HELP!!! Baby Red Foot tortoise problems!

[Mightymcknighty]

Hey all, i purchased a baby red foot tortoise 3weeks ago from monday, on Dec 10th, He has everything i think i listed down and read about i will list my tank accessories below. The problem with my redfoot is that he is hardly walking around in his Enclosure, and he will not go up near his basking lamp which in the region is sitting at 92, and his cooler side is sitting around 75. his humidity will vary, between 60-90 region, i have a mister which goes off every 3 hours for 15 seconds. I take him out everyday to give him a soaking, and i feed him everyday fresh veggies and fruits with calcium supplements, i give him a very large range of food to choose from in everymeal. but right once he stops eating he will crawl back into his log and sit the for an 'X' amounts hours until i take him out and feed him again, i dont know what to really do anymore and the tortoise alone was $450 so its really ashame to see his poor little body go into poor health like this, its very unfortunate and i'm trying my hardest to get him in proper health. His Enclosure for everything also costed me another $480.

Tank Details.
-Sphagnum Moss
-Coco Husk
-Forest Moss
-75w heat bulb (infared) gets basking to 90+
-UVB Lighting
- 2 Water dishes 1 being for food
- Medium size waterfall
- Decent sized hollow log for Shelter
-2 fake tree vines that cover waterfall nicely
-Basking rock with a slight steepness to it,but should be manageable

 

[immayo]

RE: HELP!!! Baby Red Foot tprtoise problems!

As far as I have read on here it isn't uncommon for baby tortoises to not be very active. Mine was the same way, I had to wake him up to eat/drink and then he would go right back to sleep. I have raised my temps and he now gets up on his own and wanders around for a bit but still sleeps most of the day. Your temps sound fine so that obviously isn't the problem. I'm no expert but hopefully your guy will become more active with age. (Mine is about 8 months old)

 

[RedfootsRule]

RE: HELP!!! Baby Red Foot tprtoise problems!

Sounds like your doing everything right!

If you've only had him for 3 weeks, he still may be settling in. I breed red foots, meaning I'm always raising babies, and thats basically they're schedule for the first 3 (or more) months....Soak, eat, walk around for maybe 5 minutes or not at all, and back to the hiding spot. Sometimes this pattern will be broken with a short trip to the basking spot or water dish...But these moments are usually missed by the caretaker.

I suggest changing your hide...If its one of those large logs, it likely provides little sense of security to the hatchling. Hatchlings like to be buried, with something touching them on all sides. The absolutely best hide is a pile of fluffed up spaghum moss, preferably located close to the basking lamp. This allows the tortoise to still sit somewhat in their "hide" -pile of spaghum moss- but still bask. Optionally, you could fill the log with loose moss. He will love you for it .

Would you mind making a list of what you feed? Just so we can rest assured its not because of any dietary deficiencies .

The odds are 99% that this is completely natural behavior for your little hatchling. Any other questions you have, just post away. We're glad to help you with anything .

 

[Mightymcknighty]

RE: HELP!!! Baby Red Foot tprtoise problems!

Wow! thanks for all the replies i soo didnt expect that fast of replies with very reliable information that made me laugh a little. Wow i never knew they acted so much like babys as humans do when were youngings, okay then all makes very sense to me i was just worried and thought he would have a blast in his tank, because the pet store i got him from i swear all he did was sit on top if his sisters/brothers playing king of the hill for the basking lamp and just chillin on carpet flooring all day. Thanks alot for the advice means alot to me and i appreciate it very much thanks!

 

[RedfootsRule]

RE: HELP!!! Baby Red Foot tprtoise problems!

Wow! thanks for all the replies i soo didnt expect that fast of replies with very reliable information that made me laugh a little. Wow i never knew they acted so much like babys as humans do when were youngings, okay then all makes very sense to me i was just worried and thought he would have a blast in his tank, because the pet store i got him from i swear all he did was sit on top if his sisters/brothers playing king of the hill for the basking lamp and just chillin on carpet flooring all day. Thanks alot for the advice means alot to me and i appreciate it very much thanks!

At the pet store, it was likely because the temps were to low and they were all trying to get under that heat =/. Atleast thats the usual story with pet stores.

This forum is very helpful and enjoyable; any questions you have will be answered to the best of everyones' knowledge. You can pm me anytime if you have any questions, I enjoy helping people with their red foots .

 

[81SHOVELHEAD]

RE: HELP!!! Baby Red Foot tprtoise problems!

Wow! thanks for all the replies i soo didnt expect that fast of replies with very reliable information that made me laugh a little. Wow i never knew they acted so much like babys as humans do when were youngings, okay then all makes very sense to me i was just worried and thought he would have a blast in his tank, because the pet store i got him from i swear all he did was sit on top if his sisters/brothers playing king of the hill for the basking lamp and just chillin on carpet flooring all day. Thanks alot for the advice means alot to me and i appreciate it very much thanks!

Hello
Your new baby will be just fine .
I have 6 redfoots & all of them went through this stage a one time or another .
Once they become accustomed to new surroundings they will become very demanding
Lots of knowledgable refoot owners /breeders here that are more than willing to help .
Any questions you may have you have come to the right place for information .
Congrats on your new baby
Mike D.

 

[Mightymcknighty]

wow guys im so thankful for all the input you guys handed me within such little time, it really means alot to me, im feeling 100% better with this little guy knowing that he is just going through some stages and will be normal in a little, thanks guys!

 

[Laura]

is it eating? and I think redfoots prefer warm, humid but not too bright...