Flower pot hides

[matheny00]

Ok got plants eating station some orchids moss in their hides and now what? The little guys are climbing the puts and flipping over. That is why we don't have hides for them.

 

[Tom]

All constructive criticism here:

• That enclosure is way too small. This could be why they are flipping.
• Flower pot hides don't work well. I have much better success making one out of wood and semi-burying it, or buy a $2 dishwashing tub from Walmart, flip it over, cut out a door hole, and dampen the substrate under it.
• You should not use the moss. They will eat it and it can cause an impaction.
• There is no sun in this pic. They need a sunny spot to warm up, but plenty of shade in summer too. This might not be the best spot for an enclosure.
• They should never be housed in pairs. Its not good for either of them. The stress of it might be the reason for them trying to get away from each other and flipping.
• I see no water dish.
• Are you soaking daily?
• Best to have an underground retreat of some sort for summer time.

Care for DTs is the same as russians. Give these a read. It will show other way to make hides:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/semi-underground-russian-box.98590/

 

[Minority2]

You want a hide that is long and wide enough for a tortoise to be able to get in and out of without scrapping themselves on. Cardboard boxes, logs, dish pans, and plastic tubs are good examples of spacious hide options.

 

[matheny00]

Tom the enclosure is 2' x 3' temp till we get the other one built. I was told that red foots are social and two is better than a single (so we have 2). There is a UVB bulb in the other end of the enclosure along with a ceramic heat disk on a thermostat 90 deg day 80 at night. There is a water dish just not in the pic.they soak daily 20 - 30 min average humidity in the enclosure ranges from 65 - 80. Reguarding the substrate I am so confused on what to do I made multiple post and tons of reading and it keeps coming back to spag moss in the hides. I know you opinion is held very high and so are some of the others that said use moss. The last thing I want is an impaction or pain for these little guys. So what do you suggest I do for substrate and this is an indoor enclosure.

I hope you don't feel I do not respect your opinion or think I feel picked on not at all I love the help just have questions. THank so much.

 

[matheny00]

Tom here are 2 pics of the complete enclosure. Plus it is on a cart so we roll the enclosure outside for 2-3 hours a day at least 5x a week.

 

[matheny00]

Ok so got creative tonight and made a new set of laser cut hides plenty of space and can not climb on them. and both torts went into their own hides

 

[Tom]

I was told that red foots are social and two is better than a single (so we have 2).

RFs can usually get along well in groups. When people talk about them being social, they are talking about groups, not pairs. Pairs are much too personal. Pair dynamics are very different than group dynamics. You need to either separate these two or get one or two more. We had a member here about two years ago who ignored this advice, and about six weeks later she came back asking what to do because one of her RFs had literally bitten off the tail and most of the back leg of the other.

I don't keep RFs, so I'll let other people comment on what substrate works best for them and how prone to eating the moss they are. I couldn't tell that is what they were looking at my little phone screen while standing outside in the sun. They looked like little DTs to me from the first pic. My mistake.

 

[katieandiggy]

I think the reason your tortoise didn’t like the flower pot was because it’s far too open.
I use a flower pot with great success but it needs to be sunk well down in the substrate. Tortoises like to squeeze into spots where they feel safe

(Not my pic but good example)

 

[Yvonne G]

Hiding places for tortoises serve multi purposes: They look for a shelter where, first of all, they feel safe so they can close their eyes and not be vigilant about predators. They look for a place that is cool in the summer and warm in the winter. They look for a hiding place that feels snug. This is why tortoises dig burrows, or bury themselves in the leaf pile.

A flower pot doesn't fulfill any of these criteria.