Just placed my order!

[Mgridgaway]

One Redfoot hatchling, courtesy of Tyler Stewart. I think it'll probably ship out tomorrow

So excited!!! His/Her name is Darwin. I'll be sure to throw up a few pics when it comes!

 

[DixieParadise]

Congrats......look forward to seeing your new baby pictures of Darwin.

 

[mel262011]

congrats on the hatchling.

 

[jackrat]

Congrats! Nothing like redfoot babies. I love em.

 

[AnthonyC]

Good luck w/your new tort!

 

[dmarcus]

Congats, cant wait to see photo's...

 

[Mgridgaway]

Darwin was just picked up about an hour ago from Las Vegas. Now he has to make a cross country trip to Maryland by 10:30 am!

 

[mel262011]

I tracked my baby red foot until it got to my doorstep

 

[Jacqui]

Ahhh so your in the nerve wracking time of baby tortoise in transit. It's going to seem like the clock is moving slow until 10:30 am.

 

[sulcatababies1402]

ah i remember this feeling all to well I just got my Bowser(sulcata) from Tyler about 2 weeks ago and i tracked him the whole way.I had to do saturday shipping though to make sure i was home but so worth it.From Las Vegas to Texas Im itching for another already.A friend for Bowser but i dont know if i should do it while he is young or wait till he grows a bit.

Congrats on your new little one cant wait for the pics

 

[Mgridgaway]

Just out curiosity, what time did yours come? It says by 10:30, but makes no guesses as to when the earliest it could come.

 

[sulcatababies1402]

Just out curiosity, what time did yours come? It says by 10:30, but makes no guesses as to when the earliest it could come.

well he told me noon(12pm) and mine came at around 10:30am.I was a little worried about the time myself which is why i chose to have him delivered on a Saturday where i could sit at home and wait.I would expect him/her a hour early but 10:30am sounds like a reasonable time and that's when mine arrived

 

[Mgridgaway]

He's here! Safe and sound and hungry! Pics to follow soon (after I take a nap... I only got 4 1/2 hours of sleep last night).

 

[sulcatababies1402]

He's here! Safe and sound and hungry! Pics to follow soon (after I take a nap... I only got 4 1/2 hours of sleep last night).

Right on time congrats! cant wait to see your little guy once you get some rest

 

[Mgridgaway]

Here's a quick photo I took earlier this morning. He ignored the collards and went straight for the mango, but that doesn't surprise me since my iguana does the same thing. He's a cutie! And a bit larger than I was expecting. I thought he'd run for his hide as soon as he got in his cage but he spent a good half hour walking around, eating, and soaking himself. I also learned why everyone recommends mosser lee for substrate as opposed to other spagnum; while the stuff I currently use is great for my hatchling boxies, it's just way too gritty for Darwin. I'm heading over to Lowe's to see if I can get some.

One thing I'm just slightly concerned with is that while I was doing a visual inspection I noticed that the area where his yolk was absorbed was slightly pliable to the touch. Is this anything I should be concerned with? The yolk was gone, but you could easily see where it had been. Thanks and enjoy! I'll get some more pics up after everyone has calmed down. I don't want to stress him too much.

 

[chase thorn]

so cute! congrats!!!

 

[Jacqui]

Nice looker! As to the plastron question, that is normal on a little guy. Just keep an eye on it and give it some time and it will get harder.

 

[Mgridgaway]

Nice looker! As to the plastron question, that is normal on a little guy. Just keep an eye on it and give it some time and it will get harder.

I figured as much. I'm sure it's the same on my boxies but they're so much smaller I try to be as gentle as possible. I would love to get him outside but the weather in Maryland has been horrible. I've been flip-flopping on what Mercury Vapor UVB bulb to buy (I typically buy Mega Ray, but they've been having serious issues with their manufacturers and don't even have bulbs to sell currently), but I think I'm just gonna go with a Powersun since it has a year warranty and the only other option seems to be Exo Terra, which just screams shoddy to me. That and I've read numerous reviews that claim their products burn out quickly.

 

[AnthonyC]

Hey he looks great! I'm tellin' ya... the more I see those Red Foots the more I like 'em!

 

[Mgridgaway]

Alright guys! Finally found some time to take some pictures. I've been busy setting up enclosures and getting the humidity right. I had an ultrasonic humidifier I found at Goodwill for $4, but between its age (made in 1988!) and my tinkering (who knew that if you drilled a hole in the water reservoir the vacuum that held the water in place would disappear, causing all the water to flood out the bottom and over the electronics inside? I, for one, did not), I decided to search for something else. Another trip to goodwill netted me a mostly unused 2001 Vicks Ultrasonic humidifier for $5, which spits out so much mist that I had to turn it to the lowest setting and can only run it for a half hour at a time (on a timer that''s set to run about every 2 hours). Still, I can get at least 80% humidity and temps are reading around 88 farenheit (and that's with an incandescent... still waiting on my Powersun), so I think I've got it pretty much nailed down. I have a CHE, but I'm holding off installing it quite yet because it's still pretty warm out.

Anway, on to the pictures!