Basking Red Foot?

daniellenc

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When I first got Skurt everyone said no worries on basking temps Red foots don’t bask! And so I played with his CHE temps until I could maintain mid eighties on one end and no lower then 78-80 degrees on the end I keep his food to slow wilting food. Well guess who’s been basking regularly since he was 8 months old? My little Skurt! However, under the CHE is always 90-95 degrees which is too warm but the only way to maintain temps in the entire enclosure. The problem is it’s getting out of hand! He used to bask in the morning and right after meals maybe an hour or two a day. Now recently it’s not unusual for him to sleep under the CHE. In his hide it’s 83 degrees right now and 93.5 under the CHE where he is knocked out.

So do I move him to his hide?
Let him bask?
And he’s starting to pyramid IMO and I’m wondering if the basking is to blame?
Will coconut oil help potentially and if so is it applied all over or in specific areas?
 

Anyfoot

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Any artificial heat will dry out the carapace and the immediate air under the heat source. You need to make sure your little guy can’t sit under the CHE and dry his carapace. Put something under the CHE so he can’t lay there or put a some sort of shield under the CHE.
I think you also need to raise your temps slightly. 84f away from the CHE.

This is a bit crude, but it works for my radiated. I did the same with a redfoot in a viv and it grew perfectly.
536177CF-F055-4B93-B708-FE0151DEAF62.jpeg
 

Anyfoot

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This photo wasn’t the finished enclosure. But you can see the shield to stop any concentrated heat drying out the carapace.
3587D828-9E15-4979-A72B-61E8AECBAF6E.jpeg
 

Anyfoot

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This is the redfoot I raised in that viv at 6 months old.
7B70C6C2-A748-4F73-8D65-BCDEC584A8CB.jpeg
 

daniellenc

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Good idea I never thought of a shield! I have work to do after work!
 

Anyfoot

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I have the water dish right under CHE, helps with humidity and keeps water from getting too cool when he wants to self soak.
Put a 2nd water dish in and tell me which one they use the most.
 

ZEROPILOT

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My saying previously that Redfoot do not bask is from my experience here in the tropics.
We have ambient heat. Its seldom very cold and I've never seen one bask. Ever.
But it makes sense that in an indoors enclosure an animal would seek out a spot to warm up before it goes about its daily things...
I also recommend that you have no warm sides and cool sides. Just all over temps of around 82 to 84.
Again. Easy for me. Right?
Craig (@Anyfoot) has dealt with these issues very well. And I would use his examples and expertise if I were living in ANY less than ideal environment.
 

Anyfoot

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When I raised 3 in a viv. I had 2 water dishes. 1 of them was directly under the CHE. They never used that one. It made good under the CHE because the evaporation kept up the humidity. If you only offer 1 water dish under the Heat source then your tort has no option but bask if it wants to soak. So by offering a 2nd water dish away from a heat source gives options.
I still think the instinct is to bask in the wild, but fear of predators keeps them in hiding.
 

Anyfoot

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in the uk we’ve had unusual hot weather for the last 4 wks or so. Pushing 30deg. My adults won’t come outside.
 

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in the uk we’ve had unusual hot weather for the last 4 wks or so. Pushing 30deg. My adults won’t come outside.
It's in the mid to upper 90s F here.
Mine are also hiding. I actually haven't seen either of them for six days. The baby I haven't seen since the beginning of last month.
 

Reptilian Feline

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My redfoots will hide away from the sun when I take them outside. Inside they never sleep directly under their CHE's.
 

Millerlite

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All three of my red foot tortoise live outdoors and I do see them bask. I have shade and sun parts of my enclosure and depending on their mood they will bask. One of my red foot tortoise bask every day right in the sun, little naps.

Kyle
 

daniellenc

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All three of my red foot tortoise live outdoors and I do see them bask. I have shade and sun parts of my enclosure and depending on their mood they will bask. One of my red foot tortoise bask every day right in the sun, little naps.

Kyle
Mine too and his enclosure never drops below 82. It’s 83-86 in most areas except under his CHE where it’s 93-96 degrees and he loves it.
 

Anyfoot

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This is the pattern I see. Adults first.
In my 300sq ft indoor tort house I have the ambient set 27c. There are 3 windows that let light in on the adult side. In the caves where some sleep it’s about 23/24c. On top of the caves where some sleep it’s about 28c because it’s higher up. 9 times out of 10 I can predict where each one sleeps. They seem to be creatures of habit. In the morning when sun is shining through the window the ones that sleep in the caves find the areas that have sun shining on them to warm up. The ones that sleep on top of the caves seem readily active and want to go outside straight away. Don’t know if it’s a coincidence but all 4 of my males sleep on top of the caves where it’s warmer through the night. I some time or other I’ve seen all the adults basking. At this moment in time my tort house is reaching 32c because of the outside temps. My torts seem very dormant at the moment. There not eating as much as they usually do. Probably an hour of activity then they bunker up. I’ve noticed a few more active at dusk time. Usually about 9.30pm I go and collect any that are still outside and lock them indoors. With the current climate I’ve not had to collect any for a month or so because they simply are resting up indoors most of the time.

My juveniles that are in the same tort house in a large table try and bask constantly with the light through the window. The first 17 I raised had access to this basking area at some point or other. I soaked them and fed them various diets. They all show some sort of minor pyramiding. 1 of these 17 was raised in a viv for its first 6 months and was perfect.(I mean absolutely pristine, it looked wild). Then when I let it get access to the basking spot in the table things changed. Still looks good but the growth very very slightly stacked from 6 months on.( I’m being super critical here). So at this stage I blocked off the sunlight that was creating a basking spot and opened my 2 sided tort table into 1. Allowing the 17 to mix in with the other 16 smooth juveniles that had no access to basking. All 33 were soaked regularly, every day up to 3 months old then I backed off to every other day. I should add I spray each and every tort twice daily.
Along came another 10 babies, no access to basking and I soaked daily for first 3 months then backed off to one a wk soak. These started showing minor pyramiding.

I think every redfoot tort has the want to bask but nature keeps them at bay in the humid micro climates, maybe risking the bask for 30mins or an hr in a morning(who knows).
I’ve fed every combo of diet going. I’ve even not let 3 have any UVB for first 3 months. The only pattern I can see is soaking to basking ratio.
If you soak a baby daily and only let it have none to limited basking access you have a greater chance of growing smooth torts.

If you soak daily and let your baby bask when ever it wants you are reducing your chances of growing a smooth baby drastically. Imo it is not natural for a baby to feel secure whilst basking, In captivity they become fearless and are quite happy sat out in the open under a basking spot drying out and counteracting all those soaks.

If you don’t soak and don’t let it bask you will still get minor pyramiding.

If you don’t soak and let it have unlimited basking then you’ll end up with severe pyramiding.

If you spray constantly, don’t soak but let them have access to water with no basking spot and a high humid climate you have a chance of growing smooth redfoots.

Other than having a fully automated system I think the sure way and the simplest way to grow a smooth redfoot is soak daily, and offer no basking spot. I imagine this is not as simple for someone who breeds 100’s. It’s hard enough work with only 43 babies.
 

Octavious22

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I keep my adult Redfoot tortoises outside and I do see them bask, mostly in the mornings, not for long periods of time but they do bask off and on during the day.
 

Triz

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It's in the mid to upper 90s F here.
Mine are also hiding. I actually haven't seen either of them for six days. The baby I haven't seen since the beginning of last month.
Im starting to wonder if this may be the reason mine doesnt want to come out lately either, we've been in high 90's-100F. Never even thought of that.
 

Anyfoot

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Im starting to wonder if this may be the reason mine doesnt want to come out lately either, we've been in high 90's-100F. Never even thought of that.
Too hot or too cold and they will hold up in hiding.
 

ZEROPILOT

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Im starting to wonder if this may be the reason mine doesnt want to come out lately either, we've been in high 90's-100F. Never even thought of that.
Think about where and how they live in the wild on the forest floor.
Moderate temperature. Lots of shade. Little direct light and lots of himidity.
 

Triz

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Think about where and how they live in the wild on the forest floor.
Moderate temperature. Lots of shade. Little direct light and lots of himidity.
Gotcha, definately will try to provide more shade around the enclosure. Thanks for the advice.
 
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