Am I kidding myself?

[Emelltee]

I'll preface this by saying that I only want what's best for my little tort friend.

Around this time last year my wife and I adopted/rescued a 4 year old redfoot. We did as much due diligence as we could at the time but there's a lot of conflicting information around on the internet and most of it is for people in warm climates (I'm based in the UK).

My wife unexpectedly passed away last April so I have doing my best on my own to keep Sheldon (not too original I know) happy.

He's currently in a 2ftx4ft enclosure (I know this is way too small but part of the reason I'm here). I'm looking to buy him a new vivarium but I think the biggest I can currently fit in my house is 5ftx3ft and from everywhere that I read, this still isn't big enough.

I'll be hopefully buying a house later this so I could potentially get something bigger but I probably wouldn't be able to go much bigger.

I guess the question I'm asking is, can I keep him happy in a vivarium this size or should I be looking to find a rescue/new owner to give him to for a happy life.

Getting Shelley was one of the last big things me and my wife did together so this isn't an easy decision but ultimately I need to do what's best for him.

Any advice is appreciated. Thank you for reading.

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welcome.
I'm so sorry for your loss. It's great that you and your wife were able to offer a good home to Sheldon and very selfless of you to be considering his welfare at such a difficult time.

You may have already found the RF caresheet in these threads to help you with your set up and there are many RF keepers here who will be only too happy to help.

The minimum recommended enclosure size for juveniles/adults of the smaller species is 4 x 8 feet but the bigger the better, so Sheldon will eventually need a much bigger space. A photo of him and his current home will help members give you feedback.

I'm going to tag Craig - @Anyfoot He's a UK member and a RF keeper and breeder in Sheffield, he hasn't been on the forums for a while, but hopefully he'll get the notifications and will be able to help you with keeping them in the UK.

@ZEROPILOT is in Florida and very experienced with Redfoot and will also be able to talk to you about their needs.

I hope this helps.

 

[Emelltee]

Hi and welcome.
I'm so sorry for your loss. It's great that you and your wife were able to offer a good home to Sheldon and very selfless of you to be considering his welfare at such a difficult time.

You may have already found the RF caresheet in these threads to help you with your set up and there are many RF keepers here who will be only too happy to help.

The minimum recommended enclosure size for juveniles/adults of the smaller species is 4 x 8 feet but the bigger the better, so Sheldon will eventually need a much bigger space. A photo of him and his current home will help members give you feedback.

I'm going to tag Craig - @Anyfoot He's a UK member and a RF keeper and breeder in Sheffield, he hasn't been on the forums for a while, but hopefully he'll get the notifications and will be able to help you with keeping them in the UK.

@ZEROPILOT is in Florida and very experienced with Redfoot and will also be able to talk to you about their needs.

I hope this helps.

Thank you so much for the response. He's just having a little snooze in his hide at the minute but I will take a photo tomorrow of his enclosure and of him to post here. I know it's far too small for him right now which is why I'm here.

I'm willing and able to do anything in my power to make his life great but unfortunately my only real limitation is space right now. I just can't fit anything bigger than 5ftx3ft in my current house.

I definitely could look to buy somewhere that I could put a bigger viv but there's no guarantee I'd find anywhere in my budget.

I just feel like I'm in a bit of a bad situation with it right now and want to do right by Shelley. Again thank you, for your condolences and the advice.

 

[Lyn W]

You're welcome,
I know some people tackle space with double decker enclosures or 'L' shaped corner units etc but I don't know how suitable that would be for RF.
You'll get good advice from experienced RF keepers here though.

 

[MenagerieGrl]

It is so great that you want to do the best for your Sheldon.
And the history of Sheldon and your wife, is a strong reason to keep him.
In MY opinion, while the small enclosure right now is not good, I think, if you could get the 3 x 5 enclosure would be very helpful for his care, and while not the best, hopefully in the near future, you can up that to a 4 x 8 enclosure. All provided the other conditions are acquitte.
And I'm so sorry for the loss of your wife, wishing you peace......

 

[Yvonne G]

Since the tortoise is used to living in a pretty small enclosure, anything you can provide that's bigger will be like a castle to him. Just do the best you can, with the goal in mind to eventually get him an outside yard when the weather dictates, and a bigger indoor space.

 

[Jan A]

I'll preface this by saying that I only want what's best for my little tort friend.

Around this time last year my wife and I adopted/rescued a 4 year old redfoot. We did as much due diligence as we could at the time but there's a lot of conflicting information around on the internet and most of it is for people in warm climates (I'm based in the UK).

My wife unexpectedly passed away last April so I have doing my best on my own to keep Sheldon (not too original I know) happy.

He's currently in a 2ftx4ft enclosure (I know this is way too small but part of the reason I'm here). I'm looking to buy him a new vivarium but I think the biggest I can currently fit in my house is 5ftx3ft and from everywhere that I read, this still isn't big enough.

I'll be hopefully buying a house later this so I could potentially get something bigger but I probably wouldn't be able to go much bigger.

I guess the question I'm asking is, can I keep him happy in a vivarium this size or should I be looking to find a rescue/new owner to give him to for a happy life.

Getting Shelley was one of the last big things me and my wife did together so this isn't an easy decision but ultimately I need to do what's best for him.

Any advice is appreciated. Thank you for reading.

Welcome to the forum. I'm so sorry for your loss. I hope you're able to keep Sheldon because redfoots can be quite the characters even though you don't feel like you have a complete handle on their care. This happens to most first-time tort owners. We've had Houdini since the end of July 2021, I can't imagine not having him or seeing his cute face every day. So settle in & ask questions. We are here to help.

 

[TammyJ]

Hi and welcome. We would love to see some pictures of your tortoise and his enclosure. I also hope that you will be able to keep him without feelings of guilt because the enclosure is too small. I am sure you will give him the very best you can, when you can.