Hello everybody, from me and Pablo

[Beetheliam]

Hi everyone,

My names Liam, me and my partner have a Redfoot Tortoise called Pablo ( 9 months old ).

Here are some photos of his set up and of course Pablo himself.

We have sensors all over his table to check on temperature and humidity. He has settled in really well, but of course I'd still getting use to us both.

I hope you all enjoy the pictures.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Yay lovely to see the set up! It’s really nice!

Just a few things of note to give you a heads up on! The substrate appears to be some kind of top soil will small gravel bits? Unfortunately this isn’t the safest, trouble with top soils is, unless composted yourself, there’s no way of knowing what plants specifically have gone into it, it could be something toxic. With reptisoils, they tend to mixed with sand which can cause impactions when bits are ingested over time, especially those small gravel bits, it can also be an eye and respiratory irritant. The bits of moss need to go too, that can impact them when eaten.

Also not sure if that’s two t5 UV’s you have? If so, only one is needed for 4hours a day, then some led ambient lighting for 12hrs, if one is LED ignore this.

Is it a CHE(ceramic heat emitter) you use 24/7 for your heating?

Your baby is ever so slightly starting to pyramid, which is usually an indication things are too dry, they need 80+ humidity all over 24/7, the only way to achieve this will be to keep it covered all day like in the 4th photo and substrate maintenance

I explain all this a little more in depth on this thread below, might be worth having a quick read, you can reference it to make any tweaks you needit covers equipment, light&uv timings, heat and humidity levels, the right substrate, appropriately maintaining the humidity, lots of visual examples for everything and a bit about diet

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head😊 Care advice for these guys is painfully behind, fb pages, YouTube, pet stores, they’re all repeating the same outdated advice, this forum is made of...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

This one is also good to go over as I explain a little more about the above points, and other common errors to avoid

Common keeping errors

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...

tortoiseforum.org

All in all, very nice looking set up you have! And adorable baby!wonderful to have you on the forum

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

On closer inspection I can see it’s a basking light, may I ask what you’re using for night heat? tbh, ceramic bulbs are much more suited to red foots, far less desiccating on their shells, they aren’t really a basking species being forest floor dwellers, a ceramic or two in a dome(s) ran on a thermostat 24/7 will be much more reliable for your heat day&night, making sure it’s consistently in the 80-86 rangered foots don’t need a night drop.
If I were you, I’d try a ceramic bulb in the middle with the dome and see if that evenly distributes the heat so no where is below 80 on the ground(place thermostat probe in one of the corners) if it isn’t, mount two, equal distance apart

 

[wellington]

I agree with above. Substrate should be changed out. Use coconut coir on the bottom with fine grade orchid bark on top. Wet the coir to maintain humidity. As the humidity slightly drops, add more warm water into the corners to wet the coir
No basking bulbs are needed, and if they are a mercury, halogen, or spot bulb they will still cause pyramiding.
Temps should actually be maintained at 85 and humidity 80%.

 

[Beetheliam]

Okay tahnk you for your advice. His slight pyramiding is how he came to us. But form the sensors I have ii his enclosure it never drops below 80/85 in humidity, and he gets a bath every day to keep him hydrated.

The soil we can change, it is a substrate with calcium in it. Which wasn't my first choice, but after seeing those posts you shared with me, I can change that.

The heat source I will change straight away and only have one uv bulb on at a time.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Okay tahnk you for your advice. His slight pyramiding is how he came to us. But form the sensors I have ii his enclosure it never drops below 80/85 in humidity, and he gets a bath every day to keep him hydrated.

The soil we can change, it is a substrate with calcium in it. Which wasn't my first choice, but after seeing those posts you shared with me, I can change that.

The heat source I will change straight away and only have one uv bulb on at a time.

Sounds good! Glad to be of help

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome, Liam!

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

The soil we can change, it is a substrate with calcium in it. Which wasn't my first choice, but after seeing those posts you shared with me, I can change that.

Yeah, you are right about changing it. Calcium bits can encourage substrate eating.

 

[Beetheliam]

Yay lovely to see the set up! It’s really nice!

Just a few things of note to give you a heads up on! The substrate appears to be some kind of top soil will small gravel bits? Unfortunately this isn’t the safest, trouble with top soils is, unless composted yourself, there’s no way of knowing what plants specifically have gone into it, it could be something toxic. With reptisoils, they tend to mixed with sand which can cause impactions when bits are ingested over time, especially those small gravel bits, it can also be an eye and respiratory irritant. The bits of moss need to go too, that can impact them when eaten.

Also not sure if that’s two t5 UV’s you have? If so, only one is needed for 4hours a day, then some led ambient lighting for 12hrs, if one is LED ignore this.

Is it a CHE(ceramic heat emitter) you use 24/7 for your heating?

Your baby is ever so slightly starting to pyramid, which is usually an indication things are too dry, they need 80+ humidity all over 24/7, the only way to achieve this will be to keep it covered all day like in the 4th photo and substrate maintenance

I explain all this a little more in depth on this thread below, might be worth having a quick read, you can reference it to make any tweaks you needit covers equipment, light&uv timings, heat and humidity levels, the right substrate, appropriately maintaining the humidity, lots of visual examples for everything and a bit about diet

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

This one is also good to go over as I explain a little more about the above points, and other common errors to avoid

Common keeping errors

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...

tortoiseforum.org

All in all, very nice looking set up you have! And adorable baby!wonderful to have you on the forum

How would you have the UV timed, 4 hours seems confusing, would you have it ru3j on in the middle of the day?

 

[Beetheliam]

How would you have the UV timed, 4 hours seems confusing, would you have it ru3j on in the middle of the day?

Turn on"""

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

How would you have the UV timed, 4 hours seems confusing, would you have it ru3j on in the middle of the day?

Yes, around midday is fine (e.g. from 10AM to 2PM) to match sunshine UV peaks (see attached graph). However, the schedule should be adjusted to match your tortoise behaviour: usually redfoots come out to warm up/bask a little in the morning, make sure that UVB is turned on by that time.

 

[Beetheliam]

Yes, around midday is fine (e.g. from 10AM to 2PM) to match sunshine UV peaks (see attached graph). However, the schedule should be adjusted to match your tortoise behaviour: usually redfoots come out to warm up/bask a little in the morning, make sure that UVB is turned on by that time.

Thank you that makes a lot of sense. And I take it the led light stays on for 12 hours?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

How would you have the UV timed, 4 hours seems confusing, would you have it ru3j on in the middle of the day?

it can seem confusing, 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, therefore it’s not necessary in captivity. Especially red foots.
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 and your ceramics will run 24/7 on a thermostat, hope that all makes sense

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Thank you that makes a lot of sense. And I take it the led light stays on for 12 hours?

Yes