New redfoot mommy

[carrilac]

My family just got our first redfoot (cherry head) hatchling at noon today. She (everything is a she in my house, except my poor husband) is amazing; we are so in love with her (she has a heart on her shell)! I posted pictures of her in the picture section.

Anyway my question is, her humidity is at 75% and she has taken a bath dunking her head in the water and is now hiding in her moist moss. Do you think that I need to get the humidity higher in her enclosure or is this just normal redfoot behavior?

 

[Candy]

I just got through reading "The Care and Maintenance of the REDFOOT TORTOISE in Captivity by Mike Pingleton. Thanks to Terryo for recommending it. Wonderful, wonderful information. I recommend it to anyone who has a tortoise. He says that the humidity level should be between 60 and 80% and they should be fine. I know I've read threads on here that say theirs has even higher levels so I guess that's fine too. Anyway just my input hope it helps you. Candy

 

[cdmay]

Burrowing into substrate is normal. Increase the humidity by misting and keep the enclosure free from cold and or drying drafts of air.

 

[Madkins007]

Mike's book, although very good, is a bit dated. He has another one going to press very soon.

I think as more info comes together, we will find that babies and young Red-foots need the higher levels of humidity- an area of 95% or so, with the rest of the habitat being over 75%. As they get older, it seems they become more tolerant of drier conditions but always want access to high humidity.

Dr. Mader, in "Reptile Surgery and Medicine" espouses offering most reptiles a humidity gradient much like we do for temperatures- I think this is a great idea!