Getting a Red foot tortoise.

[sarah w.]

I'm sorry I'm asking so many questions. I just don't want to screw this up lol

 

[ZEROPILOT]

wow thank you so much for your insight! I'm gonna use a tank for now, and then I'm going to build my enclosure. I just don't know how to run a 10.0 florescent bulb in a 75 gallon tank. Since it doesn't have the top it has the mesh top. Recommendations? That's why I was going to go for the solar glo bulb since I could clamp it to the tank itself.

I'd use the 5.0 florescent instead. Redfoot don't like a lot of light and don't need desert type lights.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Don't overthink the lighting.
You want the temps to be around 80-86 for a Redfoot. (Cooler on one end than the other.) You'll need uvb. Inside my home, in my own closed chamber I use a strip 5.0 flo. tube. Mine is an 18" fixture and it is mounted INSIDE the closed chamber on a timer. I never required any additional heat to keep the temps above 79-80 but not over 86-87. But my situation and yours may not be identical.
AND just as important is the humidity. You want humidity to be at least 75-80% if not higher. This is as easy as regulating the heat if you use a closed chamber.
Ideally, you will want to keep them/it outdoors most or all of the time. again, this may not be as easy for you if you don't live in a tropical climate like I do.

 

[NDevon]

Hi Sarah, welcome to the forum, you will love your little Redfoot! My young daughter wanted a tortoise after Christmas, I started research into what sort to get, decided on a Redfoot, and now we have 4 little Cherryhead Redfoots! They are a lot of fun.

As zeropilot said don't overthink the lighting, the light is rarely an issue unless you have too much as this can damage their eyes. Too little isn't an issue, their tradition habitat is a floor of a rain forest where it wouldn't exactly be bright. UV isn't anywhere near as important as heat and humidity, if they are going outside even for just a short time they will get all the UV they need. Some on here don't provide any additional UV light and swear their tortoises show no ill effects. So if you didn't have any UV until you built your new enclosure that wouldn't be an issue in my opinion, I just don't want you to worry about UV at the expense of the two really really important things - heat and humidity.

You need to cover the enclosure really, otherwise your heat and humidity will just disperse into the room, you will then work harder to keep the levels under control, they will fluctuate and you will get stressed. The humidity needs to be at least 80% at all times, some have managed to do this in an open top enclosure but always being clever with edges, heavy planting and using things like foggers. It's easier if you use a hygrostat as is will constantly read the level of humidity and pump in more misting or fog to compensate, but hat means spending a lot more money on extra equipment.

That's not needed, people on here successfully cover the tops of enclosures pretty much for free, it won't look quite as neat as a purpose built top but it does the job. Some use a plastic shower curtain, some use tin foil, loads of options. Just make sure your heating element isn't at risk of touching it and melting it or causing a fire.

Many of us use a wooden vivarium type enclosure with as little ventilation as possible. It sounds odd, but it really works. With a wooden enclosure it's obviously easier to fix the CHE inside and the UV tube to the roof, you can mist a little from a cheap spray bottle once a day and the humidity stays high all the time. So concentrate on getting a decent heating element on a thermostat so you can keep the temperature at the right level and the top covered.

The other important thing is the substrate. What were you planning on using? Lots of good and bad options, please share so we can give you advice, if it's not right your little friend can quickly develop shell rot. It doesn't cost more to get it right, pet shop options are often not the best though.

Read loads of stuff on this great site, it will make it so much easier and things will make sense, I knew nothing until I came here and it all seemed daunting, but everyone is so friendly and really wants to help

 

[Redstrike]

Yeah I was going to build him an outside enclosure as well like a box type so he can roam outside lol so you think a UVB strip and a ceramic heater on the other side would be okay?

That's what I do but there are many ways to heat & light your enclosure. I would purchase a thermostat for the CHE (be sure your using a ceramic socket for the CHE It will melt plastic) to keep temps in the mid to low 80's.

 

[sarah w.]

For the bedding I was planning on orchid bark and some sort of humidity grasping substrate such as sphagnum moss or coconut fibers. Yay or nay? Opinions?
I want him to be as happy as ever. He's currently at the pet store I work at and with the research I've been doing I want him out of there as soon as possible because he's not getting the proper care there that he could be getting at my house. So I want to make everything perfect. I ordered his lights on Amazon so they'll be here tomorrow. But his bedding is my next question.


I picked up some orchid bark from Home Depot. What else should I do? Or are there better options?
Someone said its the best but I was thinking of doing cypress mulch and top soil. Opinions please!

 

[sarah w.]

One more lighting question.
Best lamp for a CHE? I've read that some melt.

 

[sarah w.]

And do you recommend just spraying him down or getting a mister?

 

[Redstrike]

Any of those substrate choices are fine. I personally do not use sphagnum moss but others will swear by it. I prefer mulches to coconut coir, but they're both fine.

The only stipulation to the CHE socket is that it is ceramic. Anything with a ceramic socket will suffice. I make my own from supplies at Lowes for ~$12.

Ceramic socket:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_246852-1571-272CC18___?productId=3235942&pl=1&Ntt=ceramic+light+socket

Ceiling box:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_104406-427-167___?productId=3181557&pl=1&Ntt=ceiling+box

Power cord (the one shown is grounded, I get non-grounded but couldn't find it online):
http://www.lowes.com/pd_70305-66906-UT010608_1z0uy01Z2z8vk__?productId=3191771&pl=1

 

[sarah w.]

Awesome! Yeah I was thinking doing half orchid bark and then half top soil. Are there any top soils that are better recommended?

For the ceramic heater, do you think a wire cage clamp would be okay? Or Should I go with something else?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Awesome! Yeah I was thinking doing half orchid bark and then half top soil. Are there any top soils that are better recommended?

For the ceramic heater, do you think a wire cage clamp would be okay? Or Should I go with something else?

The clamps could fail and the hot lamp could fall into your tank. It would be better to mount it to your lid.(unless it seems very sturdy) As for the soil. try to find one with not too much sand in it and no fertilizers. generally, the bags that are like $1.29 are just plain soil. (Garden Soil from Home depot)
As for the substrate, it's not that anyone is right or wrong. It's that we all have what works for us and we are recommending them. With a closed chamber and the orchid bark, you would pour some water into the corners of your tank and the orchid bark will absorb it and you will not have to mist much, if ever. And a fogger will be a waste of money and also not needed.
Again. this is from my own experience. Others like foggers and MANY also mist with a sprayer it works for them..........

 

[Redstrike]

Zeropilot is right on with misting and substrate - we all have our personal preferences and while some things work for some, other approaches are better for others. Zero is in FL while I'm in NY, so our approaches to obtaining the same levels of heat and humidity will be different based on differences in climate and personal preferences. I pipe a humidifier directly into my closed chamber but in the past I've submerged waterproof heat ropes under the substrate with ~1 inch of water to humidify.

I agree with the clamp being a hazard. Those clamps fail and a CHE is hot enough to burn you, so it will start a fire if it falls into your substrate. That's why I make my own ceramic sockets for them. I'll try to post some pictures shortly.

You could also hang a brooder lamp with a ceramic socket inside the enclosure. You have to get creative about how to do these things, I find that's part of the fun!

Have a look around the "Enclosures" section of this forum, it might give you some ideas.

Pictures coming shortly.

 

[Redstrike]

Ceramic socket ($1.50) and replacement utility plug ($10, non-grounded) from lowes.

Here it is wired and attached to metallic ceiling box ($2.50).


All the reptile lamps I've seen on the market are ceramic sockets and would work just as well as my homemade contraptions pictured above.

 

[sarah w.]

So back to the lights.
I ordered a wire lamp, that's 250w max.
A CHE that's 100w

Plugged it into my socket and the socket popped and blew sparks. Now the plug is melted a bit.

Tried it in a surge protector, blew a breaker fuse.


I'm returning it, BUT, now I need help. Lol

 

[sarah w.]

I'm also in Florida, so any insights would be great lmao

 

[sarah w.]

This is the plug

 

[NDevon]

I'm in the UK and our wiring and mains systems are very different - our plugs have 3 pins and we use a different voltage for example.

Can you show us the parts you have? Show us the light fitting, how it connects to the wire etc and we can have a good guess at what's going on. I'm just not sure what a 'wire lamp' is and if that's the part that's gone wrong.

 

[Redstrike]

Yeah, that sounds like an electrical issue that I'm not comfortable evaluating via forum.

It could be the outlet, the wiring of the wire lamp, the wiring in the house, etc. but I'm not an electrician.

I hope you get this sorted out safely!