hi great new site thanks for letting me join i hope it goes from strength to strength.for those who dont know me im terry and i keep 4 differemt types of tortoise 3 seperate groups and one individual and for those who do know me its the same.LOL.at this moment in time i have i think 54 tortoises about half of those are of breeding age/size.

                                 terry

Hi Terry,

Great to see you here! We have a section for members' photos (click on Photo Gallery in the left-hand column, and then Members Gallery, where you can create albums (they're called 'sets' here). It would be great to have some photos of your wonderful huge enclosures -- and also my favourite picture -- of you with that Leopard in a wheelbarrow!

Nina

Hi Terry

Welcome.  Have you seen the picture on care sheets on the leopard introductory section?  I thought you might like it <vbg>.

Helen

Is that Terry's leopard? That is one lovely, smooth tortoise!

Nina

hi Nina and Helen thanks for the warm welcome i will be adding some pictures just try and stop me LOL.i will even dust off that old picture of my wheelbarrowfor you Nina that leopard in the barrow is 18"  long now so she has grown a little since that was taken.i was surprised to see the picture of Old man on your caresheets i didnt realise i had sent you one of him Helen.i have some great pictures of the new hatchlings from february they are 3 1/2 months now and only 25 grams my biggest leopard adult is 18kg plus what a difference in size, and appetite i might add.any way its not just leopards my second generation hermans has just laid her second clutch after only 23days so she is keen .im hopeing to post news about second generation cb graeca graeca but no eggs yet the little tinkers .i hope everyone has had a good season and may all your eggs hatch.

                                                   terry

Hi Terry

I just love your pics.  Thanks for sharing them with us.  How often does that female leopard lay eggs as I know some can lay every month?

Your babies are great.  I just wished I lived a little nearer as a few of them might be heading my way

Helen

hi Helen im sorry didnt see your reply until now ,my leopards apart from the eggs i hatched a few years ago havent shown any inclination to breed because my own male was to small then last year he mated with my young cb girl and we got 2 hatchlings from her. towards the end of last year he was at all my girls even the biggest so i thought there may be a chance of eggs  the middle girl laid last month and the big girl appears to be gravid but is hanging on to the eggs for now, if she doesnt lay in the next few weeks i will get her xrayed to confirm eggs, then make a decission.as you say some individuals will lay monthly throughout the season but i think mine are on a go slow thank goodness. i dont know if any of the clutch i have in the incubator are fertile but will check them next month once the meds start hatching and i have room to spread things out in there

                        terry

p.s.  i wish you lived closer cant think of a bettr home for them.

Do you make special nesting sites for the leos Terry or do they dig into the hard earth?  I ask because I have one who I think may be gravid for the first time and it's been suggested that I don't need to provide her with a special nesting site.  If I do need one I'm not sure how I would make one either because I expect it would need to be very large.  Any advice you can give me would be appreciated.

I think she may be gravid as she is not eating very much (at least not when I'm watching) and she's keeping herself well away from the others.  There are no signs of illhealth to suggest anything other to me than she may have eggs.

Thanks for your vote of confidence with your babies

Helen

hi helen im so sorry i only just read your post about the gravid leopard,you must have thought i was on another planet when i replied to your post on yahoo LOL.i have had one leopard dig up the lawn in august 6 years ago late afternoon the last ones to lay have been in the greenhouse i have dug up the soil and made sure it was as deep as they are long then when it was hot and dry i dug back a little soil and pourd a kettle of boiling water in and pushed back the soil and flattened it with the back of a spade ,even though i have heat lamps over the soil in october it took 2 weeks before my young cb girl would lay this was her first clutch and i had a young girl again first clutch this year laid in may pace for a couple of weeks then i put her into the greenhouse she laid after 2days .when in the greenhouse they have a sectinof 5' x6' with access to an outside area to themselves about 10'x5' a large plastic dog bed in the corner full of water so they can get in for a soak and a drink..i must add that i have just had one girl spend 3 weeks in there but wont dig although she has tried to dig up the concrete now she is back in the main enclosure.i may try her in the greenhouse again.

                                    terry