housing

Question
hi
i know you said you work mostly with bearded dragons but i was wondering if you could give me some tips about housing a leopard tortoise. things like is it ok to use news paper? what kinds of food? bedding and everything pretty much

thank you

Answer
Hello Haleh,

No problem.  :-))
Are you going to be housing him in or outdoors?  
He will need a basking light along with a UVB light if you are going to keep him indoors.  The basking temperatures need to be around the low 90's & the humidity should remain relatively low being under 50%.  
If the enclosure is too humid & not at good temeperature he can be vulnerable to respiratory infections.
They need some grassy areas, along with sandy patches.  You can put a water dish for a pond on one end of the tank for swimming & moisture.  
Newspaper would be safe, but they need a little bit of natural feeding which grass is good for.
Mixed grasses & flowers are excellent.  Here is a good feeding chart:
http://africantortoise.com/edible_plants.htm

This should get you started.

Tracie