Baby redfoots and outdoor enclosure

Mallory R

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Jacksonville, FL
hello! New tortoise mom here!! I recently got 2 baby redfoots, Merlin and Millie, on July 6th at a reptile show. I was told they were around 2/3 months old. My husband built me this outdoor enclosure in our backyard, its 4'x8' and completely predator proofed with 1/4" hardwire cloth and double locks (to keep the raccoons out at night). The boards are also buried about a foot underground. I live in Florida, so it is quite hot and humid here and they both seem to be happy so far!

tort1.jpg tort2.jpg tort3.jpg tort4.jpg tort5.jpg torts 6.jpg torts7.jpg
 

Hummelchronicles

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germany
enclosure looks super cool, Just because you have mentioned you live in FL, humidity can bring a lot of slugs. I wanted to let you know slugs have been a real battle for my enclosure. They always find a way in and eat all the vegetation or the sala i leave. I have poured coffee grounds around the area (outside of the enclosure) it seem to decrease the amount of slugs that sneak in. Lots of love to your little tortoises :)
 

ZEROPILOT

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Very good job on that enosure!
Welcome fellow Floridian.
Make sure to place a large, shallow tera cota plant saucer in there filled with water (or two) Redfoot like to take a dip. That plastic one is a good size. But it's too slick for traction.
Also include lots of shade. Maybe some very large flowerpots placed on their sides and partially buried.
Redfoot tend to take a nap during the hottest times of the day. A d each should have its OWN area.
I would also place a few flat cement or tile pads in there to keep the nails trimmed naturally.
 

Mallory R

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Jacksonville, FL
Very good job on that enosure!
Welcome fellow Floridian.
Make sure to place a large, shallow tera cota plant saucer in there filled with water (or two) Redfoot like to take a dip. That plastic one is a good size. But it's too slick for traction.
Also include lots of shade. Maybe some very large flowerpots placed on their sides and partially buried.
Redfoot tend to take a nap during the hottest times of the day. A d each should have its OWN area.
I would also place a few flat cement or tile pads in there to keep the nails trimmed naturally.
Thanks! The water dish I have is actually glazed tera cotta. I have another plain terra-cotta dish (in my garden for the frogs and lizards) but its so hard to keep clean, esp with algae so I was reluctant to put it in the tort's yard. I did put rocks on the bottom to help them climb in and out, but usually they don't bother with them and have no trouble on their own.
They also have 2 turned over pots, the tunnel, and the big house for escape from the sun, but there's plenty of shade throughout. Merlin spends most of his time under the box fern, and Millie stays in one of the pots during the afternoon. they both have plenty of space to avoid each other, and normally do unless eating but I haven't had any trouble with them getting along and sharing the food tile. I think I will put a cement tile in to keep their nails trimmed though, thanks for the advice!!
 

lightningrob

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hello! New tortoise mom here!! I recently got 2 baby redfoots, Merlin and Millie, on July 6th at a reptile show. I was told they were around 2/3 months old. My husband built me this outdoor enclosure in our backyard, its 4'x8' and completely predator proofed with 1/4" hardwire cloth and double locks (to keep the raccoons out at night). The boards are also buried about a foot underground. I live in Florida, so it is quite hot and humid here and they both seem to be happy so far!

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Those red babies are adorable, and your enclosure looks perfect for them.
I have an adult redfoot which was already an advanced juvenile when I got him, so I let him roam the backyard and set up a simple deck box for him to sleep in. Redfoots are very active and like to walk a loft. And they eat a wide variety of things, including snails and other protein. So much fun!
Btw, the sex of a baby tortoise may be a guesstimate, since the differences (shell shape and tail) don't become apparent until later. We were told ours was a female, and the reptile vet couldn't confirm the sex until 3 years later when he said it was male. We still refer to it as "she" at home since we got used to it.
 

Redfool

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Great looking enclosure. Although I’m not a big fan of babies outside and you say your enclosure Is predator proof, one of the scariest and smallest for babies is fire ants. Please keep a constant check for these. They can pop up overnight and overwhelm a small tort very quickly.
 

DesertGirl

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hello! New tortoise mom here!! I recently got 2 baby redfoots, Merlin and Millie, on July 6th at a reptile show. I was told they were around 2/3 months old. My husband built me this outdoor enclosure in our backyard, its 4'x8' and completely predator proofed with 1/4" hardwire cloth and double locks (to keep the raccoons out at night). The boards are also buried about a foot underground. I live in Florida, so it is quite hot and humid here and they both seem to be happy so far!

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Too cute! Enclosure looks awesome. Good job hubby!
 

Gijoux

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hello! New tortoise mom here!! I recently got 2 baby redfoots, Merlin and Millie, on July 6th at a reptile show. I was told they were around 2/3 months old. My husband built me this outdoor enclosure in our backyard, its 4'x8' and completely predator proofed with 1/4" hardwire cloth and double locks (to keep the raccoons out at night). The boards are also buried about a foot underground. I live in Florida, so it is quite hot and humid here and they both seem to be happy so far!

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I am wondering if UVB/UVA passes through the 1/4" hardware cloth? Perhaps you can find someone with a Solarmeter and measure the UVA/UVB level. I absolutely love your set-up!!
 

DesertGirl

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Fabulous Las Vegas, NV
hello! New tortoise mom here!! I recently got 2 baby redfoots, Merlin and Millie, on July 6th at a reptile show. I was told they were around 2/3 months old. My husband built me this outdoor enclosure in our backyard, its 4'x8' and completely predator proofed with 1/4" hardwire cloth and double locks (to keep the raccoons out at night). The boards are also buried about a foot underground. I live in Florida, so it is quite hot and humid here and they both seem to be happy so far!

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So beautiful. Really like the plants and flowers selections.
 

ZEROPILOT

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I am wondering if UVB/UVA passes through the 1/4" hardware cloth? Perhaps you can find someone with a Solarmeter and measure the UVA/UVB level. I absolutely love your set-up!!
I would imagine that quite a bit will pass through 1/4" mesh.
3/8 or1/2" even better
 

Blackdog1714

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Obviously you have never gotten a sunburn wearing a mesh t-shirt- sadly I have IT LOOKED SO FUNNY!
 

Gijoux

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Obviously you have never gotten a sunburn wearing a mesh t-shirt- sadly I have IT LOOKED SO FUNNY!
The reason I asked was it has been mentioned that UVB lights don't work well for Vitamin D production, when placed on screens. I guess the Sun's rays don't have this problem.
 

aqualungs

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Awesome enclosure, I love it! Congrats on the babies.. good luck with not adding 2+ more. They’re irresistible. [emoji171]
 

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