New Mom to a 2 Month Old Redfoot

[Maribel]

Hi everyone! I have been reading this forum nonstop for the past couple of weeks. We have been planning for our Baby Redfoot to arrive and this forum has helped me so much! Introducing Watson:
Watson in his morning soak after he woke up. Right now his bedding is a mix of Forest Floor Cypress Mulch and Coconut Coir (particles all over the water in the picture). I was worried about the Coconut Coir being so fine that it would bother his eyes and I read on the forum that it’s dusty when it’s too dry. This morning I remixed the substrate and added more water patted the cypress mulch and coconut coir mix down and topped it with orchid bark. It’s so much better and humidity is already better too! Right now he is indoor in a 50 gal Tub container. Temperature is between 80-85 and humidity is currently at 85%. So far eating has not been an issue.

Here he is chowing down on some collard greens and mini bananas. He ate both I did sprinkle calcium powder on the bananas too.

I do have a few questions/concerns:

Is it normal for them to burrow for long periods of time? Yesterday we picked him up from the breeder and got home around 12:30. He was in a smaller tub while we set up his home. After we gave him a soak and fed him we put him in around 4pm he was in and out of his cave (terra cotta pot half way in substrate) and then we looked around 6 and couldn’t find him!! He burrowed and was hard to find! He was burrowed until this morning and he poked his little head out. We took him out and gave him a soak and breakfast (pictures from above) I re-situated his substrate and moved the CHE towards the middle (Since the temperature seemed cold this morning, 77 degrees) of the enclosure and covered the top with foil (temporary until I get to homedepot for some plexiglass). He was hyper from the bananas and roamed around quite a bit even decided to chew on the hygrometer now he is burrowed again... not sure when he will emerge. This is probably all normal but I’m new to all of this and want to make sure!

Second question, what type of plants can I have in his enclosure? I feel like it’s minimal in there and he might like a small edible plant in there.

What age are they not a hatchling anymore?

Wow that was so long! If you made it this far thanks for reading!

 

[daniellenc]

They sleep a ton the first year so totally normal! Pothos is a great edible plant and easy to grow. It also provides a ton of cover as it vines out but ice plant and others work as well. However, anything planted in fertilizer is a danger and must be repotted in plain soil for nearly a year before being introduced to your little guy. In the meantime since he’s so tiny fake plants are fine.

Not sure on the age they’re no longer hatchlings though

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome!

 

[Maribel]

They sleep a ton the first year so totally normal! Pothos is a great edible plant and easy to grow. It also provides a ton of cover as it vines out but ice plant and others work as well. However, anything planted in fertilizer is a danger and must be repotted in plain soil for nearly a year before being introduced to your little guy. In the meantime since he’s so tiny fake plants are fine.

Not sure on the age they’re no longer hatchlings though

He sleeps a lot! I wake him up in the morning and give him a soak and put out his food before I go to work. Still having issues with humidity in the enclosure but I will be picking up plexiglass today to cover his enclosure. I have a CHE on a thermostat controller and works like a charm. It stays in the 80s in his enclosure! I live in Arizona so it gets warm midday. I was thinking on the weekends I can take him outside in the sunshine! Thanks for the plants suggestion!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Welcome.
If you can provide a few hours of outdoors time every week, that alone can replace a U.V. light for a Redfoot.
Just keep him warm. As you have been doing.
In fact, your parameters sound very good.
Redfoot young can often sleep and hide for the majority of the day. Providing plants to hide under might stop the burying behavior.

 

[ArmadilloPup]

Welcome! Watson is cute! I have a 4 month-old and am also playing the waiting game.

I do my tort's soak/food in the morning and then if I'm home mid-afternoon, I'll check to see if he's awake for some brief handling time. Often if I lift the log at around 3, he'll be nestled in his nap spot but wide awake and ready to explore when I pick him up. I've tried outdoor time and my boy still does not like the outdoors and becomes a scared little brick - but for some reason he thought the vet's office was great and was testing everything to see if it was yummy (spoiler, nothing there was yummy).

For ground cover, I bought animal-safe plants from Josh's Frogs, and cross-referenced this forum and Tortoise Table to figure out what to buy. You can plant them directly in the enclosure while still in the pot. I learned to not plant them too close to the UV or they don't do so well

Can't wait to see more pics of your baby

 

[Maribel]

Hello, Watson has been doing well and growing! I just can’t figure out what’s going on with his shell, I treated the fungus underneath but now there are spots on the edge of his shell. I hope it’s not shell rot!! Please help!!

 

[Jennw30]

Hello I'm new too but I think h'es beautiful!

 

[Maribel]

Hi! Thank you ? He is such a joy to have as a pet!! What kind of tortoise do you have JennW30?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

That might also be a fungal issue (it looks like it to me).
Maybe your substrate is being kept too wet in a sleeping area?
Treat it the same way. With the same Athletes foot cream.

 

[Maribel]

That might also be a fungal issue (it looks like it to me).
Maybe your substrate is being kept too wet in a sleeping area?
Treat it the same way. With the same Athletes foot cream.

He sleeps in a terra-cotta pot, I’ll check the substrate to see if it’s too wet in there. I use the coconut coir and have had no issues thus far. I him in a large tub 40 gal closed enclosure and it gets quite humid in there so no problem keeping it humid. His heat source is a CHE that is on a thermostat so it always stays above 80 in there. I will put some foot cream on there after his soak today. Thanks!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

He sleeps in a terra-cotta pot, I’ll check the substrate to see if it’s too wet in there. I use the coconut coir and have had no issues thus far. I him in a large tub 40 gal closed enclosure and it gets quite humid in there so no problem keeping it humid. His heat source is a CHE that is on a thermostat so it always stays above 80 in there. I will put some foot cream on there after his soak today. Thanks!

That part that looks like fungus on the side edges of the shell looks like some that I've seen in small Redfoot that dig into the wet substrate at night to sleep.
At any rate, it'll be easy to cure and with a little tweaking it'll be easy to keep it from returning