BEGINNER NEEDS HELP!!!

[Tortoiseandco]

Hello everyone, I am new and have joined today to ask some questions. My sister was given a tortoise for her birthday, me and my mum knew nothing about this but apparently she had asked for one in secret. She was really interested in them a few months ago and bought a book on them, did a bit of research on them (not sure how much we weren't really checking as there was no way she was getting another pet after me doing the care of all her others plus my own) so out of the blue we now have a 6 month old redfoot tortoise. My sister is just happy with the tortoise but knows nothing about it. She hasn't checked into them as a species (All tortoises seem like they have different requirements?) now she has one. I own a variety of animals and am obsessed in giving them the best care I possibly can but I know very little about turtles and tortoises etc. We have a tortoise table, a lamp that emits heat and light a small water bowl a food bowl with tortoise pellet (diet is part of the issue) and a fake plant I've looked into diet but I'm looking for someone with a juvenile redfoot to tell me their feeding plan etc, I know they are omnivorous and need a mixed diet with no "tortoise pellets"?! Is everything else ok? Any tips and advice are appreciated. We got the tortoise from a good breeder and everything so we know all of that is ok. Thankyou for reading

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welcome! You have found a great place to find all the up to date information about torts.
You are right when you say different species need different care, temps diet substrate etc and it's great you are willing to learn and get it right.
There is a caresheet somewhere for Redfoot torts you may find it under Species Specific but if not, there are lots RF keepers to point you in the right direction and to answer your questions, such as @ZEROPILOT (Florida) and @Anyfoot (UK) I've tagged them so they'll post when they see their alerts.
To help members give correct advice can you tell us where you are located? Your climate will play a big part in what equipment you need etc. If you can post a picture of your torts enclosure and bulbs we can tell you if you need to make any changes to make sure your tort stays safe and healthy. Lots of us get it wrong at first with things like coiled bulbs, steep sided water dishes etc but with the good advice from very experienced keepers here you'll soon have it just right.
The Beginners Mistakes thread (link below) will help you avoid potential problems and the Enclosures thread has lots of great ideas.
So have a look through them until a RF keeper comes along and ask as many questions as you like.

 

[TheSulcata]

And make sure they get enough UV light, maybe put him outside for like an hour everyday and soak him in warm water when he comes back inside. UV light is mandatory in raising a healthy tort

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

RF tortoises require a lot of humidity in their environment, so a cover over the habitat helps with that. But they are very susceptible to shell rot, so sitting on wet substrate isn't advised. Here's a link to some good RF info:

Tortoise Library

 

[Tortoiseandco]

Hi and welcome! You have found a great place to find all the up to date information about torts.
You are right when you say different species need different care, temps diet substrate etc and it's great you are willing to learn and get it right.
There is a caresheet somewhere for Redfoot torts you may find it under Species Specific but if not, there are lots RF keepers to point you in the right direction and to answer your questions, such as @ZEROPILOT (Florida) and @Anyfoot (UK) I've tagged them so they'll post when they see their alerts.
To help members give correct advice can you tell us where you are located? Your climate will play a big part in what equipment you need etc. If you can post a picture of your torts enclosure and bulbs we can tell you if you need to make any changes to make sure your tort stays safe and healthy. Lots of us get it wrong at first with things like coiled bulbs, steep sided water dishes etc but with the good advice from very experienced keepers here you'll soon have it just right.
The Beginners Mistakes thread (link below) will help you avoid potential problems and the Enclosures thread has lots of great ideas.
So have a look through them until a RF keeper comes along and ask as many questions as you like.

Thankyou so much for all the info and help, I will post a picture of the setup asap and I have devised a feeding schedule combining the information from 3/4 different redfoot sites. Although the pet doesn't officially belong to me i will end up caring for it so I want to give it a good life without any problems! Does this sound ok for a feeding schedule
Day 1) base diet (leafy greens)
Day 2) base diet with allowdd fruits
Day 3) base diet
Day 4) base diet with allowed veggies
Day 5) base diet
Day 6) base diet with meat/eggs etc
Day 7) no food
Thankyou!

 

[Tortoiseandco]

And make sure they get enough UV light, maybe put him outside for like an hour everyday and soak him in warm water when he comes back inside. UV light is mandatory in raising a healthy tort

Okay Thankyou! Apparently he/she isn't allowed outside yet? It's very cold here so would it still be ok? I'll post a picture of the setup and if you would be able to tell me if I have the necessary things that would be great! Officially it doesn't belong to me but I will end up looking after him so I want to give him the best start!

 

[Tortoiseandco]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

RF tortoises require a lot of humidity in their environment, so a cover over the habitat helps with that. But they are very susceptible to shell rot, so sitting on wet substrate isn't advised. Here's a link to some good RF info:

Tortoise Library

Thankyou so much for the link it'll be very useful! I have heard they need humidity but I'm unsure how I can keep it in an open topped tortoise table, apparently vivariums are not advised? I have had a lot of reptiles so I will be ok with that sort of thing but I the only way I can think to keep humidity would be putting a cover over and wouldn't that be bad for ventilation? Thankyou, I'll be posting a picture of the setup so if you can look at it and tell me whether it is ok or not that would be great!!

 

[JoesMum]

Okay Thankyou! Apparently he/she isn't allowed outside yet? It's very cold here so would it still be ok? I'll post a picture of the setup and if you would be able to tell me if I have the necessary things that would be great! Officially it doesn't belong to me but I will end up looking after him so I want to give him the best start!

A UVB tube lamp is a better alternative. RFs don't do cold

 

[Tortoiseandco]

A UVB tube lamp is a better alternative. RFs don't do cold

Okay Thankyou so much, it seems nice and warm and sometimes it'll sit in the heat and sometimes it'll leave. I'm trying to post a picture of the setup but I don't know how yet! Once I have done can you tell me if it is ok thanks!

 

[Tortoiseandco]

Ah here we go! As you can see she has overfilled the food bowl with pellets

 

[JoesMum]

I'm sure it has been explained that RFs need warm humidity.

I don't keep them myself, but I have learned:

- The enclosure needs to be enclosed to hold in humidity
- The substrate needs to be of a type that holds moisture so it can be dampened
- You don't need a basking bulb that is in this enclosure
- You do need a Ceramic Heat Emitter on a thermostat 24/7 to provide heat
- You do need a UVB tube (not compact bulb) for UVB light on for 12 hours a day
- Those pet store tortoise tables are too small for anything other than baby tortoises.

There's more, but those are the basics - it's all in that Tortoise Library link that Yvonne gave you earlier.

 

[Lyn W]

Okay Thankyou! Apparently he/she isn't allowed outside yet? It's very cold here so would it still be ok? I'll post a picture of the setup and if you would be able to tell me if I have the necessary things that would be great! Officially it doesn't belong to me but I will end up looking after him so I want to give him the best start!

Are you in UK or colder parts of US?
You could just put some plexi glass over open space - but you would need to cut hole/s for the bulb/s; or in Enclosures thread there are example of tables where higher posts have been attached to the corners and plastic used to make a sort of tent over it all. I'll see if I can find a pic for you.

Also be careful with the clamp on the side holding the bulb as they have been known to fail and cause fires so if you can find a way to hang it then you can adjust the temp by raising or lowering it.

A digital temp/humidity gauge would be better than the one you have and ideally with a probe or the whole thing placed at tort level to get more accurate readings. I bought one from about £5 on Amazon. Also a digital temp gun is very handy for spot checking the 4 temps.

You may also need a ceramic heat emitter (CHE) for night heat without light (as torts need darkness to sleep) I run mine through a thermostat so it switches on and off as temps rise and fall to keep it even, but the caresheet or RF keepers will be able to tell you if you need that so don't rush out and get one just yet.

 

[Tortoiseandco]

Are you in UK or colder parts of US?
You could just put some plexi glass over open space - but you would need to cut hole/s for the bulb/s; or in Enclosures thread there are example of tables where higher posts have been attached to the corners and plastic used to make a sort of tent over it all. I'll see if I can find a pic for you.

We are in northern UK Thankyou that's very helpful, I will have to find something along those lines to work as a cover. This is a lot more complicated than it first seemed to be! The pet shop was supposed to be reputable but they have given us all the wrong advice. Apparently this tortoise table is not big enough? It looks like they will need one building that can keep humidity etc :/

 

[Tortoiseandco]

I'm sure it has been explained that RFs need warm humidity.

I don't keep them myself, but I have learned:

- The enclosure needs to be enclosed to hold in humidity
- The substrate needs to be of a type that holds moisture so it can be dampened
- You don't need a basking bulb that is in this enclosure
- You do need a Ceramic Heat Emitter on a thermostat 24/7 to provide heat
- You do need a UVB tube (not compact bulb) for UVB light on for 12 hours a day
- Those pet store tortoise tables are too small for anything other than baby tortoises.

There's more, but those are the basics - it's all in that Tortoise Library link that Yvonne gave you earlier.

Oh dear well Thankyou very much! It looks like most things are wrong at the moment :/ maybe we will have to build one that can hold humidity too.

 

[JoesMum]

We are in northern UK Thankyou that's very helpful, I will have to find something along those lines to work as a cover. This is a lot more complicated than it first seemed to be! The pet shop was supposed to be reputable but they have given us all the wrong advice. Apparently this tortoise table is not big enough? It looks like they will need one building that can keep humidity etc :/

I wouldn't have a RF outdoors here in Kent at this time of year, let alone up North

It's very common for pet shops to give unreliable or outdated advice. They're in the business of selling things. They're not tortoise experts

If you look in the enclosure forum you will find examples of closed chambers that people have built. The search on TFO doesn't work properly, but Googling "Tortoiseforum redfoot Closed chamber" should find a few examples on TFO for you to look at

 

[Lyn W]

We are in northern UK Thankyou that's very helpful, I will have to find something along those lines to work as a cover. This is a lot more complicated than it first seemed to be! The pet shop was supposed to be reputable but they have given us all the wrong advice. Apparently this tortoise table is not big enough? It looks like they will need one building that can keep humidity etc :/

@Anyfoot is a redfoot UK keeper - he is in Sheffield so he will be able to help you lots. He has a fantastic set up for his torts - its better than my house! There is a thread all about it if you want to try to find it.

 

[Lyn W]

Oh dear well Thankyou very much! It looks like most things are wrong at the moment :/ maybe we will have to build one that can hold humidity too.

Don't panic or get downhearted! Start with the caresheets and the posts in the redfoot sections until RF keepers along. . It's great that you are determined to give him the best home possible.

 

[Lyn W]

@Anyfoot
Hi Craig just the man we need to help advise a new redfoot keeper on the best way to keep them up north!

 

[Anyfoot]

Can anyone remember where the thread is that a guy/gal made a tort table like this but put an apex on it to cover it. I thought it was a good way for people to convert their tables to a closed system. I saw it a few days ago. @Tom I remember you giving it your blessing.

 

[Lyn W]

Ah here we go! As you can see she has overfilled the food bowl with pellets View attachment 190721

Just a thought - It would be a good idea if you could post a pic of the tort to confirm that he is a redfoot, and to give an idea of size etc.