New Redfoot mom- one month in!

[olive_the_tortie]

I've had this little cherryhead for about a month now and wanted to post her enclosures to show what's been working and ask some questions!

Indoor enclosure: I've had a lot of success with is gardenbed greenhouse I got off amazon,

• Pros: very easily retains heat and humidity when closed! Looks kind of nice too!
• Cons: of course she will outgrow the size (2x4) at some point and with heat and humidity comes a lot of fruit flies . I've put some rollypollies and yellow sticky traps in there which have seemed to keep it to a tolerable level.

Outdoor enclosure:



Easy setup and cost effective. Great summary video I used for tortoise-safe plants:

.

She totally loves outdoors and comes to life walking around and munching on plants



Getting a plant saucer as a water bowl was great advice, initially had the ramp water bowl not knowing and she hardly used it because it was so awkward to get in/out. Haven't put a top on bc where my house is and the way my backyard is enclosed predators aren't a concern. If I move her enclosure that will have to be added.

Questions:
Could anyone help identify some weeds and if they're tortoise safe? Does anyone know how fast cherryheads grow? google and forum results are so variable, want to anticipate how quickly she'll grow so her enclosures can match her size!



Such a long post, but thank you in advance!

 

[TammyJ]

Welcome to the forum. Your little tortoise and the enclosures are beautiful. What's the temperatures in the days where you are located in NC?

 

[SinLA]

I saw that GST video, one thing it doesn't mention is even when you get tort safe plants, they most likely were treated with things you don't want, so you really should keep them away from your tortoise to allow them to shed the pesticides, etc. Some people recommend a year, though I'm not sure people know... I do wait a year for what it is worth

 

[ZEROPILOT]

How large is your tortoise?
Predators are the biggest concern.
Most of us aren't lucky enough to keep our tortoises outdoors 24/7 without the threat of something eating them.
But it can be just that easy in some cases like mine

 

[olive_the_tortie]

Welcome to the forum. Your little tortoise and the enclosures are beautiful. What's the temperatures in the days where you are located in NC?

Thank you! Today was a really nice day for her, high of 82 and avg humidity 73%. Warm days are like mid-high 80s, humidity in the in the spring and summers range like 60-80%.

 

[olive_the_tortie]

I saw that GST video, one thing it doesn't mention is even when you get tort safe plants, they most likely were treated with things you don't want, so you really should keep them away from your tortoise to allow them to shed the pesticides, etc. Some people recommend a year, though I'm not sure people know... I do wait a year for what it is worth

Oh this is a good point! TY!

 

[olive_the_tortie]

How large is your tortoise?
Predators are the biggest concern.
Most of us aren't lucky enough to keep our tortoises outdoors 24/7 without the threat of something eating them.
But it can be just that easy in some cases like mine

She's a little over four inches! That outdoor enclosure is 4x6, do you think she'll outgrow that pretty soon?

Where I have the outdoor enclosure now is on a kind of closed off patio and she's out there on days when I wfh, but nights and days when I work in person she's inside!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

She's a little over four inches! That outdoor enclosure is 4x6, do you think she'll outgrow that pretty soon?

Where I have the outdoor enclosure now is on a kind of closed off patio and she's out there on days when I wfh, but nights and days when I work in person she's inside!

A 4x6 will last you a while.
Especially if you can get him or her outside relatively often.
You also won't need to purchase a uvb light with at least a few hours of sunlight a week.
Four inches is still small enough for many creatures to carry away. Especially children.
Remember your parameters. Temperature between 80 and 88. Humidity of over 70%.
Make sure you supervise when outside and welcome to the forum

 

[olive_the_tortie]

A 4x6 will last you a while.
Especially if you can get him or her outside relatively often.
You also won't need to purchase a uvb light with at least a few hours of sunlight a week.
Four inches is still small enough for many creatures to carry away. Especially children.
Remember your parameters. Temperature between 80 and 88. Humidity of over 70%.
Make sure you supervise when outside and welcome to the forum

Thank you sm for the info!