Help for RedFoot Tortoise

Maggie3fan

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For humidity you can spray down his enclosure with a spray bottle. Redfoots are rainforest tortoises so feel free to be extra generous when spraying. If you don't have the time to spray his enclosure a few times every day, I guess you'll need a humidifier. I do not recommend sealing off the top of the enclosure. A lot of people make the mistake of completely sealing off the enclosure to keep in humidity but the air quality gets horrible as a result.

As for food, romaine lettuce and pumpkins are great sources of food. If you want to find more types of food in your area that your tortoise can eat I'd suggest using the tortoise table.

Romaine is not a good food source and Redfoots have such a wide variety of food on their menu, there is no need to recommend something like that...
 

ZEROPILOT

REDFOOT WRANGLER
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Generally, I disagree with your not recommending a sealed enclosure, especially for a tortoise in this particularly poor condition. If the enclosure is big enough for the tortoise to be able to move around freely and is not small and cramped, then it is certainly very much recommended by some greatly experienced people here, that it be sealed, or at least 90% sealed off, and the humidity levels which are vitally important, and the temperature levels, be maintained correctly. Reptiles are not mammals and do not need the amount of "fresh air" that we do. This is what I have learned from coming to this site and being here for 5 years.
Mine are closed with a section that can be slid back and forth for less or more humidity.
 

ZEROPILOT

REDFOOT WRANGLER
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I do have a UVB light that I keep on the day also, I'm sorry I did not include everything. The house is super hot in general it's just when it gets under 50 below outside that I have to keep the heat on him. He does not like being in any cage in general but I try to. He gets fussy and wants to be roaming around the house or else he won't eat. This one is his old one but I can't haul his 75 gallon one down where I'm at. Thank you for this advice
He needs an enclosure large enough to remain inside when it's not viable to bring him outside.
Never let him roam the house. Too many bad things can happen to even list
 

Maggie3fan

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I do have a UVB light that I keep on the day also, I'm sorry I did not include everything. The house is super hot in general it's just when it gets under 50 below outside that I have to keep the heat on him. He does not like being in any cage in general but I try to. He gets fussy and wants to be roaming around the house or else he won't eat. This one is his old one but I can't haul his 75 gallon one down where I'm at. Thank you for this advice
But think about this if it's cold outside, your house is heated (I would hope) but the bare floor is generally cold...take off your clothes and lay on the bare floor, see? That's too cold for a tortoise. And a tortoise is an exotic animal who needs his own specialized environment...The experts are here to help if you want it...
 

COmtnLady

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My Redfoot lives in an enclosed space. She started to pyramid before we got her, but this has been stopped and is staying the same now because we keep her at 80% humidity and 80F/27C temp. Aside from having a clean soaking "pond" (dish) in her home, I pour water in the corners anytime the humidity gauge says the humidity is lower than 80%. You DON"T want to pour water all over or keep the orchid bark damp because Redfoots get shell fungus if they can't get away from the dampness sometimes. I have a small vent to let some air in and out, too.

Mine LOVES lacinato kale (but won't touch the regular ruffly kale a lot of people like) and you can grow it in your garden. She also loves Radicchio (not more than a leaf per day). She likes to eat some flowers, like dandilion (check the list first so you don't make yours sick). Mine also likes blueberries and bananas (don't feed lots of fruit, maybe 5 berries and an inch of banana), some small pieces of mango or a strawberry sometimes. The main part of her diet is lots of greens of various types (a pile about the size of her shell). She loves some kinds of mushrooms (again not big amounts), and mealworms every couple days for protein. When its winter and not much fresh stuff is around, I soak a couple pieces of dried strawberries in water and include that in her big salad. She also likes yellow tomatoes.

I keep a cuttlebone in her enclosure so she can access calcium when she wants some, rather than dusting her food with calcium powder and maybe getting too much or not enough.

She NEVER runs around loose on the floor. She could get stepped on, one of the other pets scratch or bite her, eat something that fell onto the floor unnoticed by us (like pieces of paper or plastic, rubber bands, etc.), floors are just not good for a Tortoise's health.

Anyhow, its an adventure to learn about her, and this forum had the best info.

.
 

Maggie3fan

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Never? This is what YOU wrote

He does not like being in any cage in general but I try to. He gets fussy and wants to be roaming around the house or else he won't eat.

So because you said he roams the floor...that what I thought. So I'm thru here
 

ZEROPILOT

REDFOOT WRANGLER
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My Redfoot lives in an enclosed space. She started to pyramid before we got her, but this has been stopped and is staying the same now because we keep her at 80% humidity and 80F/27C temp. Aside from having a clean soaking "pond" (dish) in her home, I pour water in the corners anytime the humidity gauge says the humidity is lower than 80%. You DON"T want to pour water all over or keep the orchid bark damp because Redfoots get shell fungus if they can't get away from the dampness sometimes. I have a small vent to let some air in and out, too.

Mine LOVES lacinato kale (but won't touch the regular ruffly kale a lot of people like) and you can grow it in your garden. She also loves Radicchio (not more than a leaf per day). She likes to eat some flowers, like dandilion (check the list first so you don't make yours sick). Mine also likes blueberries and bananas (don't feed lots of fruit, maybe 5 berries and an inch of banana), some small pieces of mango or a strawberry sometimes. The main part of her diet is lots of greens of various types (a pile about the size of her shell). She loves some kinds of mushrooms (again not big amounts), and mealworms every couple days for protein. When its winter and not much fresh stuff is around, I soak a couple pieces of dried strawberries in water and include that in her big salad. She also likes yellow tomatoes.

I keep a cuttlebone in her enclosure so she can access calcium when she wants some, rather than dusting her food with calcium powder and maybe getting too much or not enough.

She NEVER runs around loose on the floor. She could get stepped on, one of the other pets scratch or bite her, eat something that fell onto the floor unnoticed by us (like pieces of paper or plastic, rubber bands, etc.), floors are just not good for a Tortoise's health.

Anyhow, its an adventure to learn about her, and this forum had the best info.

.
It sounds like you are doing very well.
But don't be afraid of the fruit.
During the summer months I use a diet of about 60% fruit. This is not problematic for a healthy Redfoot.
It can however cause a spike in parasitic worms, if the tortoise should have some. And its actually very common.
(Some parasites)
 

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