Leopards on the halfshell

Throughout the decades, ready availability at affordable prices have kept the leopard tortoise, Geochelone (Stigmochelys) pardalis, high on the list of hobbyist favorites. I have always been on of those hobbyists.

My four leopard tortoises, received from long-time friend and fellow field researcher Randy Limberg, arrived as several day old hatchlings. To say the least their appetite was already on the hearty side and, like Topsy, the little creatures grew and grew -- and grew.

Within a very few years, all exceeded 30 pounds each, and the male was about 45 pounds. They were big, but even more importantly, they were personable, all being completely tame.

Within seven years, the females were nesting. Fellow tortoise breeder Dan Pearson helped work out a successful regimen for egg incubation, and the rest is now history.

Author, photographer, and columnist Richard Bartlett is one of the most prolific writers on herpetological subjects in the 20th century. With hundreds of books and articles to their credit, Richard and his wife Pat have spent over four decades documenting reptiles both in the field and in captivity. For a list of their current titles, please visit their page in our bookstore.