Enclosure size

[Willow_Redfoot]

Hello all my Redfoot is about 3.5 years old. She 4.5/5 inches big, and I’m upgrading her enclosure. How long would a 4ft long, 2ft wide enclosure last her? I have a friend who is willing to sell me something that size that is a really nice closed chamber set up.

 

[Minority2]

Hello all my Redfoot is about 3.5 years old. She 4.5/5 inches big, and I’m upgrading her enclosure. How long would a 4ft long, 2ft wide enclosure last her? I have a friend who is willing to sell me something that size that is a really nice closed chamber set up.

An (4 x 2 ft) enclosure would be an ideal size for most hatchling tortoises. Your Red-foot on the other hand, is large enough to require an (8 x 4 ft) enclosure.

3.5 years old at 5 inches in length is a bit smaller than what I've typically seen in Red-foots. 6-8+ inches is what I used to seeing at 3 years. Other Red foot owners may be able to chime in on this.

 

[Willow_Redfoot]

Really...? I thought 8x4 was something a adult would need not a juvenile.

 

[Minority2]

Really...? I thought 8x4 was something a adult would need not a juvenile.

Many people have different age and size classifications. I classify most small to medium tortoise species between 1-2 year as juveniles and 2-3+ years to being young adults. Mature adults would be ones that are old enough to be sexed.

I usually follow a length guideline for enclosures:

A 2.5-3 inch tortoise that isn't a large species tortoise would get a 4 x 2 ft temporary enclosure.
A 4-5 inch growing tortoise would upgrade to an 8x 4 ft enclosure.
A 8-10 inch or larger tortoise would be permanently housed outdoors.

Red foots are a medium-sized species and would most likely require a permanent outdoor enclosure in the future. There are some instances where stunted growth Red foots, cherry heads in particular, remain a certain size like 7-9 inches. That's still small enough to stay indoors if the owner chooses to do so.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

@Minority2 is correct in that your Redfoot is unusually small for its age.
At 3.5 years, it'd be considered a sub adult.
Go as large as you are able with your enclosure.
A small enclosure will continue to stunt the growth of your tortoise.

 

[Willow_Redfoot]

Well housing outdoors permanently will not work, as I live in the Midwest in Michigan. She does a get a very nice large outdoor enclosure in the summer months. Not sure how I’ll fit something as large indoors at the moment

 

[lisa127]

My redfoot was 3.5 years old when I adopted.him. He was 8.25 inches SCL at that time.