Baby Red foot tortoise enclosure question

[Midi]

Hello I'm thinking about getting a baby red foot but I have a lot of questions.

1) is a 24 L by 18 W exo terra a good size for a baby? I was going to cover the out side the make sure the tortoise can't see out .
2) is muzzori tortoise diet good for them ? Is there anything else you'd recommend.
3) I'm thinking about making it a bioactive vivarium for the baby so live plants in it . What type of plants are good for them?
4) is soil not good for them ? Because may cause impaction? I am thinking of getting the Tara fauna substrate from the bio dude website . ( I love his products)
5)what lights should I get? Heat bulb and uvb bulb ? What brand is good ? What works for you ?

This is all I could think of at the moment . I know it's a lot of questions but I just want to make sure I do it right when I get one.
Thank you so much I look forward to your answers

 

[kathyth]

Please go to The Tortoise Library and Turtletary.com Redfoots caresheet. There's a ton to learn. Mazuri would not be the first thing, I would feed a baby Redfoots.
These two sites will really help.
Good luck.

 

[Midi]

Please go to The Tortoise Library and Turtletary.com Redfoots caresheet. There's a ton to learn. Mazuri would not be the first thing, I would feed a baby Redfoots.
These two sites will really help.
Good luck.

Thanks ! I will check it out . But the tortoise library doesn't work for me it's gives me an error for some reason

 

[Jeremiah briggs]

Hello I'm thinking about getting a baby red foot but I have a lot of questions.

1) is a 24 L by 18 W exo terra a good size for a baby? I was going to cover the out side the make sure the tortoise can't see out .
2) is muzzori tortoise diet good for them ? Is there anything else you'd recommend.
3) I'm thinking about making it a bioactive vivarium for the baby so live plants in it . What type of plants are good for them?
4) is soil not good for them ? Because may cause impaction? I am thinking of getting the Tara fauna substrate from the bio dude website . ( I love his products)
5)what lights should I get? Heat bulb and uvb bulb ? What brand is good ? What works for you ?

This is all I could think of at the moment . I know it's a lot of questions but I just want to make sure I do it right when I get one.
Thank you so much I look forward to your answers

That enclosure is a bit small but it will do for a hatchling. http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/ this Website is a good resource for tort friendly plants. As far as heat goes a constant 85°f all over the enclosure using a ceramic heat emitter Che would be best. Uvb bulk the long tube not the coil type. The coil type can damage their eyes for some reason.

 

[Yvonne G]

If you read a care sheet, you should have your questions answered. Here's a link to some good RF tortoise information, written by one of our sponsors:

http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Red-Footed-Tortoise/

 

[Jeremiah briggs]

Food wise watch this guy's videos as a guide

 

[enzot91]

If you read a care sheet, you should have your questions answered. Here's a link to some good RF tortoise information, written by one of our sponsors:

http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Red-Footed-Tortoise/

Yvonne; I've seen this care sheet before and I think there's a lot of great info there, but I'm really curious about the temperatures which are mentioned.

Tyler states that redfoots can be maintained at '68 to 80 degrees' with a basking spot of around 90 degrees. Most people of here advocate consistent temperatures between 80 and 86 degrees however.

Is that referring to night time temperatures too? Is it just for adults, or hatchlings/juveniles as well? My red foot is around 4 inches SCL and I sometimes worry that the cooler part of his enclosure is too cold at 25 celcius (77 fahrenheit)!

 

[Anyfoot]

Hello I'm thinking about getting a baby red foot but I have a lot of questions.

1) is a 24 L by 18 W exo terra a good size for a baby? I was going to cover the out side the make sure the tortoise can't see out .
2) is muzzori tortoise diet good for them ? Is there anything else you'd recommend.
3) I'm thinking about making it a bioactive vivarium for the baby so live plants in it . What type of plants are good for them?
4) is soil not good for them ? Because may cause impaction? I am thinking of getting the Tara fauna substrate from the bio dude website . ( I love his products)
5)what lights should I get? Heat bulb and uvb bulb ? What brand is good ? What works for you ?

This is all I could think of at the moment . I know it's a lot of questions but I just want to make sure I do it right when I get one.
Thank you so much I look forward to your answers

Answers to your questions.
1, yes but it will only last 3 months at the most. Better getting a 2x4", this may last you two years with just one redfoot, with outdoor time when weather permits.

2, feed your tort weeds and flowers every day, feed fruit twice a wk, mushrooms once a wk and animal protein 1 a wk at the most.
Feed pellet foods and groceries when times are hard(winter).

3, forget live plants, they will get eaten or trampled on in such a small area, it will because a pain in the bum.

4, use 2" depth of moist Coco coir for substrate with some spaghnum moss in and around the hides and a layer of orchid bark and/or Cyprus mulch on the rest of the coir.
Let your tort dig into the moss and into the coir below to keep it moist. No point putting moss on top of orchid bark.

5, for heat use a CHE on a thermostat and for UVB use a small strip light that fits cross ways in the enclosure. Put both these to one end of the enclosure so the opposite end is darker. Feed in the light end. Ideally you want dark end at 80f and light end at 86f with humidity at 80/90%. Uvb on a timer to be on for 12/14hrs a day.

 

[theguy67]

Answers to your questions.


3, forget live plants, they will get eaten or trampled on in such a small area, it will because a pain in the bum.

.

I agree on most points, especially the live plants causing more work. However, I wouldn't discourage someone from making a bio-active vivarium if they want to.

To the OP. I say go for it. Palor Palms and creeping jenny come to mind, but I only really research plants for my outdoor enclosure. If you want a vivarium that will last, I would go for as large as possible so it lasts at least a year. There are ways to make vivariums so the plants would not be in the way, or devoured. But, make sure you are not just getting the tortoise for the vivarium.

 

[Madkins007]

Hello I'm thinking about getting a baby red foot but I have a lot of questions.

1) is a 24 L by 18 W exo terra a good size for a baby? I was going to cover the out side the make sure the tortoise can't see out .
2) is muzzori tortoise diet good for them ? Is there anything else you'd recommend.
3) I'm thinking about making it a bioactive vivarium for the baby so live plants in it . What type of plants are good for them?
4) is soil not good for them ? Because may cause impaction? I am thinking of getting the Tara fauna substrate from the bio dude website . ( I love his products)
5)what lights should I get? Heat bulb and uvb bulb ? What brand is good ? What works for you ?

This is all I could think of at the moment . I know it's a lot of questions but I just want to make sure I do it right when I get one.
Thank you so much I look forward to your answers

1. It is a good start, but to tie into #3- it is too small for a good bioactive substrate. A plain old-fashioned soil base would be OK, or some sort of hardwood mulch with buried plant pots would also work.
2. I would go with 25-50% Mazuri, gently broken up, and the rest a good varied salad-based diet.
4. I would not pay much for substrate, I like a light-weight, cheap material in tanks and tubs so I can keep it clean easier and just toss it all often. I also prefer a humid substrate in smaller tanks- the idea is to have about an inch of water at the bottom that is then warmed and wafts up as warm humid vapor. Soil can compact and prevent that.
5. My lighting opinions are weird. I want to provide the most even coverage I can over the entire tank, so I would mount two straight tubes over the tank along the two long sides, using a low-level output, and a a couple 'daylight' plain incandescent bulbs above the middle. I'd turn the incandescents on for dawn and dusk, then kick the UVBs on from about 10 to 5 or 6 or so.

 

[Madkins007]

Thanks ! I will check it out . But the tortoise library doesn't work for me it's gives me an error for some reason

The Library was originally hosted on Google, Sites and is mostly still there but the index is damaged or something. If you Google search for 'tortoise library (topic)' it tends to pop up. Annoying, but it will work till Josh gets it fixed.

I find the comment about turtletary kind of funny. One of the reasons the Library was started was to help off-set some of the things he says. I know a lot of people give him a lot of credit but he has several opinions that are not quite in line with most experts (and I most certainly am not an expert.)

 

[Madkins007]

Food wise watch this guy's videos as a guide

Nice video, with a few caveats:
- Dandelion greens are pretty high in oxalates (http://nourishedkitchen.com/wilted-dandelion-greens/) The white 'milk' in the stems is a high oxalate juice (ditto for milkweed, etc.)
- Hibiscus has GREAT Ca ratios, but not a lot of actual calcium, and most of it is in the hips.
- Pineapple, papaya and mango are great in many ways, but REALLY high in sugars (as are almost all juicy fruits in the store).
- Mustard greens, like most brassicas, are also high in oxalates.

The thing is- there is darned little proof that oxalates are an issue in tortoises. The bigger concern seems to be hydration levels in relationship to oxalate and so on. The main veterinarian references for reptiles barely touch on any of this.

 

[cdmay]

Food wise watch this guy's videos as a guide

This is generally good information BUT, although he highly recommends papaya and mango one must bear in mind that they are loaded with sugar AND if fed too often will result in runny stools. These sugary foods also promote the proliferation of parasitic worms in the gut, if these organisms are already present there. Feed in moderation also because captive tortoises, like little kids, will fixate on their favorite sweets and ignore other foods.
Something else, while I agree that turnip greens and dandelion greens would make excellent food choices for any tortoise, in my experience red-footed tortoises won't eat them! At least mine never have.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I also have very limited success with feeding my Redfood dandelion greens. And I've tried them quite a few times. They will however, eat the "RED" variety that I find at our Hispanic, organic grocery.
The only issue I've had with fruit and it's something that I feel needs to be pointed out is that In my location, FIRE ANTS will come around if there is any fruit or juice or pits left laying around. I currently am winning my battle with ants. But the peace could soon end if I'm not careful.
I feed a lot of fruit during the Summer. But this is always on a removable and washable platter. Not on the cement pavers that the other daily food is placed on.
@Midi , what is your location? Will you be able to make an outdoors enclosure?

 

[Redstrike]

I think everyone else has covered things nicely, just wanted to point you in the direction of this website for diet variety:
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/

I've used their website so much that I eventually purchased two of their feeding manuals - which is everything on the website in color print.