My first tortoise is a Redfoot rescue

[risingphoenix1116]

Hello! I have always wanted a tortoise and finally adopted a redfoot from a rescue in my area. They adopted him from another rescue, which said he is small in stature at 10 years old. He is only a tad over 7 inches long and from what I have read, that doesn't seem an accurate age for his size. Anyone have an opinion on this? I am also curious about the white lines. Is that from a deficiency of some kind and can it be corrected? The first couple of weeks we had him he was very shy and hid a lot, but now he is coming out to explore his pen. Every morning I open his door to let him outside, and when I go back an hour later to check on him, he is waiting inside for breakfast Seems like we are developing a nice routine. We are in the Cleveland Ohio area so I am thinking about winter housing options and will be searching the site for ideas.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome!

The white on the shell could be hard water stains. Just an FYI - new growth appears in between the scutes and sometimes shows up as white. It almost looks like at one time or another someone thought it would be a good idea to put paint on your tortoise's shell.

Give him a good scrubbing with a soft bristle brush and when he's dry rub in some cold pressed coconut oil. That will pretty him up and make the white less visible.

 

[Ink]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[TammyJ]

Hi and welcome!

 

[MenagerieGrl]

Hi @risingphoenix1116, Welcome to TFO (Tortoise Forum).
Thank you for helping to care for your buddy.
Here's a Care sheet for your buddy.

Sticky: HERMANN'S TORTOISE CARE SHEET *UPDATED

Josh and I corresponded last week about making an updated version of the Hermann's tortoise care sheet since the old one we have posted here is a bit outdated and a little too brief in my opinion. So, here is the new one equipped with photos. Look out for the April 2015 issue of Reptiles...

tortoiseforum.org

I hope your able to have a long time together.
There are a lot of very smart & experienced Folks here.
We will assist you in any questions you may have . .
Welcome again . .