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Brief introduction

Latin name: Geochelonepardalis

English name: Leopardtortoise

Distribution: It is distributed in Sudan, Ethiopia, South Africa and other places on the African continent.

Body length: Generally 35-45 cm in size, but growth is stunted after reaching 30 cm. The maximum record can reach 70 centimeters and 48.6 kilograms.

Staple foods: plant foods such as vegetables, high-fiber plants, pastures

reproduction

There is a record of successful breeding in the United States and Japan, but in Taiwan it is notoriously difficult to raise, perhaps due to the high humidity environment and the wrong food supply. It is recommended to give low-protein, high-fiber foods and avoid fruits and vegetables that provide more water every day.

The leopard tortoise is a large and fascinating tortoise that has a wide distribution in the Sahara Desert, including Sudan in the south, Ethiopia, East Africa (including Natal), Bia, Botswana, Namibia, Angola, and West Africa. Male leopard tortoises are larger than females, and this trait is also present in other Geochelone tortoises, including the Golopas tortoise. In the wild, the largest leopard turtle ever discovered, named Domkrag, has lived for a long time in the Addo National Elephant Park, measuring 65.6 centimeters long and weighing 43 kilograms. Unfortunately, he died in 1976 after being captured in an abandoned anteater nest. Relative to male leopard turtles, the largest female recorded leopard turtle was 49.8 centimeters long and weighed 20 kilograms. Usually, adult leopard turtles bred in captivity are around 30 centimeters and weigh up to 10 kilograms.

classify

Most authorities recognize two subspecies of leopard tortoise: Geochelonepardalispardalis, which lives in south-western Africa, and G.p. babcocki, which lives in eastern and southern Africa. Of the two populations, G.p. babcocki is the most widely distributed and can be found in pet stores in the United States and Europe. We have to state that some authorities, after extensive field studies of the Geochelonepardalis species, disagree with the widely accepted view that there are two distinct subspecies. There are also authorities that believe that there is a transitional population between the two subspecies. Even within the G.p. babcocki population, there was a significant difference in the dorsal shell pattern, with some specimens characterized by large white spots in large black spots, while others had few white spots. Normally, we see leopard turtles with mostly dark spots. ThephotographbelowisofajuvenileLeopardtortoisetakeninTanzanier.

habitat

The habitat of leopard turtles is distributed in semi-arid grasslands. Prefers to live on semi-dry, thorny grasslands. However, they can also be found in some steep places. In the hot season, it hibernates; In the cold season, it is in a dormant state; At such times, it tends to hide in burrows dug by jackals, foxes, and anteaters.

Raised in captivity

food

Because its habitat is in grasslands, it consumes a variety of different herbaceous plants. It also likes fruit and cactus plants, among others. But in captivity, it's best not to feed it too much water, such as lettuce, potatoes, fruits, in fact, they need a coarse, high-fiber food. Feeding too many fruits and watery plants can often cause gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea. If you keep it free, you can plant more herbs in the yard and they will grow healthy. In winter, there is less grass to eat, and most of the vegetables you can buy in the supermarket are more watery and expensive. If possible, try to plant some grass indoors in pots, they are very appetizing for leopard tortoises.

Calcium requirements are also very high, especially in pregnant females and in fast-growing mothers. In the wild, they often eat weathered animal bones and coyote feces to replenish calcium. When they are kept in captivity, we can go to the reptile store and buy some "reptilian calcium powder" for them to eat.

When feeding in captivity, the recipe should be mixed with calcium-D3, and the feeding equipment should also be equipped with UVB and heated spotlights. On warm sunny days, often take them out into the wild. If fed properly, their shells will not bulge. Meat should never be given to them, and no other herbivorous tortoises should be given. It inevitably leads to overgrowth, rugged bone growth, dangerous levels of blood lipids, stones, and kidney disease. We should also pay attention to some plants, which are also high in protein, and if you give a leopard turtle legumes (high protein, low phosphorus-calcium ratio), it will also cause serious growth problems.

environment

Leopard tortoises like and need a large space for rearing at the same time. If they are confined to a very small environment, they will lack movement. They are very strong animals, so all the enclosures are to be securely locked. Our breeding environment is 2 m + 2 m indoor feeding area, 2 m + 2 m indoor sleeping area, 7 m + 4 m outdoor stocking area, this environment is enough for 3 adult leopard turtles. In addition, at night and in the sleeping area, we use heating pads and illuminate them with a 300-watt UV warming lamp. Needless to say, the operating costs of keeping a leopard tortoise are expensive compared to other, smaller tortoises. We would also like to add that leopard tortoises have very similar food and environmental requirements to Sue.

Feeding temperature between 25-32, preferably with a temperature difference between day and night.

Artificially bred

In the wild, leopard turtles typically reach sexual maturity at 12-15 years, but size and age are equally important. When bred in captivity, the growth rate is faster than that of wild ones, and sexual maturity can be reached in 6-8 years. When both male and female leopard tortoises reach 20 centimeters in size, usually 25 centimeters, they are able to mate. Male leopard turtles have longer tails, longer body shapes, and sunken ventral carapaces (not necessarily) than females. The following content is more intense, not suitable for children, and omitted. Female leopard tortoises generally lay 5-15 eggs. It is not an exaggeration to say that some of the larger ones can even produce more than 30 of them. Eggs vary greatly in shape, partly because of gender differences and partly because of where they are produced. Most of them are 4.5 cm in size, and (note: many leopard cubs on the market today are newly hatched) weigh 55 grams. The ability of leopard turtles to lay eggs is very strong, and some females can lay 3 or more litters in a season.

Incubation is best placed in an incubator that is dry at about 30-31 degrees. The incubation time is longer than that of other tortoise species, the longest will be more than a year (392 days), generally around 130-150 days. The requirements for keeping young turtles are the same as those for adults. In the first stages we designed a 50 cm + 50 cm terrarium and in the first few months we used a heating pad, a small heated spotlight, a full-spectrum (UVA) lamp and a UVB lamp.

Common diseases

If kept properly, leopard tortoises are relatively strong tortoises, however, there are always some diseases that are common when reared and it is best for breeders to familiarize themselves with. What is said below is not exhaustive and does not cover the detailed treatments. It is just a list of some of the diseases that often occur during years of breeding.

Stomatitis

Early symptoms include excessive drooling and coughing, which usually means that germs have infected the throat. As soon as this happens, take them to the veterinarian immediately. In the actual breeding experience, the prospects for this disease are not promising. Stomatitis often spreads between populations.

Warning: Leopard turtles, including star turtles, are susceptible to herpes infection, and there is no effective way to deal with this condition, which often causes diseases such as stomatitis, pneumonia, etc. Animals with herpes can remain unshown for long periods of time, but they are highly contagious and can be transmitted to other animals that come into contact with them. There was no safe period of stay, and we found one case where a tortoise carried and contracted the germ for 10 years until it finally showed signs of illness.

nematode disease

Leopard tortoises need regular "worming". The most troublesome thing about this disease is that it is necessary to "fight worms" frequently, and once the nematodes survive in the stomach of the leopard tortoise and settle down there, it may be a protracted battle.

Hexamitiasis

This highly contagious pathogen easily invades the G. pardalis leopard tortoise and can eventually lead to kidney failure unless it can be diagnosed and treated quickly. Signs of illness include lack of life, weight loss, a strong smell of urine (which may get worse), hunger strike, and drinking a lot of water. We must reiterate that if you find it, you should take it to a veterinarian for treatment, and it is best to go to the veterinarian with a sample of turtle urine. Due to its contagious and lethal nature, it is important to note that for newly purchased tortoises, we must make sure that they are disease-free before putting them into the herd of tortoises that are already raised, with a minimum period of 6 months and 12 months for which we recommend. Fortunately, Hexamitiasis can be diagnosed early and can be completely cured with continuous use of metrol (a synthetic antimicrobial drug C6H9N3O3 used to treat **trichomoniasis and intestinal arlotosis). Our treatment is an injectable dose of 260 mg/kg.

pneumonia

Signs include: panting with your mouth open and raising your neck frequently. Pneumonia is often caused by poorly controlled feeding temperatures or severe environmental stress. Timely veterinary management is essential. In many cases, oxytetracycline (50 to 75 mg/kg) or Baytril (2.5 to 10 mg/kg) is injected subcutaneously. Providing them with a warm, dry environment during treatment, especially at night, is the most basic condition to be treated.

epilogue

Leopard tortoises are becoming increasingly popular among family reptile enthusiasts. At present, it has been bred in captivity on a large scale, and it should be said that it is good for alleviating the demand for wild individuals. The subsp. g. pardalis is more suitable for artificial breeding and is also more tolerant of seasonal changes. With proper feeding, leopard tortoises can survive for a long time, even longer than a person's lifespan. It is one of the most well-known artificial tortoise species suitable for breeding and breeding in the reptile pet market.