Hello!

[mgreen]

Just purchased a 7" red foot tortoise last week for my 11 year old daughter. She seems healthy, eats & poops and is very personable and outgoing (for a tortoise)! Picture to come.

"Bubbles" is in a 40 gallon long glass terrarium on fir bark with a cork hide and large ramped water bowl. She has a 100W overhead red heat bulb and a flourescent UVB fixture on the top screen. We also have a 16W UTH on the hot underside of the tank. I will also be getting some backgrounds to cover the back and two sides of the tank. We live in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA where the nightime lows under 60 degrees happen about 6 months of the year. We intend to house Bubbles outside for the other 4 months.

I was looking for some pointers on increasing humidity inside the tank. I was thinking about adding one or two potted tropical plants inside the tank and/or some moss. What types of plants would be advisable? At this time, I am not looking to add soil to the tank, but may do so in the future, since I like the idea of heating up the soil from below to release moisture. Also, what about adding a piece of glass on top of the screen (and of course monitoring the temp as to not overheat)?

Mike Green

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Mike:

It sounds like you have done your homework. Do you moisten the fir bark? For plants you can use Hosta, wandering jew, pansies, etc. I put several different kinds of plants in my baby Yellowfoot table and what wasn't edible just got trampled. They ate the Kalanchoe down to the dirt.

I don't cover my table, but I do add water to the substrate every morning.

to the forum!

 

[mgreen]

Thank you for the welcome!

I have a little spray mister which we spray inside at least twice daily, sometime more. How do you moisten the fir bark without getting it soggy and growing fungus?

 

[Yvonne G]

I use Wonderbark orchid bark. It consists of fir bark and is clean with no additives. It doesn't mold or get sour. I pour a glass or pitcherfull of water over it then mix it up with my fingers. The lights quickly dry out the top layer but it stays moist underneath. I don't pour enough water for it to get soggy, just enough to wet the complete substrate. And by mixing it up with my hands, it adds oxygen to the substrate and lightens it up.

I also like cypress mulch but its hard to get here on the west cost.

 

[Stephanie Logan]

Rats! I can't find the thread that has the photos of terryo's vivarium. Your enclosure sounds very nice, but if you want to see the best, you should PM terryo and ask her to send you photos, so you can copy some of her ideas.

Welcome to the forum, and good luck with Bubbles! Post some photos when you can.

 

[mgreen]

Here's Bubbles in the cardboard box for the ride home (no we don't keep her on shredded newspaper!)

 

[Yvonne G]

Rats! I can't find the thread that has the photos of terryo's vivarium. Your enclosure sounds very nice, but if you want to see the best, you should PM terryo and ask her to send you photos, so you can copy some of her ideas.

Here's a close-up shot of Terryo's viv, its post #23:

http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-2818.html?highlight=pio

or this one:

http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-10441.html?highlight=pio

There are others, but I couldn't find them.

 

[Spawn]

Hello:
Redfoot tortoises don't necessarily have to be kept in damp conditions to keep the humidity up. Just keep a large water dish in the habitat and the basking lights will evaporate enough water to raise the humidity. You can also cover half the lid to help keep humidity inside the terrarium.
I've raised several of them and i find that humidity requirements are really not a big issue as long as the tortoises have plenty of clean drinking water. The humidity levels are mostly important for babies under 4". so they don't dehydrate. I've never had an issue with tortoises over 4 inches.
Adding plants to the tank will only add more food to the tortoises diet. Fir bark, orchid bark, cypress mulch are all good substrates. substrate heat (only under one side of the tank) is not a bad idea either. Hope this helps.
Have a Great Day!!!

 

[Stephanie Logan]

Here's Bubbles in the cardboard box for the ride home (no we don't keep her on shredded newspaper!)

She looks so gentle and tranquil. I hope your daughter enjoys being a tortoise keeper!

 

[tortoisenerd]

Welcome to the group! So glad you have joined us and I commend your research in this topic. Too many sad stories on first posts around here lately. She has a gorgeous shell! Whoever you got her from also knows what they are doing. Yes I agree you want to moisten the substrate. I think you should be careful with any heating from below as this is not natural. I usually say not use them, but Redfoot seem to be an exception to this rule, and we are also speaking of a large tort not a hatchling. So, just want to throw that caution out there that the tortoise can't be burned and can get away from that hotter spot. Many Redfoots also enjoy being misted with warm water when eating. This simuklates their wild conditions too. I don't agree with Spawn and think especially with hatchlings you need a moist substrate and for a Redfoot to have them close to dripping wet to prevent pyramiding. I looked up your tank dimensions as 48 1/4 x 12 3/4 x 16 7/8. Are you planning to upgrade soon? With the cage furnishings you speak of (plus there should be at least two hides in there and plants), you are likely running out of space. Did you find a ramp bowl that the tortoise can completely soak in? I have not seen them that large as the ramp takes up about half of it. If the ramp bowl is too small a plant saucer is also a great idea, or a paint roller tray. Yes, you can also cover the tank with any material of your choosing. This will keep both heat and humidity in so I suggest to monitor very closely. Also make sure there is enough air getting in. Two small covers between overhead fixtures may be better than one large one. It also depends on your set up. Best wishes and hope to chat more with you soon.

 

[llamas55]

the tort does look very smooth shelled and healthy!
I use sphagnum in dirt and recently added rubber chips (Menards building material store here in MN) on top to keep her above and over the wet substrate. Initially I posted that I hated it from the strong smell, but I learned to air the chips out a few days, and they do seem to not absorb the water. I also have orchids hanging around the edges of the stock tank. I do NOT get the humidity as high as I'd like yet tho, even with spraying, and a plastic covering the entire area with some air space near the bottom of parts. Also I use a ceramic dog dish with slanted sides for her pond, altho truthfully I need to upgrade size, and also add a second hide as per what Kate said.

 

[Isa]

Congratulations Bubbles is a real cutie!

 

[mgreen]

Welcome to the group! So glad you have joined us and I commend your research in this topic. Too many sad stories on first posts around here lately. She has a gorgeous shell! Whoever you got her from also knows what they are doing. Yes I agree you want to moisten the substrate. I think you should be careful with any heating from below as this is not natural. I usually say not use them, but Redfoot seem to be an exception to this rule, and we are also speaking of a large tort not a hatchling. So, just want to throw that caution out there that the tortoise can't be burned and can get away from that hotter spot. Many Redfoots also enjoy being misted with warm water when eating. This simuklates their wild conditions too. I don't agree with Spawn and think especially with hatchlings you need a moist substrate and for a Redfoot to have them close to dripping wet to prevent pyramiding. I looked up your tank dimensions as 48 1/4 x 12 3/4 x 16 7/8. Are you planning to upgrade soon? With the cage furnishings you speak of (plus there should be at least two hides in there and plants), you are likely running out of space. Did you find a ramp bowl that the tortoise can completely soak in? I have not seen them that large as the ramp takes up about half of it. If the ramp bowl is too small a plant saucer is also a great idea, or a paint roller tray. Yes, you can also cover the tank with any material of your choosing. This will keep both heat and humidity in so I suggest to monitor very closely. Also make sure there is enough air getting in. Two small covers between overhead fixtures may be better than one large one. It also depends on your set up. Best wishes and hope to chat more with you soon.

Thanks for the tips. As far as the 40 gallon tank, that's as big as we're going to go indoors, unfortunately. I do have plans for a great outdoor habitat that is MUCH larger, inside a raised hardscape planter area in our yard. Hopefully, we can keep her outside perhaps 4-5 months of the year with a Kane outdoor heat mat ($$s!). That is my project for springtime.

I am happy with the zoo-med large ramped water bowl--she also gets forced soakings in the laundry sink at least twice a week (great poops in there too, without fail!).

I did as someone else here suggested and used packing tape to close off about 3/4ths of the tank top screen and plan to place one potted plant and some sphagnum moss for humidity.