New red footed tortoise with questions about diet

[Abbi17]

My name is Abby. I will be getting my first tortoise, a red footed tortoise, next week. His name will be Thor! I am confident on his habit arrangements, but I want to get a diet game plan established before he gets here. I live in SD and he is 12-14 weeks old. I have been reading pages talking about the different veggies he can have, but what do I do about pellets/supplements/calcium etc.? What are some simple guidelines?

Thanks,
Abby

 

[christinaland128]

Hi Abby WeLcome!!! i also have a Redfoot! Check out The Tortoise Library.... http://www.tortoiselibrary.com for a food list and other important info.

 

[christinaland128]

I use this for calcium... http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0004E85CW/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20 It smells like blueberry so my torts enjoy it.

 

[christinaland128]

Also I love the name you picked! I'm a huge Marvel fan!

 

[Turtlepete]

My name is Abby. I will be getting my first tortoise, a red footed tortoise, next week. His name will be Thor! I am confident on his habit arrangements, but I want to get a diet game plan established before he gets here. I live in SD and he is 12-14 weeks old. I have been reading pages talking about the different veggies he can have, but what do I do about pellets/supplements/calcium etc.? What are some simple guidelines?

Thanks,
Abby

The only pellets that are really decent, so far as I know (they are the only ones I have ever used, but have seen good results), is Mazuri tortoise chow. If you moisten it and then chop it up and mix it with the greens, veggies and such it makes for a good meal. I use it maybe 20% for yearlings. It seems to promote very good, smooth growth.
So far as the rest of the diet, greens like collards, turnips, kale, dandelion, escarole, watercress, just to name a few. Vegetables you mainly stick to squashes, any kinds (green, yellow, butternut, pumpkin, any winter or summer squash), a little bit of carrot here and there. Sweet peppers can be fed as well. Most fruits can be fed, but I prefer to stick mainly to papaya, melons, strawberries, and mangos. Every week or so you can offer some sort of animal protein; my choice is cooked chicken or turkey.

Supplements are probably a controversial topic. I've raised somewhere around 100 or more red foot young, and have never supplemented anything….This year I had a hatchling grow to 4 1/4" inches by 9 months with perfect smooth growth. I'm not convinced that that animal, (fed a perfect diet, living in the Florida sunlight) had any sort of deficiency that would've required supplementation. The foods that make up the bulk of most diets are more than high enough in calcium that its just not really necessary to bother supplementing extra. Thats just my take on it, and a number of keepers do indeed supplement there animals with no negative results (though over-supplementaton is a real concern that should be noted), so it's not as if it is a bad thing, but as long as you are feeding the correct diet then I can't see the need for it.

As far as simple guidelines for a red that age…..Very high humidity, temps around low 80's, lots of areas to burrow (loose spaghnum moss is fantastic for this), and a good shallow water basin. Regardless if you offer water however, soak them daily in warm water; hydration is important and if you establish a pattern it usually encourages them to eat afterwards.

Feel free to post some pics of your setup if your in need of a second opinion. Good luck, and nice name .

 

[Abbi17]

The only pellets that are really decent, so far as I know (they are the only ones I have ever used, but have seen good results), is Mazuri tortoise chow. If you moisten it and then chop it up and mix it with the greens, veggies and such it makes for a good meal. I use it maybe 20% for yearlings. It seems to promote very good, smooth growth.
So far as the rest of the diet, greens like collards, turnips, kale, dandelion, escarole, watercress, just to name a few. Vegetables you mainly stick to squashes, any kinds (green, yellow, butternut, pumpkin, any winter or summer squash), a little bit of carrot here and there. Sweet peppers can be fed as well. Most fruits can be fed, but I prefer to stick mainly to papaya, melons, strawberries, and mangos. Every week or so you can offer some sort of animal protein; my choice is cooked chicken or turkey.

Supplements are probably a controversial topic. I've raised somewhere around 100 or more red foot young, and have never supplemented anything….This year I had a hatchling grow to 4 1/4" inches by 9 months with perfect smooth growth. I'm not convinced that that animal, (fed a perfect diet, living in the Florida sunlight) had any sort of deficiency that would've required supplementation. The foods that make up the bulk of most diets are more than high enough in calcium that its just not really necessary to bother supplementing extra. Thats just my take on it, and a number of keepers do indeed supplement there animals with no negative results (though over-supplementaton is a real concern that should be noted), so it's not as if it is a bad thing, but as long as you are feeding the correct diet then I can't see the need for it.

As far as simple guidelines for a red that age…..Very high humidity, temps around low 80's, lots of areas to burrow (loose spaghnum moss is fantastic for this), and a good shallow water basin. Regardless if you offer water however, soak them daily in warm water; hydration is important and if you establish a pattern it usually encourages them to eat afterwards.

Feel free to post some pics of your setup if your in need of a second opinion. Good luck, and nice name .

Thanks! That is very helpful. Is there a better time of day to feed him? After soaking? After the basking light comes on in the morning? I know they will follow what ever schedule you set up for them easily. I was thinking the afternoon when it would be easier to soak and handle him. What are your thoughts?

Thanks for your help!
Abby

 

[christinaland128]

He needs to warm up before eating. It helps them digest their food. I usually let mine relax all morning then in the afternoon they get a soak and then eat. Plus they always poo in their soak. Frees up room for more food! Haha!

 

[Turtlepete]

Thanks! That is very helpful. Is there a better time of day to feed him? After soaking? After the basking light comes on in the morning? I know they will follow what ever schedule you set up for them easily. I was thinking the afternoon when it would be easier to soak and handle him. What are your thoughts?

Thanks for your help!
Abby

This actually can depend on the tortoise. I usually have 20 or so to soak and feed, so they all go into soaking bins in warm water for about half an hour while I prepare food, then back in to eat. This really depends how the tortoise responds to a soak though. As funny as it sounds, while some of them love a soak and will sprawl out in the warm water comfortably, others will freak out and run around in circles, climbing over other tortoises, trying to escape. These animals are usually slightly stressed (or more, annoyed), and instead of eating will simply retreat into the hides and then come back to browse on the food later. I would try soaking him and feeding him after the soak, but if your tortoise stresses from being soaked then he's unlikely to eat afterwards. But play around and see what yours seems to like. They have a schedule, for sure. All of mine usually know when the lights come on in the morning that its going to be feeding time soon, and will emerge from the hides to pace around expectedly, haha.

 

[christinaland128]

Lol the magical hand drops food!

 

[Abbi17]

Thanks for all the advice!! My game plan is pretty much what you guys suggested. Bath and feeding in the afternoon, since that works better for our schedules and I figured he might want some time to wake up and relax before a bath and food!

Now I have a new question. I have is house all set up. It's a nice sturdy, think plastic bin that I have sitting inside a wooden crate so I can elevate the light source for his basking area. However, I do need to add a heating pad to the sleep area at night because that area ranges from 73-77 on it's own. What do I need to be concerned about? The one I am looking at is the Zoo Med ReptiTherm Under Tank Heater. How do these work? I can add wood pieces between the plastic bin and wooden crate to create air circulation and avoid damaging the heating pad. How warm do these thing get? What do I need to look for to keep him warm but not cook the poor guy? I want him happy and healthy and safe!

 

[Abbi17]

Also, the instructions that were sent say that the basking areas needs to be 92-99. Is that true? A lot of the forums I have been reading talk about the temps being upper 80's for that area and lower 80's for the sleeping area. I have plans for the humidity, just need to know the realistic temp range so I can balance it and not harm him. Thanks again!

 

[Turtlepete]

I'm afraid I can't answer the heating pad question, as I've never used them. Personally I would just stick with a CHE (Ceramic Heat Emitter, which has no light output) for around-the-clock heating. As far as a temperature range or whatever, it doesn't really matter too much with reds. You can raise them with an ambient temp of about 82 overall and they do perfect. You can provide a basking spot of 90 or so, sure. And you could also vary the temperature over the terrarium, from a "cool end" at maybe 78 and a warmer end. It's not really worth the trouble for me, personally, when I can just heat the whole terrarium, or whatever I'm keeping them in, to a comfortable temperature. I usually let night-time temps drop a little bit.

 

[Anyfoot]

Hi abbi

Turtlepete is correct. Ceramic emitter gives a much stronger ambient temp just like the sun does. I,ve got 88deg at my heated end and its 80 at the cool end. I,ve got my 3 juvenile redfoots in a 2x4ft vivarium, With a 150watt ceramic heat emitter on a thermostat at one end, also i have a uvb bulb at the same end as my heat emitter. So my light and heat come from same end just like the sun does. As they get to the cooler end where there hide is it gets darker to act like it would when they head for cover in the wild. I feed mine all greens (except rhubarb leaves) most fruits but not citric fruits and some veg like cucumber,sweetcorn. I give them a bit of banana mashed up with vitamin C and D3 in it twice a week. They also have cuttlefish to bite on. Once a week I give them a pinky mouse for protein. The natural meat also has other nutrients in it aswell as calcium. My humidity hovers around 80%, But my substrate is moist for them to bury in and hydrate.

 

[Anyfoot]

Oh yeh. At night I just turn off the uvb bulb

 

[crimson_lotus]

For hatchlings you may want a basking spot of about 100. My 4-5 year old redfoot goes under there after her soak to warm up. Generally for babies you will want to keep it a bit warmer than usual, so 80-85 on the lower end and 95-100 under the basking lamp.

Humidity can range about 80-100%. Redfoots are prone to shell rot, so when you go to soak her daily just examine her plastron every once in a while.

 

[crimson_lotus]

For food...here are some ideas:

Fruit:
mango
persimmon
papaya
apple
pear
fig
kiwi
cactus fruit
pineapple
melons
pepper
tomato

Greens:
Radicchio
Kale
All lettuces except iceberg
mustard greens
dandelion greens (my tortoises favorite)
radish tops
beet tops
hibiscus
watercress
escarole
endive

Veggies:
brusselsprouts
squash (butternut, yellow, acorn, etc.)
zucchini
pumpkin
cucumbers
mushrooms
green beans
carrots

Protein:
chicken
shrimp
egg
worms
snails

Mazuri is a great pellet food that you can feed once or twice a week as well. My tortoise LOVES it.

I have some dried flowers I put on top of my tortoises greens once a week as well. I live in New England so in the winter weeds and flowers are pretty scarce. I also have a grazing tortoise seed mix as well that I grow and cut for her to eat, which includes grasses and weeds.

And don't forget, all of this in moderation!

 

[Anyfoot]

For hatchlings you may want a basking spot of about 100. My 4-5 year old redfoot goes under there after her soak to warm up. Generally for babies you will want to keep it a bit warmer than usual, so 80-85 on the lower end and 95-100 under the basking lamp.

Humidity can range about 80-100%. Redfoots are prone to shell rot, so when you go to soak her daily just examine her plastron every once in a while.

Hi Crimson.

I think i'm doing it all right for my 3 redfoot juveniles,they are 8 months old. The only thing i'm doing different to you is my temps are about 5deg lower than yours. I have from 92 to 80 across my viv. My torts are not super lively but through the day they will come out of there hides to eat maybe 2 or 3 times. They do wander about a bit going into the water pools for soaking and drinking, they will occasionally just come out to climb around on the logs and rocks. Quite a lot of there time they hide. Is all this what you would consider normal for juveniles.

 

[Anyfoot]

My viv is a 2x4 viv. It is also2ft high. Today my temp and humidity clocks fell of the wall, So until I get some new Velcro to stick it back on I just placed it on the shelf that my uvb bulb hangs off. This shelf is 12" high so my uvb bulb is 10" from substrate. When I went to check on them the temp reading at 12" high is about 40deg. At tort level its ok. My question is this, would it be beneficial to build into my viv at about 18" high a small fan. The type you get in the back of computers to keep circuit boards cool. Would this circulate the air to a higher ambient temp in turn making my heat emitter switch off for longer with the stat and in turn save on electricity. Also would how would this effect humidity.

 

[crimson_lotus]

When they're really young, I've read that juvenile tortoises do hide a lot, as they would do this in the wild to increase survival. 92 is a bit low, I would boost the temperatures up a tiny bit so it is at least 95ish. They need warmth as it helps them eat, digest, and...poop.

Are you using those Petco humidity gauges? I had those initially, and after reading about them on the forum decided to use something more accurate. The readings apparently fluctuate and may not be accurate.

I use these:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/16888914?www=true&productRedirect=true

You can find them at Lowes, Home Depot, etc. and they are accurate. I place them at ground level or clip them to some of my tortoises enclosure plants. My tortoise also loves knocking them down.

 

[crimson_lotus]

If the fan you are installing is letting the air outside of their enclosure in, I think this would require more heat to maintain their enclosure. It would also decrease humidity considerably.

I have not heard of this before, however. This is just my assumption. Every time I open my tortoises enclosure the humidity goes down by 20% or more and the temperature goes down to 85 under her basking spot. All of the heat and humidity escape.