very high and pointed,
: it could be overly pyramided. But a kind of bumpy look is normal for leopards.A friend of mine has a Leopard Tort that came to her with a deformed carapace. It had been fed a diet too high in protein.
: The carapace was much flater than a normal leopard tort. It was flater with a deformed look, you can tell it isn't normal. Flat and very bumpy, instead of domed and a bit bumpy!

: Do you offer cuttle bone to your tort?
: If not I would get some, remove the hard backing and break the soft part up into chunks. Just leave it in his indoor or outdoor enclosure, so he can munch on it as he chooses.
: It's suspected that going after white rocks indicates that the tortoise is looking for calcium.
: So by leaving the cuttlebone in the enclosure he can munch on it as needed.

: I've linked some leopard tort pics below, also check out Misty Cortons web site, Misty lives in South Africa, leopard tort territory:

: http://www.carecentre.org.za/

: And Turtle Cafe is another great site:

: http://www.turtlecafe.net/index.htm

: Hope this helps, I used to keep Leopard torts but am now concentrating on other species.
: Terry.

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: Keep in mind that Misty lives in the area of the South African Leopard. It comes from a much drier area. Leopards can be raised with perfectly smooth shells. I know of one breeder who can consistantly raise his animals smooth. (high temps pop up again) : Ed : : Hi, : : some pyramiding is normal/natural for leopard torts. They are not absolutely smooth like sulcatas and other species, but have higher domed carapaces with a lumpy look to them.I was watching the Crocodile Hunter yesterday,Steve found a Leopard Tort under a shrub in it's natural habitat and picked it up. It had that high domed, bumpy carapace. : : If the individual scutes are very high and pointed, : : it could be overly pyramided. But a kind of bumpy look is normal for leopards.A friend of mine has a Leopard Tort that came to her with a deformed carapace. It had been fed a diet too high in protein. : : The carapace was much flater than a normal leopard tort. It was flater with a deformed look, you can tell it isn't normal. Flat and very bumpy, instead of domed and a bit bumpy! : : Do you offer cuttle bone to your tort? : : If not I would get some, remove the hard backing and break the soft part up into chunks. Just leave it in his indoor or outdoor enclosure, so he can munch on it as he chooses. : : It's suspected that going after white rocks indicates that the tortoise is looking for calcium. : : So by leaving the cuttlebone in the enclosure he can munch on it as needed. : : I've linked some leopard tort pics below, also check out Misty Cortons web site, Misty lives in South Africa, leopard tort territory: : : http://www.carecentre.org.za/ : : And Turtle Cafe is another great site: : : http://www.turtlecafe.net/index.htm : : Hope this helps, I used to keep Leopard torts but am now concentrating on other species. : : Terry.

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