Giant South African Leopard Tortoise for sale
Looking for a Giant South African leopard tortoise for sale? Pardalis Pardalis for sale also known as the Giant South African Leopard Tortoise is a larger subspecies of the more common Pardalis Babcocki leopard tortoise for sale.
Giant South African Leopard Tortoises have a very outgoing personality and are much less shy then the more common leopard. The giants get slightly larger, with most reaching sizes of 13-16″ though some in rare cases have been reported larger. We recommend our 6-month-old well started baby giant leopard tortoises for sale over the fragile hatchling giant south african leopard tortoise for sale.
Leopard torts get their name from the markings on its shell that resemble the large leopard cat of Africa with the same name. However, consider more than just the looks of this large tortoise before deciding to care for one, as it’s long-lived, requires a lot of space, and has some specific needs beings it is considered a. medium sized tortoise.
- Size: Between 10 and 18 inches long on average, and weighing between 40 and 50 pounds
- Leopard Tort Lifespan: Between 50 and 100 years in the wild
Leopard Tortoise (Stigmochelys [Geochelone] pardalis)
The leopard tortoise is the second largest tortoise native to Africa. Only the African spurred tortoise, (also known as the Sulcata tortoise for sale) is larger. Two subspecies are generally recognized. Stigmochelys pardalis babcocki is the most common species in the pet trade. It has a large natural range resulting in geographic variations in size, color and temperature tolerance. Stigmochelys pardalis pardalis is from South Africa and Namibia. S. pardalis pardalis can be distinguished from S. pardalis babcocki as it is generally darker in color, may not be as high domed and generally grows larger.
Without knowing the origin of a leopard tortoise, it is difficult to distinguish adults of the two species due to the geographic variations of S. p. babcocki. Hatchling tortoises of each species are generally distinguished based on the number of dark spots on each scute. S. p. babcocki generally have one black dot or no dots, while S. p. pardalis generally have two black dots on each scute.
Giant Leopard Tortoise Size
Adult leopard tortoises measure from 10 to 18 inches long depending on the geographic origin and subspecies of the tortoise. The South African Leopard Tortoise subspecies, Stigmachelys pardalis pardalis, may grow to 24 inches and the giants from Ethiopia and Somalia may approach 30 inches. Females often grow larger than males, however depending on the origin of the specimen this may be reversed, or male and females may be of similar size. Due to wide geographic variations, there are no set standards to size. Male leopards may always be distinguished from females by their concaved plastron and longer tails. Stigmachelys pardalis pardalis is less common in collections than Stigmachelys pardalis babcocki.
Leopard Tortoise Life Span
Leopard torts live between 50 and 100 years in the wild.
Baby Leopard tortoises for sale
Considering purchasing a baby leopard tortoise for sale? You’ve come to the best leopard tortoise breeder in the country. Our baby leopard tortoises can make excellent pet tortoises for young and old alike! Easy to care for, super friendly, and get along well with other tortoises. Check out our leo tort for sale selection. As an experienced leopard tortoise breeder, we enjoy working with these beautiful creatures and raising some fantastic leopard tortoise hatchlings for sale. When choosing a leopard, it is important to find the right tortoise farm or tortoise breeder.
The leopard tortoise (Pardalis Babcocki) is the fourth largest species of tortoise in the world, with typical adults reaching 10-16-inches (460 mm) and weighing 18-40-pounds (18 kg) with most averaging around 11-12″ and 25-30 lbs at full maturity. Large examples like the giant South African leopard tortoise (pardalis pardalis), or the Giants of Ethiopia may be 70-cm (28 inches) long and weigh up to 80-120-pounds (54 kg). An adult’s maximum shell length can reach a 24-inch (610 mm) diameter. We have a fantastic selection of giant South African leopard tortoise for sale. Check out the Giant leopard tortoise for sale as well as the more common northern African and East African tortoise.
Pardalis Pardalis Leopard Tortoises for sale
The carapace of the leopard is high and domed, sometimes with pyramid shaped scutes. Juvenile leopard tortoises and young leopard tort adults are attractively marked and the markings on each individual are unique. The skin and background color is cream to yellow, and the carapace is marked with black blotches, spots or even dashes or stripes. However, in mature adults, the markings tend to fade to a slaty, nondescript brown or grey, commonly tinged with the local dust.
Shop our leopard tortoises for sale where you will find baby leopard tortoise for sale as well as well started 6 month old well started baby leopard tortoises for sale. We also have a fantastic leopard tortoise care and leopard tortoise diet section to help you learn the proper leopard tortoise hatbitat as well as serving as a overall leopard tortoise care guide.
Leopard Tortoises – Food
As grazers, leopard tortoises feed on a variety of grasses and vegetation. They require a high-fiber diet rich in calcium. In addition to grazing the captive diet may be supplemented a couple times a week with collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens and flowers, hibiscus leaves and flowers, grape leaves, escarole, mulberry tree leaves, spineless cactus pads (Opuntia spp.), carrots, zucchini, butternut squash, pumpkin, mushrooms, sweet potato, yellow squash, and bell peppers. Commercial diets may also be included in the diet.
Although some tortoise keepers supplement the diet with manufactured vitamins and vitamin D3, I have not found these necessary if the leopard torts are provided with a varied diet and exposed to UVB light. Hatchlings should be fed daily and may benefit from food that is lightly sprinkled with calcium powder several times a week.
A small portion of the leopard tortoise’s diet may include fruits, such as tomatoes, apples, papayas, cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, strawberries, raspberries, grapes, mangos and bananas. Fruit should be no more than about 5 percent of the overall diet.
Leopard Tortoise Lighting and Temperature
Leopard torts do not hibernate. In parts of their range they may experience freezing temperatures and seek shelter in animal burrows, but in most of their range, they experience a much narrower range of temperatures. Generally, that’s between 70 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
For indoor care of the leo tortoise, temperatures should be maintained between 75 and 90 degrees, with a basking spot of 95 degrees. Depending on the indoor air temperatures, a heat light may be required at night or during the day for the tortoise to thermoregulate and raise its temperature to optimal levels for digestion. Exposure to natural sunlight or UVB light plays an important role in how the body absorbs and uses calcium. UVB light or natural sunlight allows the tortoise to produce vitamin D3.
UVB lighting is key for proper Vitamin D production and absorption
Vitamin D3 is critical to the tortoise in its ability to absorb and use the available calcium. UVB can be obtained from fluorescent tubes specially made for reptile use or from mercury vapor bulbs, which also provide some heat. If fluorescent tubes are used for UVB, a separate light may be required for heat.
In outdoor enclosures, leopard tortoises may handle a wider range of temperatures, but once temperatures drop into the 50s at night or daily high temperatures fail to exceed 70 degrees, move tortoises indoors or provide heat. Heat may be provided with items such as ceramic heat emitters, infrared heat lights or “pig blankets” (a solid, flat piece of fiberglass with wire heating coils inside).
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