Need Advice Please!!!- 3 year old red foot (Miguel)

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maiyaNmiguel

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Hi everyone!

I'm new to this forum and am REALLY glad I found it- it's been so hard looking around the web for proper care of a red foot- so much of it contradicts.

I recieved my redfoot, Miguel, as a gift 3 years ago from some friends after my 7-year old snapper died. Taking care of her is TOTALLY different from an aquatic turtle- but I love her so much and want to do whatever it takes to give her a comfortable habitat.

She definitely has pyramiding- and I don't want it to worsen- I'll love her no matter what she looks like BUT I want her to live a long, healthy life! Could anybody give me advice on how to improve my care of her?

HOUSING:
- most of her life was in a vivarium- until I found out that a table would be way better. Just recently made her a table- 5'x2'x1-1/2'(height). Wooden, lined with plastic liner that I bought at home depot.
-substrate is an inch of soil with a layer of cypress mulch on top.
-All I have in the tank right now is a large, shallow water dish and a log half as a shelter.

Heating/lighting/humidity:
- ceramic heat emitter over one side of tank, with a UVB light bulb on the opposite side that I turn off during night. How can I get the floor to be warmer? It seems like the closer to the ground, the cooler it gets :(
- Humidity is my biggest issue: I re-moisten the substrate every day/every other day and spray the whole enclosure, as well as her, every day whenever I can- usually 2x a day. However its always dried out once I get to it! How can I keep the humidity in?

Food:
I used to feed her every day, now I feed her every 2-3 days. I feed her fruits (persimmon, mango, cucumber, plantain, seldom banana, cherries, etc) and for greens I give her romaine lettuce mostly. I tried kale but she hates it! For protein I used to feed her dried cat food- but I switched it to hard boiled egg because cat food seemed too un-natural. I give her protein once a month.

also- I live in Virginia Beach. In the summer it gets very hot and humid- but her fall and winter it gets very, very cold which is why I have her inside. Her enclosure is in a bed room.

Miguel, 2009:
5500_123386151622_654026622_2569820_1249537_n.jpg
2010:
35210_408913996622_654026622_4705088_6195144_n.jpg
October 2011:
IMG_1975.JPG


Can anyone please help me? I'm ready to make improvements ASAP. I'd be more than happy to answer any other questions.
 
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Yvonne G

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Hi maiyaNmiguel:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

May we know your name?
 

ascott

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Welcome and Miguel is beautiful...great face :D

Vivariums are not a bad thing, if they are large enough for mucking about....(humidity is easier to maintain and remains steady, IMHO)

Tort tables are equally good, you will just need to figure a way to cover most of the top to allow heat and humidity to be better regulated....this is what I have found anyway :D

I would absolutely add to the substrate to give at least 4+ inches total as they like to filp the substrate about to snuggle down into it...mine love to. I use coco coir and organic soil...holds in moisture pretty good and is easily mucked about in...I will come in and find one of the RFs near 3/4 way covered except for her little head and the highest peak of her shell...very funny.

If you are losing alot of humidity pretty quickly then you may be able to correct that by the deeper substrate...the heat emitters "I have heard" can dry the substrate out a bit quicker than the heat/basking bulbs....

Where do you house your table? on the floor, on a stand? if your table is on the ground the coldness you are mentioning may be coming up from the floor...you know? perhaps lift the table at least 6-8 inches off of the ground...this should help some....IMHO that is...:p

RFs are still fairly new to me, caring for first hand that is....my CDTs have different wants and desires :p than the RFs and the RESs ....so each is a bit of tweaking till you get it bang on.... You will be aok...so will Miguel..:D
 

maiyaNmiguel

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sure : ) My name is Maiya-- Nice to meet all of you! And thank you so much for replying!
 

maiyaNmiguel

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The vivarium I had was meant to be more of an aquarium actually :/ it was wide enough when she was still a baby but by this year she only had enough space to turn around!

I'll definitely make the soil MUCH deeper then- that makes alot of sense because she loves to burrow. (If you noticed she also likes to CLIMB! she climbs all the way over her log.)What do you usually use to cover the top?

And yes- the table is on a stand about 2 feet high : ) Glad I've got that part down!

Thanks so much - and thanks for the compliment on her part : )

-Maiya
 

ascott

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You can use a variety of things to cover the top....you say the enclosure is 5 feet long by 2 feet wide, right? If yes, you can get a piece of plywood cut at the hardware store that is say like 3 1/2 feet or so long, maybe 4 feet long (depending how your lights are situated, you know?) by the 2 feet wide...this would allow you to cover a majority of the top and yet allow space for your lights... You could also use 2x12x2 foot pieces to allow you to move them around into place across the top....or you could get a piece of plexi glass cut at the hardware store to do the same thing as the other suggestions....You can essentially use about anything...even if you have some of the plastic tubs in your house...steal the lids from the tubs and use them in place on the top until you get good coverage over the top...:D:D

Keep in mind though...with whatever you use...re check your temps once you cap the enclosure...you may need to adjust your heights so as not to over heat the enclosure....:D
 

Madkins007

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maiyaNmiguel said:
Hi everyone!

I'm new to this forum and am REALLY glad I found it- it's been so hard looking around the web for proper care of a red foot- so much of it contradicts.

I recieved my redfoot, Miguel, as a gift 3 years ago from some friends after my 7-year old snapper died. Taking care of her is TOTALLY different from an aquatic turtle- but I love her so much and want to do whatever it takes to give her a comfortable habitat.

She definitely has pyramiding- and I don't want it to worsen- I'll love her no matter what she looks like BUT I want her to live a long, healthy life! Could anybody give me advice on how to improve my care of her?

You cannot eliminate pyramiding, but you can keep it from continuing by offering a good 'bone growth' diet with a balance of calcium, phosphorous, iron, vitamin D, other nutrients, sunlight, exercise, fresh water and hydration, sleep, etc.

HOUSING:
- most of her life was in a vivarium- until I found out that a table would be way better. Just recently made her a table- 5'x2'x1-1/2'(height). Wooden, lined with plastic liner that I bought at home depot.
-substrate is an inch of soil with a layer of cypress mulch on top.
-All I have in the tank right now is a large, shallow water dish and a log half as a shelter.

This is a good start. Really no reason to combine soil and cypress- cypress alone is lighter and works nicely, besides, a layered substrate is a pain to care for.

5x2 is OK for a tortoise that is under about 6" long. As it gets bigger, you may want to revisit the size.

I would strongly advise getting some more cool stuff in there- plants, bark to hide under, etc.


Heating/lighting/humidity:
- ceramic heat emitter over one side of tank, with a UVB light bulb on the opposite side that I turn off during night. How can I get the floor to be warmer? It seems like the closer to the ground, the cooler it gets :(
- Humidity is my biggest issue: I re-moisten the substrate every day/every other day and spray the whole enclosure, as well as her, every day whenever I can- usually 2x a day. However its always dried out once I get to it! How can I keep the humidity in?

These are common challenges that most of us find our own solution for. MY way is to use heated ropes (http://www.bigappleherp.com/Big-Apple-Flexible-Heat-Ropes ). Put these in place properly, pour water in the cypress, and they generate heat and water vapor that rise past the tortoise 24/7. I also have my habitat about 75% covered to trap some of it.

Food:
I used to feed her every day, now I feed her every 2-3 days. I feed her fruits (persimmon, mango, cucumber, plantain, seldom banana, cherries, etc) and for greens I give her romaine lettuce mostly. I tried kale but she hates it! For protein I used to feed her dried cat food- but I switched it to hard boiled egg because cat food seemed too un-natural. I give her protein once a month.

Not a bad diet but I would work on a wider range of greens- different lettuces (bagged 'spring mix' is a combination of many lettuces), turnip or collard greens, spinach, cabbage, etc.

For proteins, you can also use worms, bugs, and more- variety there too will help.
 

maiyaNmiguel

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Thank you everyone. I can definitely make those changes.

The main reason I decided to use soil was because Cypress mulch is so expensive in the pet store, and the ones I found at the hardware stores all had a pine smell and weren't specific on what they contain.

second reason is that I was thinking I could plant something in there if that's possible? Is there anything negative about using soil?



Thanks again and I will keep you updated!
 

Madkins007

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There is nothing wrong with soil, it just does not offer a lot of benefits. Planting things for a tortoise that big should be done in pots to protect them from being eaten to the ground or bulldozed.

The cypress at the home or garden store- it does not have to be cypress- any chopped or shredded woods that do not smell much of pine or cedar are OK.
 
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