South African Leopard Tortoise

Aligators, caimen, crocodiles, terrapins, tortoises and turtles exotic to South Africa.

Re: South African Leopard Tortoise

Postby garth » Fri Mar 11, 2011 12:39 am

I suggest that you look at doing the Tortoise Trust Foundation Course (online correspondence - Cost: ~ £40). Its a UK-based organisation geared to keeping torts indoors. There's an interesting piece on microclimates and their importance in long-term health of torts (incl. S. pardalis) in indoor environments. It does appear that humidity levels play a role in growth and one needs to keep in mind that even in arid environs (with an outside RH below 40%), the subterranian humidity levels are generally higher (up to 70% +) where these species shelter, particularly at the base of plants. It is suggested that torts kept indoors in dry, hot environs with a shallow substrate are more active and spend this activity feeding (at higher than normal rates) making them more susceptable to mineral and trace elament deficiencies along with renal problems and bladder stones. Their growth rate is very quick, but not uniform. The same species kept indoors on a deep substrate of loamy soil with live herbacious plantings (and a higher substrate humidity) and regular sprayings suffered no renal or bladder issues and had a more even growth rate with limited to no pyramiding. I'm no expert in chelonian husbandry (partly because mine always sorted themselves out when I kept them in SAfrica), but I've had to start doing some serious homework since keeping them indoors in Europe. BTW - If the female in your first pic is CB, it must be the best looking shell for a pardalis kept indoors that I've seen so far! Well done on that!
P.S. - What diet do you have yours on?
Whats this nonsense about genetically modified food being dangerous and not tasting good!?! I had a leg of salmon yesterday and it was delicious!
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Re: South African Leopard Tortoise

Postby Tori0402 » Wed Apr 17, 2013 9:15 am

I don't understand how you can keep your leopard tortoise in these conditions, have you done NO research!!! yagyujubei
People on this forum are giving you good advise and you should take note if you really care about your tortoises.
You are choosing to breed them yet don't know how to take proper care of them.
Firstly your older tortoise does look ill, the babies should not only be eating lettuce and the substrate you are housing them in is incorrect.
I have two leopard tortoises one of 24 years and another that is over 40, they were adopted by the exotic vet I assist, they both live outside and are very content and that is the way God intended them to live.
Leopard tortoises should be kept in an outside enclosure, their instinct is to travel distances and that's what makes them happy, not to be locked up in a cage with damp surroundings causing respiratory disease and a certain slow death, please be aware that you should never interbreed it is really a horrid thing to do.
Please heed Bushviper sound knowledge as he knows exactly what he is speaking about and as viewed in the pictures his tortoises are of good health.
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Re: South African Leopard Tortoise

Postby Jamster » Wed Apr 17, 2013 12:46 pm

Dude... really, this topic died two years ago. Why are you raging? You may be right but you have made one post and it is on an old post yet you posted just to rage and #$%^ someone out who probably isnt on the forum anymore. Sunshine and rainbows, hopefully your next post is a little more cheerful:)
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Re: South African Leopard Tortoise

Postby yagyujubei » Fri Apr 19, 2013 1:03 am

Tori0402 wrote:I don't understand how you can keep your leopard tortoise in these conditions, have you done NO research!!! yagyujubei
People on this forum are giving you good advise and you should take note if you really care about your tortoises.
You are choosing to breed them yet don't know how to take proper care of them.
Firstly your older tortoise does look ill, the babies should not only be eating lettuce and the substrate you are housing them in is incorrect.
I have two leopard tortoises one of 24 years and another that is over 40, they were adopted by the exotic vet I assist, they both live outside and are very content and that is the way God intended them to live.
Leopard tortoises should be kept in an outside enclosure, their instinct is to travel distances and that's what makes them happy, not to be locked up in a cage with damp surroundings causing respiratory disease and a certain slow death, please be aware that you should never interbreed it is really a horrid thing to do.
Please heed Bushviper sound knowledge as he knows exactly what he is speaking about and as viewed in the pictures his tortoises are of good health.


WOW. don't hold back, tell me how you really feel. I'm sure you will be surprised to hear, but my leopard tortoises are all still alive despite my, by your account, inhumane treatment of them. My 2 1/2 year old male is now over 6kg, and my "sickly" female is almost 14kg. Congratulations to you on keeping a couple of native tortoises alive outside in their native country eating native foods. It certainly must be a challenge. There are many problems involved with keeping animals outside of their native country. Believe me, I have done much research on the subject, and am fairly knowledgeable. I am on this forum because I enjoy reading the occasional thread about these tortoises in their native country.
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Re: South African Leopard Tortoise

Postby Steven Molteno » Thu Sep 19, 2013 6:09 pm

Dear Leopard tortoise keepers,
Please join our new "Cape Tortoise Group" on facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/164559577080570/ )
It's for conservationists, keepers and just those who are interested in southern african species.

S.
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Re: South African Leopard Tortoise

Postby uncutdiamonds » Thu Sep 19, 2013 8:18 pm

Bushviper wrote:Leopard tortoises ....

Leopard tortoise do not eat live food unlike some other local species such as Hinged back tortoises. They do eat animal droppings (especially of carnivores) searching for calcium. Apparently extra animal protein causes pyramiding in leopard tortoises.

Leopard tortoises can swim well and will cross rivers or lakes. They swim rather slowly and falling into water does not stress them as they float with their heads out of the water for hours on end.

I take a guess that one needs permits to keep them here in South Africa?
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Re: South African Leopard Tortoise

Postby kfc223 » Fri Sep 20, 2013 9:14 am

Yes you would require permits for Leopard Tortoise.
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Re: South African Leopard Tortoise

Postby Jamster » Mon Sep 23, 2013 10:46 am

You need permits yes, try getting one though ;)
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Re: South African Leopard Tortoise

Postby PurpleSticky » Fri Oct 24, 2014 3:18 pm

Hi All,

New to the site so this should be interesting.

I have always loved tortoises.... I have recently decided that I would like to buy one. Can anyone help me? I know I need a permit. Where do I even start with this.
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Re: South African Leopard Tortoise

Postby Mitton » Fri Oct 24, 2014 3:23 pm

You can start by telling us where you're from.
www.moreliapythons.co.za
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Re: South African Leopard Tortoise

Postby glimon » Fri Dec 19, 2014 1:53 am

Bushviper wrote:Leopard tortoises occur in areas where there is snow on the ground in winter. Does that give you an idea how cold it gets? They have to hibernate or else they will freeze to death. They will often find burrows deep underground and spend months there. They also burrow deep into vegetation where they stay and on warm winter days they do come out to bask but return a few hours later.

Leopard tortoise do not eat live food unlike some other local species such as Hinged back tortoises. They do eat animal droppings (especially of carnivores) searching for calcium. Apparently extra animal protein causes pyramiding in leopard tortoises.

Leopard tortoises can swim well and will cross rivers or lakes. They swim rather slowly and falling into water does not stress them as they float with their heads out of the water for hours on end.


Hi, Bushviper. I am considering keeping and breeding South African leopard tortoises in Guadalajara, Mexico, this is the rationale:
Our winters are mostly dry, with average temperatures (maximums and minimums) very similar to Pretoria's, perhaps not as cold ( 2 - 4 C minimums ) in the worst of winter. Our rainy season is during the summer (monsoon-like), the balance of the year there is very little rain, our hottest month is May (your November), reaching above 35 C; once rains start in June maximum temperature is 33 C. Humidity is low even during the rains, this due to our altitude (1540 M above sea level, not too different from Pretoria). Pretoria is just below the Tropic of Capricorn and Guadalajara is just below the Tropic of Cancer, it means you have slightly longer days in summer and slightly shorter days in winter, but not much of a difference. I have successfully kept and bred Gopherus berlianderi under these conditions for almost 30 years (their latitude -Texas and nothern Mexico- is the same as Pretoria's -of course inversely), I hibernate them from late November through early March, they mostly graze on Bermuda grass plus weekly opuntia, tomatoes, lettuce and cucumber, I am observing pyramiding in the young offspring adults, I think I need to cut on the given food. There is too much "copy-paste" in the Web and only in this discussion I have found that someone hibernates their Leopards. It makes sense, Pretoria gets pretty good chills in Winter. Peter Pritchard in his big book cites "the may hibernate in some parts of their range". Thanks in advance, any hints on transporting and keeping purchased young SA S. p. p. will be appreciated too.
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Re: South African Leopard Tortoise

Postby Sico » Fri Dec 19, 2014 8:39 am

Glimon the conditions you describe should be fine for keeping them outside. I have a couple that have been handed to me over time, and except for the very smallest one the rest remain outside and where I am my winter temps drop to around 2C, with minor to moderate frost (no snow). They graze on the lawn grass, as well as indigenous succulent plants, and I supplement their diet with fruits (pretty much anything, melons, bananas, apples, pears, citrus, squashes) and leafy vegetables (cabbage, spinach, cress, mint (for some reason they love it), lettuces). Try and avoid tomatoes, although torts love them they are very acidic. My leopards also demolish prickly pear cactus, Opuntia ficus-indica, which are indigenous to your part of the world, so if you have some of that nearby, they will eat either growing plants right down to the ground, or some of the fleshy leaves chopped up. Obviously baby torts mouths aren't big or strong enough to do this, but if you slice it thinly they will manage, and they fruits of these plants will dissapear into a leopard tortoise very quickly!
If you manage to get some please share some pics of your set up and the specimens. Good luck.
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Re: South African Leopard Tortoise

Postby glimon » Sun Dec 21, 2014 2:17 am

Thanks, Sico. There is a tortoise farm in Arizona that breeds S.p. p. The northern race S. p. babcoki is widely available but that the subspecies that does not hibernate. I will share everything, of course. Thanks again.
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Re: South African Leopard Tortoise

Postby Bushviper » Tue Dec 23, 2014 12:50 pm

Glimon if you can let me know what the import requirements are for Mexico I could find someone who exports regularly to send you some South African pardalis. They are bred easily and exporting captive bred stock is possible if you are registered so I think you can get some nice ones.
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Re: South African Leopard Tortoise

Postby glimon » Wed Dec 24, 2014 5:58 am

Thanks for the gesture, Bushviper. I will find out the formalities, but environmental authorities in Mexico are among the toughest, which is good news for the wild populations of endemic chelonians. You might want to take a look at the Pleistocene rewilding project of Ted Turner (the media mogul), he is starting with the Bolson tortoise, but this subject is not related to this discussion.
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