Bioactive Kits

[Adam L]

Hi all! My Redfoot Ruby is going to be needing an upgrade over the next few months for his enclosure. I’m going to be getting a custom 4x2x2 that IS modular to expand in the future until he goes outside (almost) full time, but wanted to get him going on a much more natural forest-edge habitat. How does everyone feel about the attached link to start him off right? I tend to agree with most of the info but do not know my Ruby to dig very deep at all, let alone into a drainage layer, I would think thats for roots and plants. Granted he is on fine orchid bark and not bioactive “soil” I’ve been so apprehensive about. Should I go my own way? Are there better kits out there? Or did I strike gold with this? And yes I saw cleanup crew is sold separately. Thanks for anything and everything All!
@Tom @wellington @ZEROPILOT @Yvonne G
Yall are the best BTW, love from Florida

Red Foot Tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonaria) Bioactive Vivarium Kit

A complete self cleaning, self maintaining bioactive kit for Red Foot Tortoises. This Bioactive kit is meant for younger tortoises, as adults should be kept outdoors for beneficial heat, UVB and humidity. In the wild, these unique tortoises are commonly seen feasting on carrion, fruits and...

www.thebiodude.com

 

[Adam L]

And last (that I can remember ) but not least
@Littleredfootbigredheart, I won’t forget your help you were very kind with your words!
(Also, a house will be in the coming year or so, so inside is temporary but necessary for apartment issues and etc. but he is very well maintained with diet and husbandry, I am just looking to enrich his life now even more so)

 

[Tom]

Hi all! My Redfoot Ruby is going to be needing an upgrade over the next few months for his enclosure. I’m going to be getting a custom 4x2x2 that IS modular to expand in the future until he goes outside (almost) full time, but wanted to get him going on a much more natural forest-edge habitat. How does everyone feel about the attached link to start him off right? I tend to agree with most of the info but do not know my Ruby to dig very deep at all, let alone into a drainage layer, I would think thats for roots and plants. Granted he is on fine orchid bark and not bioactive “soil” I’ve been so apprehensive about. Should I go my own way? Are there better kits out there? Or did I strike gold with this? And yes I saw cleanup crew is sold separately. Thanks for anything and everything All!
@Tom @wellington @ZEROPILOT @Yvonne G
Yall are the best BTW, love from Florida

Red Foot Tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonaria) Bioactive Vivarium Kit

A complete self cleaning, self maintaining bioactive kit for Red Foot Tortoises. This Bioactive kit is meant for younger tortoises, as adults should be kept outdoors for beneficial heat, UVB and humidity. In the wild, these unique tortoises are commonly seen feasting on carrion, fruits and...

www.thebiodude.com

What size is Ruby's enclosure now? 4x2 is only good fora little hatching and they will outgrow that in a few months.

About the "Bio-Active" stuff: I think its a fad. It can work sometimes for some situations, but it requires a bunch of stuff that isn't good or doesn't work for a tortoise. For example, sand or soil shouldn't be used for tortoises. Its potentially dangerous. Without soil, its tough to get out plants going, though pothos does fine growing roots into my orchid bark substrates. The problem with live plants in a tortoise enclosure is that they will be eaten or trampled in short order.

You can go as elaborate as you want, but I think it is a waste of time and money for a small temporary enclosure that will be outgrown and discarded relatively quickly. I would spend that time and effort planting the outdoor enclosure, making a shallow pond of some sort, building the night box and getting that all up and running and perfected. I prefer to keep my indoor enclosures fairly spartan and functional. Potted plants are fairly easy to do, but I save the bio-active stuff for small lizard species like crested geckoes or emerald tree skinks, that aren't going to eat or uproot the plants. I made one of these enclosures a couple of months ago with soil that I composted and made myself, leaf litter, old discarded coco bedding and orchid bark, and then I planted plants in it and I've been putting isopods in it whenever I find them outside. Its pretty cool and the plants are thriving, but I still haven't put any reptiles in it. I was hoping to find a baby leachie, or some emerald tree skinks at the last show, but it didn't work out. I've got some baby banana pectinata that could go in there, but I think they'd start to nibble on the plants, and eventually start crushing the plants.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

I made a thread about using a water reservoir: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/s...invertebrate-trick-work-for-tortoises.214325/

I never went through with the plan, but it wasn't because I didn't believe it could work. I think in a closed chamber it could work well and lessen the need to pour water in. Maybe you could reinforce the drainage layer and protect it with some netting just in case?

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hi all! My Redfoot Ruby is going to be needing an upgrade over the next few months for his enclosure. I’m going to be getting a custom 4x2x2 that IS modular to expand in the future until he goes outside (almost) full time, but wanted to get him going on a much more natural forest-edge habitat. How does everyone feel about the attached link to start him off right? I tend to agree with most of the info but do not know my Ruby to dig very deep at all, let alone into a drainage layer, I would think thats for roots and plants. Granted he is on fine orchid bark and not bioactive “soil” I’ve been so apprehensive about. Should I go my own way? Are there better kits out there? Or did I strike gold with this? And yes I saw cleanup crew is sold separately. Thanks for anything and everything All!
@Tom @wellington @ZEROPILOT @Yvonne G
Yall are the best BTW, love from Florida

Red Foot Tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonaria) Bioactive Vivarium Kit

A complete self cleaning, self maintaining bioactive kit for Red Foot Tortoises. This Bioactive kit is meant for younger tortoises, as adults should be kept outdoors for beneficial heat, UVB and humidity. In the wild, these unique tortoises are commonly seen feasting on carrion, fruits and...

www.thebiodude.com

Hello!
I would agree with Tom that bioactive enclosure is not something worth investments. It's a cool thing when you keep an animal most of the time there for several years. Also, moving to a new house with a bioactive enclosure is a pain - with a drainage layer and lots of substrate enclosure gets really heavy and you can't just scrap the substrate in a bag.

I would opt for a more simple option - live potted plants, simple substrate like orchid bark or coco coir with bark on top. You may add isopods and springtails there (adding springtails is an extra - they usually find a way in the enclosure on their own). You can still have a green, lush and naturally looking enclosure without "going bioactive".

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

And last (that I can remember ) but not least
@Littleredfootbigredheart, I won’t forget your help you were very kind with your words!
(Also, a house will be in the coming year or so, so inside is temporary but necessary for apartment issues and etc. but he is very well maintained with diet and husbandry, I am just looking to enrich his life now even more so)

No problem at all! Always down to talk red foots

I do have to agree with the above about the bio active side of things, it’s cool in theory, but like they say, for an enclosure that is temporary I think efforts will be best focused elsewhere, I think you’ll still be able to come up with a cool functional space though

I recently neatened all my advice by making my own thread on the set up side of things, I gave you the info already, but if you scroll down, I’ve added more visual examples for everything needed, perhaps it’ll be useful if you want to check it out, keep us updated on the build! I love those kinds of threads

Young red foot/ cherryhead set up

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information on an effective example of a starter enclosure for a red foot/cherry head😊 Care advice for these guys is painfully behind, fb pages, YouTube, pet stores, they’re all repeating the same outdated advice, this forum is made of...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[wellington]

I know nothing about bioactive enclosures.
However,I wouldn't waste the time when you live in an area where the tortoise should be able to live outside most of all of its life.
If your tort is not a hatchling the enclosure you mentioned is way to small.

 

[Adam L]

What size is Ruby's enclosure now? 4x2 is only good fora little hatching and they will outgrow that in a few months.

He’s in a 20gal aquarium I modded into a closed chamber. Humidity and temperature are not an issue but size will be. I suppose my logic for the 4x2 is that I could put a leopard or fat tail in it after my baby boy, or expand it very large as it is modular and we plan on leaving Florida (I know) within a few years. Ruby will eventually, and I know sooner rather than later, out grow even the upgrade but like I said I’d like to put geckos in it after. He is 3.5” SCL which is why he needs out the 20. That’s today and this weekends priority. It sucks I’m leaving the perfect state/conditions for my baby but it’s anything but perfect for us as a family so we have no choice. Where we go he will have a HUGE outdoor setup but as of right now and the next year or two, we are confined. We knew this when getting him but not what to start with (thanks Mr. Petman ) as we were told a “40 Breeder” is okay till adulthood. YEA RIGHT lol. No matter where we move he is the priority I just wasn’t sure what to upgrade him to till we get our inevitable house in the near future.

 

[Adam L]

Hello!
I would agree with Tom that bioactive enclosure is not something worth investments. It's a cool thing when you keep an animal most of the time there for several years. Also, moving to a new house with a bioactive enclosure is a pain - with a drainage layer and lots of substrate enclosure gets really heavy and you can't just scrap the substrate in a bag.

I would opt for a more simple option - live potted plants, simple substrate like orchid bark or coco coir with bark on top. You may add isopods and springtails there (adding springtails is an extra - they usually find a way in the enclosure on their own). You can still have a green, lush and naturally looking enclosure without "going bioactive".

I MEANT TO TAG YOU! Thanks for chiming in friend I definitely am gonna check it out. As for @Littleredfootbigredheart, you are amazing as always. Looks like I have my afternoon reading material, yall are the best as always!

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

I MEANT TO TAG YOU! Thanks for chiming in friend I definitely am gonna check it out. As for @Littleredfootbigredheart, you are amazing as always. Looks like I have my afternoon reading material, yall are the best as always!

You are welcome! As always, ask questions if any!

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Any time my friend! Wishing you all the best

 

[Tom]

He’s in a 20gal aquarium I modded into a closed chamber. Humidity and temperature are not an issue but size will be. I suppose my logic for the 4x2 is that I could put a leopard or fat tail in it after my baby boy, or expand it very large as it is modular and we plan on leaving Florida (I know) within a few years. Ruby will eventually, and I know sooner rather than later, out grow even the upgrade but like I said I’d like to put geckos in it after. He is 3.5” SCL which is why he needs out the 20. That’s today and this weekends priority. It sucks I’m leaving the perfect state/conditions for my baby but it’s anything but perfect for us as a family so we have no choice. Where we go he will have a HUGE outdoor setup but as of right now and the next year or two, we are confined. We knew this when getting him but not what to start with (thanks Mr. Petman ) as we were told a “40 Breeder” is okay till adulthood. YEA RIGHT lol. No matter where we move he is the priority I just wasn’t sure what to upgrade him to till we get our inevitable house in the near future.

At 3.5 inches, I'd be telling you time to upgrade from a 2x4 to something larger. Go bigger if you can. He'll survive if not.

 

[Adam L]

At 3.5 inches, I'd be telling you time to upgrade from a 2x4 to something larger. Go bigger if you can. He'll survive if not.

Thanks Tom! Survival is not the goal as we all know, I want a happy baby as well as a live one as we all should! Comfort is key to me so thanks again and yall are awesome. There may be a really big greenhouse tent in a big room in my future if outside is not an option.