40 gal tank

[MrsShellington]

Hello, I am new here and looking into getting my first redfoot. I was wondering if anyone could tell me if it would be ok to house him in a 40 gal breeder tank until he gets bigger and could move to a permanent outside enclosure. I have read conflicting things about the tank. Some say that it is fine as long as you use something to cover the screen top to keep humidity in and others say that tanks create a greenhouse effect that isn't good. Also if anyone has a better option I would love to see pictures of others setups!

 

[wellington]

Hello and welcome. A 40 is too small for anything other then a hatchling. Aquariums are fine too use, just they are too small for the cost. Large plastic totes work great, are cheap and more then one can be joined to make more room as they grow

 

[MrsShellington]

I thought it would be ok for a baby until they got bigger and could move outside. I already own a 40gal so I was just wondering if it could be used before I purchased something else. What size plastic tote would you recommend? Also how would I keep the humidity up inside of a tote? Thanks!

 

[Yelloweyed]

It's fine for a hatchling or under a year. Since you have a tank already, go ahead and use it. It's recommended to start larger because most torts will outgrow a 40 gal. in a year and it's easier to create microclimates.

You can get a 54 gal. storage tote and it will usually have more floor space (the height isn't as important). Moving the lights and heating elements can get tiresome so some people will affix them to a bar or hang them so they don't have to be moved every time you open the lid. Check out the enclosure section of the forum.

 

[MrsShellington]

Ok thanks! I am new here so this may be a dumb question but aren't I in the enclosure section?

 

[Linhdan Nguyen]

Ok thanks! I am new here so this may be a dumb question but aren't I in the enclosure section?

Yes but when in the enclosure section, there will be posts from other members of their enclosures and pictures. Also check out @Pearly vivarium enclosure for redfoot hatchlings. Its pretty awesome.

 

[MrsShellington]

Oh ok! Sorry I didn't know if maybe there was just a specific redfoot enclosure section I had missed

 

[Momof4]

Oh ok! Sorry I didn't know if maybe there was just a specific redfoot enclosure section I had missed

You are in the the enclosure section type redfoot enclosure in the search bar up top and you'll see quit a few. You just need to look through others threads.

 

[Tom]

A 40 is fine for a hatchling, and tanks in general are very good for starting babies. That greenhouse effect is a good thing! Some people still think all tortoises should be raised in a simulated desert, when the opposite is true.

A 40 will not last until your tortoise is big enough to live outside full time. You will need at least one more intermediate size before you reach that stage. I recommend a 4x8' closed chamber. Once your tortoise outgrows that, he will be big enough to live outside full time, climate and weather permitting.

 

[MrsShellington]

Thank you Tom! I have read all the posts on the closed chamber now and will have my husband start building a 4x8 with the pvc roof that way we will be prepared for when it is time to move him to something bigger. My biggest worry about it being closed is mold. I have had problems with the coco coir developing mold before, could I just use cypress mulch instead?

 

[Tom]

Thank you Tom! I have read all the posts on the closed chamber now and will have my husband start building a 4x8 with the pvc roof that way we will be prepared for when it is time to move him to something bigger. My biggest worry about it being closed is mold. I have had problems with the coco coir developing mold before, could I just use cypress mulch instead?

Since I don't keep RFs, I'm reluctant to give advice about specific care requirements. Ask one of our many RF keepers what substrate works best for RFs. I keep most of my species on fine grade orchid bark.

 

[Sara G.]

I think @Pearly uses a mix of coir and soil but I'm not sure if there's been any mold problems with that.

 

[MrsShellington]

I did ask Pearly and their has been no problems with mold. Maybe I just got a bad bag.

 

[Pearly]

I did ask Pearly and their has been no problems with mold. Maybe I just got a bad bag.

Can you post your enclosure pictures with as many details as possible? Don't throw it out just yet. We maybe able to figure this out

 

[MrsShellington]

It actually didn't happen on my redfoots tank, I'm still preparing things for my redfoot. It happened a long time ago in a hermit crab tank that was in the classroom I worked in. I tried to change the bedding to coco coir instead of that terrible sand. I put the coco coir down and sprayed it while moving it around so that everything was moist and I also sprayed the top layer before leaving. When I came in Monday there was tiny white fuzzies on top of the coco coir. I don't know if it was because there was no lights so it just sat there moist in the dark or what.

 

[Pearly]

I've had beginnings of mold couple of times but it neve grew on coir. The medium was usually leftover food or decaying plant parts. I would just remove the culprit and problem solved

 

[MrsShellington]

I think I might give it another try. I do still want to use cypress mulch but I wont be able to plant anything if I just use cypress. My only other options would be organic topsoil or something like zilla jungle mix or zoo med forest floor but both of those options are really expensive for what you get.