Care Sheets

Although both species are not difficult to keep and are very hardy, providing you can give them the correct enclosures and apply the right husbandry.

If either of these species are not for you due to there size then take a look at the husbandry advice on Mediterranean species which are highly recommended.

Leopard tortoises have the largest natural range of all African species of tortoises, ranging from as far north as Sudan/Ethiopia to South Africa. Mainly the eastern more arid side of Africa and towards some dry Central African savanna right down to South Africa, but absent from tropical West Africa. Also within there range they can be found in both lowlands and in the highland up to 3,000m.

Taking this into account, this species has adapted to many different environments across its geographic range, with a variation of weather conditions. From North East Africa to South Africa they are spanning both Northern and Southern Hemispheres which have different temperature ranges, hours of light and seasons. They are divided into two sub-species with possibly more being subdivided at some stage, Stigmochelys Pardalis pardalis (isolated to South Africa) and the rest form part of Stigmochelys pardalis babcocki.

The largest form of the sub-species within the group are found in the highlands of Sudan and Ethiopia, commonly called Stigmochelys pardalis Ethiopienese which may become official at some stage. This sub-species grows massive compared to the others, up to 30inches plus and can weigh 20kg+. Still little is known about this sub-species but for now they officially form part of Stigmochelys pardalis babcocki which are the most common sub-species with the largest range across Africa.

It's important to understand the geographic area from which your Leopard tortoise is derived from.

The two most productive countries which are commercially breeding and exporting baby Leopard tortoises to Europe (including the UK) are Zambia and Tanzania, with a small amount coming from Kenya. Nearly all UK-bred Leopards (including our own adults) are bred from imports from many years ago, from either of these countries - more than likely Zambia being the largest producers for many years.

Its safe to say most if not all Leopard tortoises found for sale through specialised pet stores will be Stigmochelys pardalis babcocki as few Stigmochelys pardalis pardalis from South Africa are kept or bred in the UK and if tends to be far more expensive.

African Spurred tortoises more commonly known as the Sulcata tortoises and are mainly found across Saharan regions of Africa, from Sudan/Ethiopia north east Africa to Mali western Central Africa. East to west across Sahara temperature ranges are quite similar so one standard husbandry technic will work.

In captivity both captive bred species adapt very well to the same husbandry, hence the reason we have grouped these two species together, basically hot and dry with cooler nights.

Ambient day temperatures of mid 80's (fahrenheit) seem to be fine and directly under the heat lamp can go into the high 90's, which they will bask in from time to time to recharge with the extra heat, but must have the opportunity to move away from the heat lamp once fully charged.

Heat should be provided for around 12-14hrs per day with a night reduction into the low mid 70's. This cycle should be repeated 52 weeks per year as they don't hibernate, unless you were conditioning adults for breeding, then temperatures will need to be further adjusted to stimulate breeding.

UVB is very important for both species as they accrue in areas which are exposed to high levels of UV. However, tortoises in the wild don't spend all day in the sun and tend to only get exposed to direct sunlight from early to mid morning while they are charging themselves with heat from the early morning sun after a cool night.

Once they are fully charged and start feeding shortly after, they will hide from the sun under bushes or in burrows where they can regulate their body temperatures, in extreme heat they go in to what's known as estivation, a type of dormancy during excessively hot temperatures. So moderate to high UV lights are fine, your retailer will advise you on the latest brands available.

The African Spurred tortoise very rarely drinks water, but I've witnessed Leopards drinking quick regularly. Unlike the African Spurred tortoises, Leopards can be found relatively close to water holes where they spend many hours during the night bathing and drinking in water which has been warmed during the day. So it's important to offer Leopards a regular bath. Two or three times a week is fine, for about 10-15 minutes or until they have fouled the water. Try and keep the tub of water in a place where the water will remain warm and not go cold quickly, water only has to be luke-warm. Baby African Spurred tortoises may also enjoy a bath once or twice a week.

Whilst on the subject of water it's important to understand how tortoises absorb moisture and the benefits it has during growth. Tortoises living in dry arid areas are still able to find moisture by digging deep holes where layers of sand and soil will naturally hold low levels of moisture. Tortoises will either lay in there burrow during the heat of the day or sleep in them at night absorbing moisture through the skin and shell without actually drinking. The absorption of moisture is a slow process over many hours per day. Bathing your tortoise for a few minutes a day is no comparison but will help if the tortoise needs to drink

It's questionable whether there's any health issues associated with pyramiding or whether it's a normal process that occurs in tortoises when kept in hot and dry conditions.

We have, in our own breeding groups of Leopards, high pyramided females which produce regular clutches of eggs - which is normally only associated with healthy individuals.

Most species of animals that are kept incorrectly in captivity show signs of stress and become ill or die, whereas tortoises adapt to this change in environmental conditions by pyramiding to expand there overall surface area, to aid the absorption of what little moisture there may be in the air. The more extreme the dry air is, the more they will pyramid.

If a tortoise has started pyramiding as a juvenile, by changing its environmental conditions the pyramiding growth will stop, but will remain as it is and will continue to grow normally. If condition change once again to extremely dry at any stage whilst growing before reaching adult size then the pyramiding will start again.

Other shell deformities tend to be genetic, diet or incubation temperature related. Some babies hatch with extra or missshaped scutes. This tends to be an incubation issue, mainly being incubated at the top end of the scale of temperature limits. These individuals tend to be females as sex is temperature related, females at the higher end, males at the lower end and mixed sexes incubated mid-range. No evidence of health issues with extra or missshaped scutes.

Genetics plays a part in all living creatures and, from time to time certain males and females breeding together genetically may be incompatible and produce deformed individuals, rarely more than one within a whole clutch will be produced deformed and the rest will be fine.

Diet can play a big part in growth deformities, a lack of variations , calcium and multivitamin in the diet can have profound effects on the longterm health of a tortoise. The main key is to not allow your tortoise to feed solely on one thing, just because it's easy to feed or the tortoise tends to prefer it to anything else. Variety is the key to success. Always check the diet your species of tortoise should be eating as it can vary between species.