so, i'm the one who got 2 baby redfoots about a week ago and one was super lethargic. Well, now they are both mobile and eating, although the "sick" one hides most of the day and refuses to eat things that are good for him!
1. My tortoises don't get up on their own. When I go to class I soak them for about 10 mins, then put them next to their food plate and make sure they eat a little. I feel like I am "forcing" a routine on them, but this weekend I thought I would let them try it on their own and they never "got up" so in the afternoon, I did the same routine. Is this normal?
Also, temperatures are at least in the 75-80 on their hide side in the morning, so they aren't too cold. I turn on the mercury vapor heat lamp in the a.m around 8, but still no action.
2. The "sick" one is better, but he REALLY needs the extra help and hates eating greens. he *might* eat a hibiscus leaf bite, but mostly he only eats on fruit days. I am worried he is not getting his nutrients and that is why he is more lethargic. The breeder I got him from fed mostly mazuri food and fruit, but I heard that is bad for him, so I don't want to give into just giving him the food he likes....
They get out about every day for an hour- i just sit in the backyard and watch them.
Any suggestions??? Thanks
Annie
75-80 F is too cold. Try raising the temps in the hide 85F to 90F. Also make sure the humidity in the hide is at least 75% but higher is recommended. Also, you do not need to soak them, just spray them with a squirt bottle every time you see them. What kind of lighting do you have and is their hide dark? Little ones do not like the light that much and that could be another reason they stay hidden. Hope this helps.
Like chucky said you need to warm up the hot side, For eating I would suggest sending the food through a food processor, the food will be in tiny bites and when he eats he will get more, a suggestion you could try until he eats the greens then decrease as he starts eating would be chop up his favorite fruit really small and mix in with the greens, that way he gets greens and fruit at the same time. It has worked for all of mine, you could also try strawberries, mash them into a jelly and top the greens with them. If they are to cold they won't eat, so raise there hot side, make sure you have uvb on them, and try feeding them in the middle of the enclosure that way they are not directly under the heat lamp. Good Luck..
Well, my hot side is 85-90-95ยบ, its the shaded side that is usually around 80. they are kind of under the heat lamp, so i will try moving a bit more to the shady side. Thanks for the great idea about the "jam" and mashing... that is a good call
I have raised plenty of redfoots and your temps are fine. So no worries there. I keep my babies in central ac so they rarely go above 80 unless in their hot spot. Humidity is definitely a different issue, for their eyes sake they do want to be fairly humid. Redfoots are not as much of a forest tortoise as most people think though. I spent 3 months in Venezuela and they were most often found on the plains. Yellowfoots were found in the forest. As a side note Mazuri is not bad for them, it was in fact developed as a complete diet for Galops. Years of testing, lots of money and research went into this product. That being said I certainly do not and would not encourage someone to feed it exclusively. I just think that our animals want some variety, call it quality of life. LOL I should feed myself so well. Best wishes Douglas Beard / Flora & Fauna
Hi Robyn, I've read those about a thousand times
But thats not exactly my problem, but thanks
One thing you may try is using is a ceremic heat emitter instead of the mercury vapor light. Remember that you have small young animals that see bright daylight as when the predators are out (hawks) and you should hide. By keeping light dim you may get more movement out of the little guy. For food I would try a variety of greens to see which one it prefers. If it is eating fruit this will sustain it for awhile.
I have never had to try this but ive read threads on here saying it worked. Get a fresh straw berry and rub or squeeze the jucie onto the greens. The smell might get him goin.
Avocado, may I offer some tough love?
You say you've read TurtleTary/RedfootNERD's sites several times, but you are keeping your guys too cool, and you do forced soaks (which I personally feel are very stressful for many torts, but that is just an opinion) and some otherthings that I do not believe you read about in the site.
I would...
1. Stop the soaks and leave them alone. Keep them hydrated with moist foods, good humidity control, and freely available water.
2. Dim the lamp. Mercury vapor lamps used for heating tend to be REALLY bright, and VERY high in UVB. Monitor their eyes carefully- if they look raw, swollen, or are squinty they may be getting a form of UVB burn. Personally, I'd dump the mercury vapro and heat with a ceramic heater and use a separate, smaller, more controllable bulb for light and UVB. (My guys are a LOT more active since I went to a mere 15 watt utility bulb in their habitat.)
3. Start chopping up fruit and greens and mix them. Go heavy on the fruit at first, then ease it off. OR try serving some fruit on a bed of greens.
4. What greens have you tried? Most of our guys really like dandelions, violet leaves, etc. Is there anything they go for when they can graze outside? Cactus pads are also great!
Good luck!