Common keeping errors

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

To further drive home the don't buy from pet stores. I was in one the other day and they had a tank marked redfoot tortoise. It was dark and cold, had the wrong substrate and incorrect water dish. When I asked to see the tortoise it was a cherry head tortoise. It was cold and it's eyes were stuck shut. I explained to them nicely they need to make some changes and the blew me off. I'm afraid that poor tort will not make it.

Ugh that’s so sad Squirt was from somewhere bad(family member didn’t know any better at the time) where they’d turn all their heating off at night for every species, including their baby red foots, bare in mind we’re a cold country, and they had no problem using red heat bulbs and cramming a bunch of adults into a tiny enclosure
Apparently the store burnt down a few years agothey just sell fish now..

 

[mojo_1]

Ugh that’s so sad Squirt was from somewhere bad(family member didn’t know any better at the time) where they’d turn all their heating off at night for every species, including their baby red foots, bare in mind we’re a cold country, and they had no problem using red heat bulbs and cramming a bunch of adults into a tiny enclosure
Apparently the store burnt down a few years agothey just sell fish now..

It makes me sick to see how mistreated they are. We're currently visiting family 1600 miles from home so I can't even offer the little tort a better situation right now.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

It makes me sick to see how mistreated they are. We're currently visiting family 1600 miles from home so I can't even offer the little tort a better situation right now.

It breaks my heart tooI get frustrated they even sell red foots in the uk, it’s not fair on them at all, people don’t house them properly

 

[cooky_luvs]

Great post! I’m saving this one to refer people to

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Great post! I’m saving this one to refer people to

Thank you! Glad you like it

 

[Ganier14]

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences

I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common things to avoid, with a brief reasoning why, I encourage anyone to do more in depth research on this forum into any of the points raised if your interested in doing so

First up, inappropriate housing
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Incorrect temperatures
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Bad diets
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Incorrect/dangerous equipment
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Bad substrates
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The wrong source of purchase/information
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Not enough soaks
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Free roaming
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Dangerous cohabitation
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Bad water dishes
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Dangerous animal interaction
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please do feel free to add any you think I’ve missed below!

I enjoyed reading your post on all the things "not" to do or not to purchase. Can you put together a list of things to start out with to purchase for beginners. I have purchased some of the items on the list like the wooden enclosure and certain fresh pellets to feed with the greens. And the basking light UV combo lamp. Can you recommend good products for me as a new Red Foot baby tortoise buyer.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I enjoyed reading your post on all the things "not" to do or not to purchase. Can you put together a list of things to start out with to purchase for beginners. I have purchased some of the items on the list like the wooden enclosure and certain fresh pellets to feed with the greens. And the basking light UV combo lamp. Can you recommend good products for me as a new Red Foot baby tortoise buyer.

I’m glad you liked it and found it helpful!
Hopefully you’ll be able to exchange the wrong items and switch out to the appropriate ones!

This thread I made here covers everything for an effective red foot starter set up, hope it helps! Any questions, please feel free to comment on it

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

 

[Ganier14]

I’m glad you liked it and found it helpful!
Hopefully you’ll be able to exchange the wrong items and switch out to the appropriate ones!

This thread I made here covers everything for an effective red foot starter set up, hope it helps! Any questions, please feel free to comment on it

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

Yes this will definately help, but i dont know if i can return the wooden enclosure, it was recommended by other tortoise buyers. But the other things i can exchange like the lighting, food, Bedding, ETC

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Yes this will definately help, but i dont know if i can return the wooden enclosure, it was recommended by other tortoise buyers. But the other things i can exchange like the lighting, food, Bedding, ETC

You might get away with using the wooden house as a base if you can line it with some cheap pond lining/pvc material, then some sort of greenhouse topper over itit might not last because of the wood it’s made from, but should hold up a year or two, you’d need to upgrade size around that age anyway

 

[Ganier14]

You might get away with using the wooden house as a base if you can line it with some cheap pond lining/pvc material, then some sort of greenhouse topper over itit might not last because of the wood it’s made from, but should hold up a year or two, you’d need to upgrade size around that age anyway

Thank you again. Its hard to find someone to actually help a new baby Tortoise buyer like myself. Everyone just says to read other post that may not answer my specific question.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Thank you again. Its hard to find someone to actually help a new baby Tortoise buyer like myself. Everyone just says to read other post that may not answer my specific question.

No problem at all! Always happy to break down any information you need/ answer further questions, if its anything I’m unsure of myself, there’s a plethora of experienced members on here to help too, they’ll always be someone to help advise you! So glad you’ve found the forum

 

[Ganier14]

No problem at all! Always happy to break down any information you need/ answer further questions, if its anything I’m unsure of myself, there’s a plethora of experienced members on here to help too, they’ll always be someone to help advise you! So glad you’ve found the forum

I do have one last question about the lighting and substrate, I have the dual bulb lighting fixture with the UV bulb and basking light. I do not have the ceramic heat emitter bulb yet. What is your recommendation on which to use or "not" use. Should i switch to 2 seperate light fixtures or just 1. Do i keep the basking bulb or just use a ceramic heat bulb instead since i have a red foot? And is there a good substrate to use that doesnt include adding water to it for moisture humidity? Im using fluckers all natural coco sub and Forest Floor Bedding.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I do have one last question about the lighting and substrate, I have the dual bulb lighting fixture with the UV bulb and basking light. I do not have the ceramic heat emitter bulb yet. What is your recommendation on which to use or "not" use. Should i switch to 2 seperate light fixtures or just 1. Do i keep the basking bulb or just use a ceramic heat bulb instead since i have a red foot? And is there a good substrate to use that doesnt include adding water to it for moisture humidity? Im using fluckers all natural coco sub and Forest Floor Bedding.

Personally I recommend just using ceramic bulbs for red foots, it’s far less desiccating on their shells and so much easier ensuring your temps are stable both day&night, the problem with the duel dome fixtures is they aren’t very wide and are too deep for ceramics. Either way I’d ditch the basking bulb tbh.

I’d use the duel dome to just put some regular led bulbs into for ambient lighting on a 12hour timer, hung roughly in the middle.
Then further the end where the led lighting is, I’d get yourself the Arcadia proT5 kit 12% and hang that near the led lighting, uv bulb can be on separate 4hr timer, hung around 20 inches from the tops of the tortoises shell(check thread for examples on how to mount it) the Arcadia comes with the reflector fitting

I would get yourself two separate wide dome fixtures with a ceramic fitting(some use brooder lamps, look for 10 inch sizes) to put the CHE’s into, depending on the size of your enclosure? One dome and CHE might be enough, if using one I’d hang it in the middle with the thermostat set to around 82-84, the probe in one of the corners. If one isn’t enough and you need to use two, hang them equal distance apart for even heat distribution, every new enclosure will take tweaks to get the temperatures right, so it’s good you’re getting this in order before getting your new baby.

Substrate wise the only safe recommended options are coco coir, orchid bark or forest floor/cypress mulch. All these substrates will need maintaining with the odd lukewarm water pour, in a good closed chamber set up, you won’t have to do it often at all, just check your substrate and monitoring. Ours can last weeks at a time

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I do have one last question about the lighting and substrate, I have the dual bulb lighting fixture with the UV bulb and basking light. I do not have the ceramic heat emitter bulb yet. What is your recommendation on which to use or "not" use. Should i switch to 2 seperate light fixtures or just 1. Do i keep the basking bulb or just use a ceramic heat bulb instead since i have a red foot? And is there a good substrate to use that doesnt include adding water to it for moisture humidity? Im using fluckers all natural coco sub and Forest Floor Bedding.

Oh and just to give you a heads up on something with the uv timing, every other source of information will tell you 12hours of uv. This is essentially an old fashioned rule that has stuck with a lot of keepers, it stems from the presumption that once the basking light or ambient lighting is on, ie the ‘sun’, that uv must coexist the same amount of hours. Fact is, uv rays only peak for a few hours a day, anyone with a uv meter will confirm this. No tortoise is blasted with 12 hours of uv in the wild, especially red foots who tend to dwell the forest floors, therefore it’s not necessary in captivity.
The uv bulbs are much more expensive to replace once their uv strength diminishes, so it’s definitely best having it on a 4 hour timer that provides them with all the uv they need, saving your bulb life.
Then some cheaper led lighting for your ambient 12 hour light cycle, your ceramics will run 24/7 on a thermostat, hope that all makes sense

 

[Ganier14]

Personally I recommend just using ceramic bulbs for red foots, it’s far less desiccating on their shells and so much easier ensuring your temps are stable both day&night, the problem with the duel dome fixtures is they aren’t very wide and are too deep for ceramics. Either way I’d ditch the basking bulb tbh.

I’d use the duel dome to just put some regular led bulbs into for ambient lighting on a 12hour timer, hung roughly in the middle.
Then further the end where the led lighting is, I’d get yourself the Arcadia proT5 kit 12% and hang that near the led lighting, uv bulb can be on separate 4hr timer, hung around 20 inches from the tops of the tortoises shell(check thread for examples on how to mount it) the Arcadia comes with the reflector fitting

I would get yourself two separate wide dome fixtures with a ceramic fitting(some use brooder lamps, look for 10 inch sizes) to put the CHE’s into, depending on the size of your enclosure? One dome and CHE might be enough, if using one I’d hang it in the middle with the thermostat set to around 82-84, the probe in one of the corners. If one isn’t enough and you need to use two, hang them equal distance apart for even heat distribution, every new enclosure will take tweaks to get the temperatures right, so it’s good you’re getting this in order before getting your new baby.

Substrate wise the only safe recommended options are coco coir, orchid bark or forest floor/cypress mulch. All these substrates will need maintaining with the odd lukewarm water pour, in a good closed chamber set up, you won’t have to do it often at all, just check your substrate and monitoring. Ours can last weeks at a time

LOL, you kind of lost me with all the lighting options. Here is a pic of my enclosure, i have it sitting on a table next to 2 large balcony windows that get lots of sunlight during the day. And i think this is what you mean by the wide fixtures correct? 1 with the CHE and the other with a UV bulb correct? in the middle of the enclosure.

 

[Ganier14]

Oh and just to give you a heads up on something with the uv timing, every other source of information will tell you 12hours of uv. This is essentially an old fashioned rule that has stuck with a lot of keepers, it stems from the presumption that once the basking light or ambient lighting is on, ie the ‘sun’, that uv must coexist the same amount of hours. Fact is, uv rays only peak for a few hours a day, anyone with a uv meter will confirm this. No tortoise is blasted with 12 hours of uv in the wild, especially red foots who tend to dwell the forest floors, therefore it’s not necessary in captivity.
The uv bulbs are much more expensive to replace once their uv strength diminishes, so it’s definitely best having it on a 4 hour timer that provides them with all the uv they need, saving your bulb life.
Then some cheaper led lighting for your ambient 12 hour light cycle, your ceramics will run 24/7 on a thermostat, hope that all makes sense

I would like to do the 24/7 Ceramic lighting, Thats easier for me. But i see lots of different thermostats, is that different than the plug in auto on and off timer for the UV? Is there a thermostat that automatically shuts off the Ceramic at a certain temp then back on when it gets below that temp? i think that is what you are referring to. Again, im a newbie, sorry. LOL

 

[mojo_1]

I concur with what @Littleredfootbigredheart posted above.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

LOL, you kind of lost me with all the lighting options. Here is a pic of my enclosure, i have it sitting on a table next to 2 large balcony windows that get lots of sunlight during the day. And i think this is what you mean by the wide fixtures correct? 1 with the CHE and the other with a UV bulb correct? in the middle of the enclosure.

Don’t worry I know it can feel a lot to take in and I type quite fast sometimes lol. You can always refer back over these threads to absorb it all, no rush

One potential issue you might run into housing so close to a big window is the heat from the sun effecting your temps, especially with the cover that’ll be needed, a closed chamber can overheat very quickly because there’s no way to control the heat that could be coming in from the sun, it’s safer to have leds as ambient lighting on the 12 hour timer to mimic night&day in there away from a window. You can use the duel dome fitting you already have for some leds. The leds is what I’d hang in the middle.

Those kind of fixtures yes but you ideally want ones slightly bigger than that, theres 10+ inch ones you can get, we don’t personally have to use them in our set up so I can’t recommend specific brands, but I’d look up 10 inch brooder domes with ceramic fitting.
For the size you have you may only need one ceramic, therefore just one dome, but only your digital monitoring/temp gun checks will tell you that.

The uv won’t go in a dome no, the uv that’s recommended are t5 bulbs, these are long tube fluorescent bulbs, they won’t fit in a regular bulb fitting. I tend to recommend the Arcadia brand because it comes with the reflector fitting(what the bulb goes into) but the reptisun 10.0 brand needs it buying separately.

I would like to do the 24/7 Ceramic lighting, Thats easier for me. But i see lots of different thermostats, is that different than the plug in auto on and off timer for the UV? Is there a thermostat that automatically shuts off the Ceramic at a certain temp then back on when it gets below that temp? i think that is what you are referring to. Again, im a newbie, sorry. LOL

Yeah I agree, that’s what we do too. There’s definitely lots on the market, with thermostats you just want to make sure the wattage it can take is at least double the wattage you’re putting in, you can attach pics of some of the ones you find and we’ll get someone to double check it, we use the microclimate brand but equipment can vary from different locations, so I might not be able to confirm the specific ones you find, but there’s lots of US folks on here that I’m sure can help there.

Yes the thermostat is different from the timer, your leds will be on a 12hr timer(cheap plug in wall timers do the trick) and your uv will be on a separate 4hr timer, no thermostat for either of those.

The ceramic bulbs will be what run on the thermostat, the thermostats job is to regulate the temperature inside the enclosure, it will turn the ceramics on/off as and when needed to stop the enclosure getting too cool or overheating. For ceramic bulbs, on/off thermostats will do the job

No apologies ever necessary for asking questions! We all love talking tortoises here and very happy to help, just want as many people to have a positive keeping experience as possible

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hopefully this helps give your a visual idea of how I’d personally tackle the set up you’re working with, I’d lower the stand so the cover you get only needs to be about 2ft high, if it’s higher, all your humidity and heat will rise to the top which you don’t want.

This is for if you only need one ceramic bulb to achieve your all over ground temps reading in the 82-86 range.


This is if you need a second ceramic. ‘Duel less’ was meant to say ‘duel leds’ lol sorry.

 

[Ink]

OMG, this is the first time I have seen this post. The pictures are so helpful! Especially the lights. Nice job.