# Redfoot questions



## Izzy (Jun 27, 2010)

Hello I live in Florida, recently I just finished building my outdoor red foot tortoise cage on our patio and wanted to ask a question. The cage gets no direct sunlight so I wanted to know what i should do for lighting. Is indirect sunlight enough? Should i use like a 10.00 uvb florescent lamp or use like a exo terra solar glow? The light on the tank right now is just a day spot light I figure its pretty warm and most likely no longer needs a spot maybe more of an area light..


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## Itort (Jun 27, 2010)

The indirect light should be good without supplimental light. Your patio looks open without windows, correct. What direction does it face?


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## tortoisenerd (Jun 27, 2010)

Welcome to the forum. That is very nice looking! Many people use no UVB on their Redfoots (they get D3 from their environment, where other torts need the UVB to make D3). Read up on it and see what you think is the right choice. Redfoots thrive in a darker environment--they don't require a basking light as desert species do. They live on the rain forest floor where there is a lot of ground cover and they really don't see the sun. Hatchlings especially need lots of hides. I would not have any light besides the ambient sunlight (I think it is great the enclosure gets no direct sun for Redfoots), and add a heat bulb like a ceramic heat emitter if needed to maintain adequate temps (not sure how often you plan to use this and where you live). You can even use a thermostat. I think you need to add a lot more hides and plants to the enclosure to make the tort feel more secure. Take a look at redfoots.com for temperature and UVB/D3 information. Having an accurate thermometer like a temp gun is very important so you know the exact temperatures in the enclousure. Adding a mister is another great idea. You really want very high humidity, ie. dripping wet (80%). Moss is a great way to hold humidity, whether used as ground cover or in hides. As you add humidity, you need to check that the temperatures are ok, as increased humidity decreases the temperature (depending on where you live, this might be a good thing as for Redfoots you might aim for a temperature of about 85 F). Awesome job on that enclosure, and great question. Hope you stick around here.


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## Izzy (Jun 27, 2010)

Thank you very much for the information as me and my girlfriend are still very new to this. We have now had him or her for about a year. He used to be an indoor tortoise and we had a very hard time keeping the humidity at a good level, we also had to keep some sort of heat lamp so it would stay warm enough. Now that we live here in Florida it is pretty warm and humid outside. The patio faces towards the north I think... Yes I do plan on adding many more plants and hide's for him, I just recently finished building this habitat as of last Saturday. So even with the outside humidity being very high constantly, does the substrate still need to be damp? Also I am thinking I would like to put some sort of live plants inside the enclosure. Is this a good idea or bad idea? Would the plants attract lots of unwanted bugs or anything? Thanks for answering my lighting questions though I appreciate it!


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## Yvonne G (Jun 27, 2010)

Hi Izzy:

Welcome to the forum!!


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## terryo (Jun 27, 2010)

Hi Izzy, welcome! Your enclosure is really nice. Lots of people who have redfoots have some different opinions on raising them. Mine loves to sit in the sun and will bask for hours. All Redfoots do not come from the rainforest, I hear. I also put many plants in my enclosure...inside and outside. Here's two great sites for picking out plants that are OK for your enclosure.
http://www.africantortoise.com/edible_landscaping.htm
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plants_19.asp?mode=cl&col=all
The plants are great to hold in the humidity too. If you can take him outside for a while the natural sun will be great for him.

As for heat, I only use a heat emitter on one side of the enclosure, and on the other side a long tube 5.0 UVB light. Inside his hide I use long fiber moss that I soak in warm water and then squeeze out and fluff up. I miss the plants every day, and only water them in their little pots that I bury in the substrate. I also spray (mist) my tort until he drips every time he comes out to eat. Hope this helps.


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## Tropical Torts (Jun 28, 2010)

Welcome to the forum Izzy! Great looking RF as well as his enclosure!


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## Izzy (Jul 1, 2010)

New Question! Since I have moved my redfoot to his new outdoor enclosure I have noticed a decrease in his appetite. Is this normal for him acclimating to the new conditions?


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## Yvonne G (Jul 1, 2010)

Its normal for a tortoise to be stressed out when moved to a new habitat. Just make sure Izzy's warm enough...they tend to not eat if they can't warm up to at least 80-85 degrees. Warmer in certain spots of the habitat is even better.


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## Tom (Jul 1, 2010)

You are bringing him in at night, right? What is the temp dropping to at night? I wouldn't leave a tortoise whose used to being inside in an outdoor cage all the time without an acclimation period. When I move an older tortoise outside I put them out after it warms up and leave them for just a few hours. Each day I put them out a little earlier and put them away (in their normal indoor enclosure that they are used to) a little later. I try to teach them where their heat source is as the evenings get longer. Usually they find this on their own and I don't have to do anything. After 2 or 3 weeks of this, and a good warm spell, I'll try them over night. If I see lethargy or decrease in appetite, I leave them in for a few days, until they get back to normal and then start again.


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