Our Tortoises

Our first group of giant Leopard Tortoises was imported for us in 1992 from south western Africa.  

They have a large lawn to graze on and a heated house to go into each night.  The house never goes below 60º F.  Leopard Tortoises do not hibernate during the winter; they just slow down. They definitely require heat during the cold months.

Most of our tortoises are South African Giant Leopard Tortoises (pardalis).  Only two are babcocki and they are kept separate from the pardalis to prevent hybrids.

Here's a picture of our adult pardalis pardalis breeders.  

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Here's Lana holding a large adult female.

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Our females lay two to six clutches of 10 to 24 eggs each year.  The eggs take 11 to 13 months to hatch in a large homemade, walk-in incubator set at 83º to 86° F and 80% humidity.

This 4½-year old male is one of our first captive babies.

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The Giant Leopard Tortoises (pardalis) have real personalities.  They are social, outgoing, and always curious about what you are doing.