Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
I’ve gone back n forth on whether to post this one or not. But with the more questions I get asked online, and the more threads I see relating to this issue(especially this time of year), it raises a topic I think should be talked about more.
This post is discussing the reality of owning species like a red foot, in an unsustainable climate.
A lot of the regulars are familiar with our story, but for those who aren’t, I’ll clue you in.
We have an adult red foot called Squirt, we live in the UK.
She’s only able to spend days outdoors when the weather warms up properly, which is only a few months out of the year.
She was bought by my moms partner for his daughter years before we met, he was heavily misinformed on how to look after a tortoise, and had no idea the room a red foot would need as an adult. She was kept in a small 4x2 until me and my mom came along, even though we also had little clue on how to care for her at the time of meeting, I knew her set up needed upgrades when I saw it. I took to the forum and realised what an uphill battle we had on our hands. It was years before I actually made my account, but I very quickly realised we didn’t have the means to truly provide the space she needs. It broke my heart, but when we looked into rehome, we were met with dead end after dead end, people here don’t even care for small Russians properly for the most part, the housing options for a red foot were dire, so much so I truly don’t think they should be sold here
Ultimately we had to build the biggest we could go for her main indoor enclosure, which is currently 7x4ft(smaller than even an adult Russian needs
but it’s there to serve as a decent sized closed area to maintain the higher humidity she needs) we also adapt an area for her in the living room with a ramp from the main 7x4 viv, there’s a large heater at her level(we use additional heating when necessary), we put lining down and fence it for her to get enough exercise, it’s about an extra 7x5 space. I used to use double c&c panels for the fencing, but the new ones we got for her outside run this year work better. It still falls under the space she truly needs, but it’s currently the best we can do for her.
I constantly battle with feeling a hypocrite on here when I’m having to advise on the space tortoises truly need to thrive, but just because our Squirt doesn’t have the ideal space, doesn’t mean I’ll advocate for less than ideal housing. I do it in the hopes people with less indoor space, in a colder climate, will truly consider if a tortoise is appropriate for them.
Many of the people advised already have the tortoise
because of our own situation, I do sympathise when people are in that sudden panic of not having the room actually needed, I know how difficult rehoming is where I live, so I’ll always tell people go as big as you can possibly go, and remember with how long lived they are, it doesn’t mean they’ll be in the less than ideal set up for life.
I’m always very up front with people when they ask about Squirt, I have an introductory post pinned on my profile that documents our journey with her. For me, she highlighted how truly dire the housing situation is for large tropical tortoises like her in the uk, and other colder climates. Very few actually make the adaptations needed, which sparked a huge passion on helping to advocate for better care.
So many other members on the forum encourage choosing a species that is best suited to the climate you’re in too, which is wonderful.
In a perfect world, they do best in a climate that allows them to be in a large outdoor space year round, that just isn’t the reality for our worlds captive torts, especially where I am. So ultimately, we do our best.
If you’re lucky enough to have discovered this forum before getting your tortoise, I guess ask yourself, is it worth ‘making the best’ of a less than ideal living situation? Or having an animal with the best chance to thrive in your climate? If you have long cold winters, it makes the most sense to own a species that would brumate. A heated night box won’t last months and months for a larger tortoise. Having to house something like a sulcata indoors during a long winter, just isn’t a practical living situation, unless you have an entire barn sized building to heat. Even then, nothing compares to them being able to roam their outdoor enclosure.
Because our red foot is an adult, the space outside her viv maintains around 75f(it goes a bit higher in summer) I wouldn’t suggest that for a younger red foot, but because she has the closed space that maintains 82-86 she can go and warm up in properly, and adults can handle a bit more of a temperature swing, it works fine. Shes shut in the viv at night.
The closed area also maintains humidity in the 90’s, even when it’s slightly open for the ramp. Reds benefit from high humidity for life, which can make setting up large indoor spaces a challenge, something I need to consider with future plans.
For now, her 7x9 space takes up most of the living room when it’s set up
she has a large rock in the corner of the viv to serve as a step up to the ramp, she navigates it all really well. She doesn’t necessarily choose to spend long periods in the run section, sometimes she chills in there, but for the most part she uses it to stretch her legs and get some good laps in
they’re natural experts when it comes to utilising their space to regulate their body temperature, Squirt does it perfectly
Here’s some shots from her indoor plant era, they were since destroyed
we’ve also given her new hides that are better built to last, the caves are a bit snug now. There’s this plastic stool
this plastic cat house I covered with the same stuff I used for her background in a rock print
and the top of this cat litter box, which I have since added a plant to the top lol
It’s definitely a tricky topic, ultimately we all fight and advocate for optimal conditions all over 24/7, and rightly so. But we’re also met with the common challenges many keepers face in captivity, sometimes it’s that balance of the ‘lesser of two evils’ with different captive challenges, what poses the ‘least risk’ to the tortoises long term health(if we’re still able to keep safe ranges and secure terrain of course, this argument is within reason).
I wish we could give Squirt an entire area that was 82-86 with 80+ humidity, that’s what she’d truly thrive in, but at the same time, for now, I’d rather her be able to make use of a space that’s still in a safe range for an adult, then face the potential health issues of keeping her in a smaller space with 100% optimal temp&humidity all over.
I’m always happy to debate in the comments, and always value the input of members on the forum! I know it’s not the perfect solution, I’m working with many different factors, I know others struggle having to work around certain circumstances too.
We’ve all worked hard as a family to offer Squirt what we can, it’s a long way from where she started and certainly not the end of her housing journey
I hope this post can encourage others with a similar story to open up, the whole getting a tortoise long before learning the most up to date husbandry, perhaps a family member passed them on, or were you heavily misinformed and led astray by someone desperate to make a sale? Whatever the case, I hope this serves as a safe space for people to share where they’ve had to get creative too, what works for you and your tortoise? perhaps we can all pitch in with suggestions ourselves, who knowseveryone has such different circumstances, and rehome isn’t always the best/readily available option people think it is, it can sometimes be very dependent on location
This post is discussing the reality of owning species like a red foot, in an unsustainable climate.
A lot of the regulars are familiar with our story, but for those who aren’t, I’ll clue you in.
We have an adult red foot called Squirt, we live in the UK.
She’s only able to spend days outdoors when the weather warms up properly, which is only a few months out of the year.
She was bought by my moms partner for his daughter years before we met, he was heavily misinformed on how to look after a tortoise, and had no idea the room a red foot would need as an adult. She was kept in a small 4x2 until me and my mom came along, even though we also had little clue on how to care for her at the time of meeting, I knew her set up needed upgrades when I saw it. I took to the forum and realised what an uphill battle we had on our hands. It was years before I actually made my account, but I very quickly realised we didn’t have the means to truly provide the space she needs. It broke my heart, but when we looked into rehome, we were met with dead end after dead end, people here don’t even care for small Russians properly for the most part, the housing options for a red foot were dire, so much so I truly don’t think they should be sold here
Ultimately we had to build the biggest we could go for her main indoor enclosure, which is currently 7x4ft(smaller than even an adult Russian needs
but it’s there to serve as a decent sized closed area to maintain the higher humidity she needs) we also adapt an area for her in the living room with a ramp from the main 7x4 viv, there’s a large heater at her level(we use additional heating when necessary), we put lining down and fence it for her to get enough exercise, it’s about an extra 7x5 space. I used to use double c&c panels for the fencing, but the new ones we got for her outside run this year work better. It still falls under the space she truly needs, but it’s currently the best we can do for her. I constantly battle with feeling a hypocrite on here when I’m having to advise on the space tortoises truly need to thrive, but just because our Squirt doesn’t have the ideal space, doesn’t mean I’ll advocate for less than ideal housing. I do it in the hopes people with less indoor space, in a colder climate, will truly consider if a tortoise is appropriate for them.
Many of the people advised already have the tortoise
because of our own situation, I do sympathise when people are in that sudden panic of not having the room actually needed, I know how difficult rehoming is where I live, so I’ll always tell people go as big as you can possibly go, and remember with how long lived they are, it doesn’t mean they’ll be in the less than ideal set up for life. I’m always very up front with people when they ask about Squirt, I have an introductory post pinned on my profile that documents our journey with her. For me, she highlighted how truly dire the housing situation is for large tropical tortoises like her in the uk, and other colder climates. Very few actually make the adaptations needed, which sparked a huge passion on helping to advocate for better care.
So many other members on the forum encourage choosing a species that is best suited to the climate you’re in too, which is wonderful.
In a perfect world, they do best in a climate that allows them to be in a large outdoor space year round, that just isn’t the reality for our worlds captive torts, especially where I am. So ultimately, we do our best.
If you’re lucky enough to have discovered this forum before getting your tortoise, I guess ask yourself, is it worth ‘making the best’ of a less than ideal living situation? Or having an animal with the best chance to thrive in your climate? If you have long cold winters, it makes the most sense to own a species that would brumate. A heated night box won’t last months and months for a larger tortoise. Having to house something like a sulcata indoors during a long winter, just isn’t a practical living situation, unless you have an entire barn sized building to heat. Even then, nothing compares to them being able to roam their outdoor enclosure.
Because our red foot is an adult, the space outside her viv maintains around 75f(it goes a bit higher in summer) I wouldn’t suggest that for a younger red foot, but because she has the closed space that maintains 82-86 she can go and warm up in properly, and adults can handle a bit more of a temperature swing, it works fine. Shes shut in the viv at night.
The closed area also maintains humidity in the 90’s, even when it’s slightly open for the ramp. Reds benefit from high humidity for life, which can make setting up large indoor spaces a challenge, something I need to consider with future plans.
For now, her 7x9 space takes up most of the living room when it’s set up
she has a large rock in the corner of the viv to serve as a step up to the ramp, she navigates it all really well. She doesn’t necessarily choose to spend long periods in the run section, sometimes she chills in there, but for the most part she uses it to stretch her legs and get some good laps inthey’re natural experts when it comes to utilising their space to regulate their body temperature, Squirt does it perfectlyHere’s some shots from her indoor plant era, they were since destroyed
we’ve also given her new hides that are better built to last, the caves are a bit snug now. There’s this plastic stool
this plastic cat house I covered with the same stuff I used for her background in a rock print
and the top of this cat litter box, which I have since added a plant to the top lol
It’s definitely a tricky topic, ultimately we all fight and advocate for optimal conditions all over 24/7, and rightly so. But we’re also met with the common challenges many keepers face in captivity, sometimes it’s that balance of the ‘lesser of two evils’ with different captive challenges, what poses the ‘least risk’ to the tortoises long term health(if we’re still able to keep safe ranges and secure terrain of course, this argument is within reason).
I wish we could give Squirt an entire area that was 82-86 with 80+ humidity, that’s what she’d truly thrive in, but at the same time, for now, I’d rather her be able to make use of a space that’s still in a safe range for an adult, then face the potential health issues of keeping her in a smaller space with 100% optimal temp&humidity all over.
I’m always happy to debate in the comments, and always value the input of members on the forum! I know it’s not the perfect solution, I’m working with many different factors, I know others struggle having to work around certain circumstances too.
We’ve all worked hard as a family to offer Squirt what we can, it’s a long way from where she started and certainly not the end of her housing journey
I hope this post can encourage others with a similar story to open up, the whole getting a tortoise long before learning the most up to date husbandry, perhaps a family member passed them on, or were you heavily misinformed and led astray by someone desperate to make a sale? Whatever the case, I hope this serves as a safe space for people to share where they’ve had to get creative too, what works for you and your tortoise? perhaps we can all pitch in with suggestions ourselves, who knows
everyone has such different circumstances, and rehome isn’t always the best/readily available option people think it is, it can sometimes be very dependent on location
I feel so guilty at times, but Edward and Squirt are a few of the lucky ones, we’ve learnt and adapted as needed, and strive for even better housing in the future
