Hi all! I just got a new Redfoot, her name is Indie. She is my first tortoise and I’m so excited to have her! Unfortunately I don’t know much about her life before she came to be with me, the previous owners did not know how to care for her and also didn’t know much about her. Her shell is roughly 5 inches, leading me to believe she is about 3. When I got her she was very dehydrated and agitated, bumping herself against the vivarium walls and pacing constantly. The first day I brought her home her skin was so dehydrated that she would barely open her eyes. I live in a desert state and it seems like she didn’t get much/any humidity from her previous owners and her skin was so dry that it looked like it hurt her to touch it. I have been soaking her twice a day for 20 minutes or so each soak since I’ve gotten her, and kept her vivarium at a constant humidity of 80-85 percent. Is there such a thing as soaking her too often? The water is warm but not hot and she doesn’t move much during baths, she lays down and will occasionally stick her head under the water and drink. She has stopped pacing all day and sits in her hide or on her rock for a large part of her waking hours. Is this normal and is she happy or is she lethargic? I pull her out of the vivarium to let her walk around and explore several times a day and she is active then, she loves climbing and exploring and she loves a cuddle afterwards, she has stopped pulling away from head pets and will book her nose against mine if I stop when she doesn’t want me to. I’m just worried about her, my spouse calls it new pet anxiety but I want to make sure she is settling in and not sick or something.
