New guy here

Mvptortoise

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Helleo I'm new to the forum and also torts. I have had many other kinds if reptiles befor. But with the soon new arrival of my first baby girl. I didn't a lot of down sizing and decided to get a more friendly reptile family member.
So the wife and I made a visit to the reptile store and found a redfooted tort. And fell in love the colors the sweet aditude. Brought her home. And started my research. I put her in my outdoor old tegu enclosure. It's in my shade house(like a green house much is screened). The enclosure is 8ft long by 4ft wide, and 3.5ft high . It has a foot of plywood all around from the ground up. And rapped with chicken wire on all sides including the floor. A foot of top soil and cypres mulch for the substrate.
A week goes by. She's eating like a champ. Is starting to get use to me being around. Loves her cage. Then last Saturday I went to work. The wife was home. And let the dogs out for there afternoon potty. She noticed my male pit by screen house with some thing in his mouth. It was Tina. He ripped through the screen and the chicken wire and had his "ball". Luckily my wife was watching. And got Tina befor he did to much damage. She has been eating and pooping. She's just really scaried now.

And in my researching found this forum and everyone seems really nice and helpful.
So any advise will not be turned away. I need some tort schooling

Some pics so you can get and idea of everythingimage.jpgimage.jpg enclosure minus the tegu. image.jpgShe's was sleeping since the accident. I moved her inside in a kiddy pool. Full light set up and daily baths to make sure she stays hydrated. And advice on shell care please
 

Yvonne G

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That damage isn't bad....more or less like a badly skinned knee on a human. The trauma and stress caused by the act, though, may be a bit harder for the tortoise to recover from. Keep it calm and quiet. Give warm soaks daily. And try to get life back to normal as quickly as possible.

You might try covering the OUTSIDE of the habitat with plywood instead of putting it on the inside. This might inhibit the dog better. Plywood all the way around so the dog can't see inside.
 

Mvptortoise

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Thank you for the info. Do u think it will e alright for her to go back out? After cage repairs. I was keeping her inside to keep the dirt and wood chips out of the cuts
 

Yvonne G

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Those are just minor scrapes. Don't worry about them. If you want to protect them you can put a dab of Neosporin on, but this just makes the dirt adhere easier.

Yes, once you've made the cage dog-proof, she can go back outside.
 

Teacup

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Nice job! And I love the chairs set up so you can watch your tort. :) Welcome to the forum!
 

Ashes

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Aww poor baby! Glad your wife was so quick! And glad you dog proofed it so quickly as well! She's a beauty!!! Good luck!! :)
 

Nolan1992

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Can you post a picture of your Tegu? I love them and have always wanted one, just don't have room for one yet.
 

Mvptortoise

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I LOVEEEE tegus. At the moment I work to much and my wife and I are about to have our first baby in June. So I down sized my collection a lot . But I got Tina to be a forever best friend for my daughter. She just better love animals as much as I do. Any whoo.... Picturesssimage.jpgimage.jpg image.jpg Male red x black and white argentine cross. Female black and white argentine
 

Mvptortoise

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My 8 to 5 job is building custom house in north Florida. So I just brought some extra wood home. Big things planned for Tina's enclosure. Building a shade house/ green house. About ten times the size she's in now
 

bouaboua

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You do have lots reptiles. But I only be fond of Tortoise. I like your outdoor enclosure, your red foot will be happy to go out again.

Welcome and good to have you here.
 

Nolan1992

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I LOVEEEE tegus. At the moment I work to much and my wife and I are about to have our first baby in June. So I down sized my collection a lot . But I got Tina to be a forever best friend for my daughter. She just better love animals as much as I do. Any whoo.... PicturesssView attachment 77642View attachment 77643 View attachment 77644 Male red x black and white argentine cross. Female black and white argentine

Those are some beauties. One day I might need help building a Tegu enclosure. I am definitely getting one at some point! I love the purple tiger Tegu, hopefully people get better at breeding them, and I can get one for cheaper in the future. Where in Florida? I'm from Daytona Beach.
 

Mvptortoise

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Apr 22, 2014
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Jacksonville. Underground is doing some crazy stuff with tegus. But I'm not a big fan of inbreeding just to make an animal the way you want. But to go make on that statement. There is a breeder in the uk it starts with a q. They are producing some crazy albino t+ red tegus
 

Mvptortoise

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I have a thing for BIG pets
image.jpg Male 7ft. Female 9ft dumerail boa
image.jpg 10ft male coastal carpet python
image.jpg 6ft female irian jaya carpet
That was my collection:(
Now it's just the pits and Tina
image.jpg
 

Yvonne G

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@Mvptortoise :

It's hard to tell in the picture, but if that's a Compact Fluorescent (spiral-shaped) bulb in the tortoise part of the pen, exchange it for something else. Those bulbs are known to cause a painful eye condition similar to snow-blindness in young tortoises.
 
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