Leopard Tortoise

[Burgers]

Hello there chaps!

My leopard is being very lazy at the moment (well most of the time he is) every winter he nearly always stops eating the stuff that is good for him! he wont ea the weed but put something nice in there and he is there like a bullet from a gun!

I was wondering if it would be a good idea to maybe introduce another male leopard onto the scene? in the hopes that this might make him less lazy and might give him more get up and go!

i was wondering what you lovely people think

[Burgers]

Does it even have to be another leopard introduced could it be some other breed?

[Neddy]

Hi Burger,

I have one leo Ralph and he eats through out winter and doesn't really slow down so I would certainly look any problems i.e. temps, lighting, variety, worming etc

Adding another tortoise can be a tricky business firstly there is the quarantine period, should be about 6 months before they are introduced and there is no guarantee they will get on.

Two males will likely fight and if you got one of each sex the male would likely pester the female and cause her to stress. You need more females then males as they can go some

I personally wouldn't mix species due to different care requirements however there have been success stories

This winter I have introduced pellets and he is enjoying them so that's the worry of him not getting what he needs sorted.....

Hope this helps.

Regards

Sara

[Burgers]

He is the same every year all the temps are right and the room is always lovely and warm for him. Had him checked by vets regular and he is 100% parasite free I go every six months.

I did think they would fight etc and I no way would get a female :-/ I just don't know what's wrong with him he gets this way ever year :-/ I might take him back to the vets again

[Mick.Ire]

No don't introduce another male, even if they don't fight which would be unusual the less dominant one will get stressed out and stop eating completely.

You could try not giving treats or nice stuff and wait it out a while. How long to wait depends on the tort size and weight. I'd he old or young, big or small??

Maybe because you keep offering the nice stuff he knows that it will come eventually so skips the weeds.

What's your temps and UV set up?

[onarock]

Can you tell us how you are keeping him? Temps, lighting, hours the lights are on... etc?

[Burgers]

I tend not to give him any treats :-/ on the odd occasion I might if he looks like he is in a mood lol

His table has a basking area and a cool area basking area has a heat lamp temp tends to stay between 22-29 ish has a thermostat so it goes off it it gets to hot, room is always nice and warm it's never cold in there I've got a chameleon in the same room with an open mesh cage and she is fine so I know it isn't the warmth of the room that's the problem. Uv light right accross his table.

I bath him at least twice a week maybe a bit more or less depending on his mood lol

He has all the supliments that he requires (when he eats!!!) has a cuttle fish two if he ever wants more, has a hide, varied terrain on the table water bowl etc etc.

I know I'm doing everything right I check with the vets every time I go and check online for other things I could be doing to make him more happy

I don't know why he does this! I've never hibernated him should I maybe start?? I've never wanted to because I think it's a bit two risky especially if he isn't eating

[Burgers]

Oh light hours!! Light goes on at 6.00am goes off at 8.00pm. I used to have it from 7.00am to 8.00pm but I increased it by an hour in the hopes that it might trick him into thinking its summer time lol

[longbowassassin]

You DON'T hibernate leopards.

[Burgers]

Yeah I didn't think so