Ozark Exotics
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🐢 Turtles & tortoises bred with purpose
📚 Education • Conservation • Responsible husbandry
🌎 Preserving species through captive breeding
🌵🐢 The tortoise superfood nobody talks about…
Opuntia cactus (prickly pear) is one of the best foods you can offer most tortoise species. It’s packed with fiber, rich in calcium, highly hydrating, and readily accepted by even picky eaters.
As a bonus, it’s incredibly productive. A single plant can provide a steady supply of nutritious pads year after year, making it one of the most valuable tortoise food plants you can grow.
Safe to say these young leopard tortoises approve. 💚
🐢🥚 Another night, another nest!
This female Three-toed Box Turtle carefully selected her nesting site and got to work laying the next generation of turtles. Every egg represents months of planning, care, and patience—and lots of beautiful babies later this summer!
With turtles and tortoises nesting almost daily, our incubators are filling up fast! 🔥
Follow along as we incubate, hatch, and raise these incredible animals from egg to baby.
06/13/2026
🥚🐢 Another one!
One of our female Three-toed Box Turtles decided tonight was the perfect night to add a few more eggs to the season. Nesting season is in full swing here at Ozark Exotics, and our incubators are filling up fast!
This is just a sneak peek… we’ll share a video tomorrow. 👀
With turtles and tortoises laying eggs left and right, it’s shaping up to be an exciting hatching season. Stay tuned!
🐢💚 Love is in the air — and the first step toward a new generation…
While the eggs and babies usually get all the attention, every hatchling starts right here. Successful captive breeding begins with healthy adult tortoises, proper nutrition, quality UVB lighting, and years of dedicated husbandry.
If all goes according to plan, today’s breeding activity could become this fall’s baby leopard tortoises. 🥚🐢
Follow along as nesting season continues!
🐢🥚 More leopard tortoise eggs!!
This time, it’s Isabela. This beautiful female just laid her first clutch of 2026.
Watch all the way to the end to see how many eggs she deposited in the nest. 👀
The eggs are now safely in the incubator, and we’ll be sharing candles videos and developmental milestones along the way. 🐣
Follow for incubation updates and hatchling season later this year! 🌱
06/12/2026
🌿 Golden hour hits different in the forest.
As temperatures drop and humidity rises, our forest species come alive. Swipe through for a glimpse of these fascinating tortoises. 🌙🍃
☀️🐢 Fresh grass, warm sunshine, and nowhere to be.
🐢💨 Have you ever seen a tortoise RUN?!
Meet Elrond, one of our male Burmese Star tortoises. The moment he spotted me with a fresh Opuntia cactus pad (nopal), he kicked it into high gear and came charging across the yard for a snack! 🌵
And no, this was NOT sped up. 😆
Opuntia pads are one of our favorite natural foods for tortoises—high in fiber, packed with moisture, and eagerly accepted by just about every species we keep.
When the menu is this good, even a tortoise can break the speed limit. 🐢💨
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