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Just built my little red foots a made from scratch table with all your advice from my other threads! Oliver and Gypsy are happier than ever in there new home.
NEW AMAZING TORT TABLE!!!
- Thread starter JakeDevoe
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Oooh, very nice!
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Spraying frequently
Looks very nice but I have to suggest you do not use that water dish. Very dangerous and they can easily drown. I would also use a plastic shower to make a cover for it. Misting will never keep the humidity up where they need it. Covering it and pouring warm water in the corners to wet the lower layers of substrate, but keep the top layer dry as they are prone to shell rot
Wait, I thought that wire mesh was the lid taken off. Are the sides of the enclosure all wire mesh? Is the top of the enclosure covered? Unless you live in an 85% humidity area you should make sure the enclosure is well-ventilated but able to trap humidity, so closed sides and partially covered top OR air holes around the enclosure and fully covered top. 
Its always a bummer when we have to point out when things are not done in a way that is going to work well for the tortoises. I'm sure you worked very hard on that table, but unless the room where you are keeping them is warm and humid all the time, a table like that can't work. If you had an adult russian or greek, it would work adequately, but not for species that need high humidity.
This is all constructive criticism intended to help your tortoises. It might make you upset at first, but your tortoises will be better off eventually because of it.
1. They need something much more closed in.
2. Tortoise should not be housed in pairs.
3. No sand. Its an impaction risk and a possible skin and eye irritant.
4. The ramped water bowl is dangerous. Many tortoises drown in those.
5. No hay in a damp environment. No hay for redfoots. They won't eat it anyway and it will just become a moldy mess.
This is all constructive criticism intended to help your tortoises. It might make you upset at first, but your tortoises will be better off eventually because of it.
1. They need something much more closed in.
2. Tortoise should not be housed in pairs.
3. No sand. Its an impaction risk and a possible skin and eye irritant.
4. The ramped water bowl is dangerous. Many tortoises drown in those.
5. No hay in a damp environment. No hay for redfoots. They won't eat it anyway and it will just become a moldy mess.
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So the torts should not be housed together?
Tortoises don't want, need or particularly like company. Some are worse than others.
Three or more in a very large enclosure with plenty of sight barriers may live in harmony as they can get out if each other's way, but there are no guarantees.
You will always have a dominant tortoise. In a pair that is one dominant and one subordinate. For that read bully and victim. There's nobody else for the bully to focus on, so the victim gets the lot. Bullying may be mental and/or it may get physical and blood is often drawn. The victim goes into decline.
You can't say when it will happen, but it's best it doesn't happen at all.
Correct. Groups of RFs usually do just fine in large enclosures, like JoesMum said. Its specifically pairs that are the problem. We tell this to everyone. We told a new member this a few months ago. She also had two red foots. She thought they were getting along fine and that we were all wrong. She did not take our advice to separate them. About six weeks went by and she came back asking what to do because one tortoise had literally eaten the tail and most of the back leg of the other. Now I am not implying that you would ever let things get that far, I'm just pointing it out as an example that tortoises should not be housed in a pair.
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Well my torts never really go near each other. But are they ok with more than two
Usually. Not always.
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But wouldn't they get lonely
Sara G.
Active Member
Tortoises don't have friends in the wild. They don't get lonely at all. They meet up to mate and move on.
No. They are solitary creatures in the wild. They don't get lonely and don't need, want or particularly like company (or competition for food and territory as they would see it)
Company is for mating with or fighting and then forgetting about. Don't put human views on a tortoise!
Hi and welcome from Texas. I also keep Redfooted. I too was one of those misled newbies who thought getting 2 was better... My babies were tiny on arrival so I've successfully kept them in 40 gal tank with perfect temps and humidity. Now, 10 months later they are happy and healthy, still no signs of bullying/aggression but their outdoor enclosure is almost ready for them to move out to for daytime hrs. It'll be plenty big and with lots to places to hide that they should not be getting into each other's way. I am however prepared to separate them or... Add few more and have a little herd in my garden that's always a possibility. I have fallen in love with the RF's and if more fall on my lap needing a good home, why not? Once you have safe enclosure and heated house set up, get the feeding thing down, is really not a problem. I live in Texas where climate affords me possibilities of outdoor housing them full time. I think for people in cooler climate this maybe a lot more difficult
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Thanks I live in Texas too Dallas
I'm about 3hr drive South down i-35 from you
Austin area, so even warmer winters
No. Tortoises are solitary creatures. They don't need or want company, but some species tolerate others in the the confines of our artificial enclosures.
