Hey folks,
New tortoise owner here, and trying to provide the optimum enclosure for my Red-footed Tortoise. I've done a ton of reading on this forum, bought a book specific to red-foot care, bought another book on natural habitats of the world, and have scoured the internet. I believe this forum to have some of the most up-to-date information along with a slew of professional resources, so I'm reaching out. I, along with many others I'm sure, am aiming to have my little guy thrive rather than just survive.
Tort:
Assumed ~1yr Red-Footed Tortoise, captive bred
Purchased from PetCo. I regret this, wish I would have purchased from a well-known breeder. I did get confirmation of the captive bred status prior to purchase though, so that's a plus.
The enclosure:
- 5'x2'x2' Wood - Originally built for a Burmese Python, I purchased it from a local club member and have sealed off the topside vents with tinfoil.
- 50/50 Cypress Mulch/Topsoil with some Sphagnum mixed in
- Misting system set to activate every 8 hours for 60 seconds
- Hides - I'm not happy with them, I tried to find some more natural looking solutions but came up short. I have a 5-pack of black storage bins (12.2 x 7.8 x 5.1) being delivered in 2 days that I'll cut and sand some tort sized holes in.
- 24W T5-HO Arcadia 6% UVB, on a timer 10hr/day
Temp/Humidity:
Right side - Humidity too low, assuming this is because of the basking area.
- Day 92° / 55% humidity
- Night 88° / 70% humidity
Left side - Temp too low, need to increase size of DHP or swap to CHE
- Day 80° / 80-95% humidity
- Night 75° / 90%+ humidity
Plans:
1. New hides, 2 or 3 across the enclosure, to give a variety of temp/humidity safe places. Hides arriving 4/13
2. New right-side bulb. Previously tried a 100w Halogen which was too hot, removed that and swapped for a 60w CHE which is keeping the perfect temp. Plan to swap for a 50w/75w Halogen to add UVA exposure and visible light for the basking area, I've read this helps the tort understand where the basking area starts/stops and emulates the "go into the sun for heat" response. Purchasing bulbs today, 4/11.
3. New left-side bulb. Thinking I'll get a slightly larger DHP or swap to CHE, and adjust the direction of the lamp more towards the left side of the enclosure (mounted in the middle). Purchasing today, 4/11
4. More shade, from my reading red-foots like to feel secure in the shade of plants/hides/etc. In general, not a fan of bright lights as well. More tort safe plants to be added OR rigging up some sort of overhang system. Weekend of 4/16 project
Questions:
1. In the photos you can see the doors have a small ~.5in gap all the way around. I've added stick-on weather stripping to close those gaps but it's not a long term solution. What do y'all suggest I use for a more permanent fix?
2. What actions should I take to perfect temp/humidity. I know humidity is always a fine-tuning process, but y'all are the experts here. I think temp will be solved by my plans for bulb changes above. I feel I'm close to having temp/humidity optimal, but obviously "close" isn't good enough. The right side of the enclosure needs some love, humidity wise.
3. Is my misting system the best solution for humidity? I'm concerned the substrate will be too wet which will lead to shell rot, though it does appear to dry out before the next scheduled misting occurs. Am I misting too much?
4. Automation! For my reef tank I use a Neptune Apex, which digitally controls everything (Temp/Salinity/Lighting/etc). Is there already a product which offers this level of automation/control for Reptiles? If not, is there an open source solution for Raspberry Pi or anything similar? If nothing exists already I think I'll tackle that and build something. I would love to have a one-stop-shop to plug in all our equipment, set baselines for temp/humidity/lighting schedules/etc, and have peace of mind it's taken care of.
5. Open floor, please feel free to tear this apart. Tell me what is incorrect and how to fix it. I'm experienced in other expert level animal care but Tortoises are new to me. I want to learn from all of your combined experience.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I look forward to all the feedback.
New tortoise owner here, and trying to provide the optimum enclosure for my Red-footed Tortoise. I've done a ton of reading on this forum, bought a book specific to red-foot care, bought another book on natural habitats of the world, and have scoured the internet. I believe this forum to have some of the most up-to-date information along with a slew of professional resources, so I'm reaching out. I, along with many others I'm sure, am aiming to have my little guy thrive rather than just survive.
Tort:
Assumed ~1yr Red-Footed Tortoise, captive bred
Purchased from PetCo. I regret this, wish I would have purchased from a well-known breeder. I did get confirmation of the captive bred status prior to purchase though, so that's a plus.
The enclosure:
- 5'x2'x2' Wood - Originally built for a Burmese Python, I purchased it from a local club member and have sealed off the topside vents with tinfoil.
- 50/50 Cypress Mulch/Topsoil with some Sphagnum mixed in
- Misting system set to activate every 8 hours for 60 seconds
- Hides - I'm not happy with them, I tried to find some more natural looking solutions but came up short. I have a 5-pack of black storage bins (12.2 x 7.8 x 5.1) being delivered in 2 days that I'll cut and sand some tort sized holes in.
- 24W T5-HO Arcadia 6% UVB, on a timer 10hr/day
Temp/Humidity:
Right side - Humidity too low, assuming this is because of the basking area.
- Day 92° / 55% humidity
- Night 88° / 70% humidity
Left side - Temp too low, need to increase size of DHP or swap to CHE
- Day 80° / 80-95% humidity
- Night 75° / 90%+ humidity
Plans:
1. New hides, 2 or 3 across the enclosure, to give a variety of temp/humidity safe places. Hides arriving 4/13
2. New right-side bulb. Previously tried a 100w Halogen which was too hot, removed that and swapped for a 60w CHE which is keeping the perfect temp. Plan to swap for a 50w/75w Halogen to add UVA exposure and visible light for the basking area, I've read this helps the tort understand where the basking area starts/stops and emulates the "go into the sun for heat" response. Purchasing bulbs today, 4/11.
3. New left-side bulb. Thinking I'll get a slightly larger DHP or swap to CHE, and adjust the direction of the lamp more towards the left side of the enclosure (mounted in the middle). Purchasing today, 4/11
4. More shade, from my reading red-foots like to feel secure in the shade of plants/hides/etc. In general, not a fan of bright lights as well. More tort safe plants to be added OR rigging up some sort of overhang system. Weekend of 4/16 project
Questions:
1. In the photos you can see the doors have a small ~.5in gap all the way around. I've added stick-on weather stripping to close those gaps but it's not a long term solution. What do y'all suggest I use for a more permanent fix?
2. What actions should I take to perfect temp/humidity. I know humidity is always a fine-tuning process, but y'all are the experts here. I think temp will be solved by my plans for bulb changes above. I feel I'm close to having temp/humidity optimal, but obviously "close" isn't good enough. The right side of the enclosure needs some love, humidity wise.
3. Is my misting system the best solution for humidity? I'm concerned the substrate will be too wet which will lead to shell rot, though it does appear to dry out before the next scheduled misting occurs. Am I misting too much?
4. Automation! For my reef tank I use a Neptune Apex, which digitally controls everything (Temp/Salinity/Lighting/etc). Is there already a product which offers this level of automation/control for Reptiles? If not, is there an open source solution for Raspberry Pi or anything similar? If nothing exists already I think I'll tackle that and build something. I would love to have a one-stop-shop to plug in all our equipment, set baselines for temp/humidity/lighting schedules/etc, and have peace of mind it's taken care of.
5. Open floor, please feel free to tear this apart. Tell me what is incorrect and how to fix it. I'm experienced in other expert level animal care but Tortoises are new to me. I want to learn from all of your combined experience.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I look forward to all the feedback.
