New redfoot owner.

[Bensonredfoot]

Hi we just got a cute young red foot we named benson, he couldn’t be more than a year and we’ve had him about 2 weeks. Working hard to make the perfect setup for him but got a scare tonight when I woke him up to spray and he was having a hard time opening his eyes, looked like a sack over his eyes like a blister and I immediately feared he burned his face on the heat pad or my lighting was the issue. Seen it could be dehydration or low/high vitamin A. Been feeding him lettuce, a little bell pepper, boiled egg, mango, black berry, apple zucchini and some calcium sometimes. Will show enclosure and everything. Lighting is a 100w halogen for a 90-92 f hot spot, and a heat pad on the other side at 87. But we try to keep humidity between 60-80 and ambient heat is around 71 or so usually. We need a new water dish because it’s too slippery for him so that might be a dehydration thing. Anything at all helps, I wanna make this setup perfect, gotta be the happiest tortoise around. His eyes opened soon after a little bath but scared the crap out of us.

 

[mojo_1]

Hi we just got a cute young red foot we named benson, he couldn’t be more than a year and we’ve had him about 2 weeks. Working hard to make the perfect setup for him but got a scare tonight when I woke him up to spray and he was having a hard time opening his eyes, looked like a sack over his eyes like a blister and I immediately feared he burned his face on the heat pad or my lighting was the issue. Seen it could be dehydration or low/high vitamin A. Been feeding him lettuce, a little bell pepper, boiled egg, mango, black berry, apple zucchini and some calcium sometimes. Will show enclosure and everything. Lighting is a 100w halogen for a 90-92 f hot spot, and a heat pad on the other side at 87. But we try to keep humidity between 60-80 and ambient heat is around 71 or so usually. We need a new water dish because it’s too slippery for him so that might be a dehydration thing. Anything at all helps, I wanna make this setup perfect, gotta be the happiest tortoise around. His eyes opened soon after a little bath but scared the crap out of us.

First thing the temperature needs to be at preferably 84° and humidity over 80% at all times. Redfoots don't need basking area and 90° is too hot. Roughly 30 min soaks daily. A terracotta saucer is a great water dish. For heat it's best to use ceramic heat emitter on a thermostat controller.

 

[mojo_1]

Also hatchlings should be in a closed chamber enclosure to help maintain the proper humidity. And minimum enclosure size is 4'x2'x2'

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello! As mentioned above changes do need to be made, he needs a closed chamber which is the only way to maintain the humidity where needed and lighting needs fixing, halogens can potentially cause eye problems, and as mojo has said, they don’t technically need a basking spot, they thrive in a 82-84 range 24/7. Don’t let anywhere drop below 80 day or night.
I’d get the water dish changed to a clay terracotta too.

Hopefully you find this housing thread helpful, it covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc), correct levels, importance of a closed chamber for younger tortoises and red foots(only way to maintain the humidity you need), appropriately maintaining the humidity(they are prone to shell rot so this is important! I would keep spraying), safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, a diet list, and a really handy diet link to check out! If going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better!

Young red foot/ cherryhead set up

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information on an effective example of a starter enclosure for a red foot/cherry head😊 Care advice for these guys is painfully behind, fb pages, YouTube, pet stores, they’re all repeating the same outdated advice, this forum is made of...

tortoiseforum.org

This includes some different closed chamber options, some tend to run more efficiently than others, I’d go as big as you can but perhaps for now one of the topper options will work for this tank!

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

Lastly, probably the most important(make sure to read this one), this one is also really good to familiarise yourself with, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

Really hope they help! Always happy to try and answer any further questions once you’ve read them, welcome to the forum

 

[Bensonredfoot]

First thing the temperature needs to be at preferably 84° and humidity over 80% at all times. Redfoots don't need basking area and 90° is too hot. Roughly 30 min soaks daily. A terracotta saucer is a great water dish. For heat it's best to use ceramic heat emitter on a thermostat controller.

Thanks, it’s hard to keep the whole enclosure at 80, I keep wax paper on top but heat and humidity still get out. I have a small ceramic but it’s not enough, should I just get more? And is the heat mat on the side of the wall ok? Appreciate it so much

 

[mojo_1]

Thanks, it’s hard to keep the whole enclosure at 80, I keep wax paper on top but heat and humidity still get out. I have a small ceramic but it’s not enough, should I just get more? And is the heat mat on the side of the wall ok? Appreciate it so much

Read the threads @Littleredfootbigredheart posted above they will answer all your questions. With the enclosure closed up properly you will find it easier to maintain heat and humidity. Personally I wouldn't use the heat pad. And if you have any on the bottom of the enclosure stop using them. Redfoots need heat from the top. And they dig down to regulate their body temperature.

 

[Bensonredfoot]

Hello! As mentioned above changes do need to be made, he needs a closed chamber which is the only way to maintain the humidity where needed and lighting needs fixing, halogens can potentially cause eye problems, and as mojo has said, they don’t technically need a basking spot, they thrive in a 82-84 range 24/7. Don’t let anywhere drop below 80 day or night.
I’d get the water dish changed to a clay terracotta too.

Hopefully you find this housing thread helpful, it covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc), correct levels, importance of a closed chamber for younger tortoises and red foots(only way to maintain the humidity you need), appropriately maintaining the humidity(they are prone to shell rot so this is important! I would keep spraying), safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, a diet list, and a really handy diet link to check out! If going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better!

Young red foot/ cherryhead set up

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information on an effective example of a starter enclosure for a red foot/cherry head😊 Care advice for these guys is painfully behind, fb pages, YouTube, pet stores, they’re all repeating the same outdated advice, this forum is made of...

tortoiseforum.org

This includes some different closed chamber options, some tend to run more efficiently than others, I’d go as big as you can but perhaps for now one of the topper options will work for this tank!

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

Lastly, probably the most important(make sure to read this one), this one is also really good to familiarise yourself with, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

Really hope they help! Always happy to try and answer any further questions once you’ve read them, welcome to the forum

Thank you so you really cooked, everyone talking about redfoots has contradicting opinions so it’s nice to see someone confident with their info for once

 

[Anastasia 22]

Read the threads @Littleredfootbigredheart posted above they will answer all your questions. With the enclosure closed up properly you will find it easier to maintain heat and humidity.

Do you think if it would be okay to cover the top of the enclosure with the clear shower curtain to keep the humidity in it?

 

[mojo_1]

Do you think if it would be okay to cover the top of the enclosure with the clear shower curtain to keep the humidity in it?

It would work. You would just have to make it high enough for lights and heat emitters.

 

[COmtnLady]

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!

Here has the best most up-to-date info, plus there are a lot of years of expert tortoise keeping represented by the various members here. Everyone will do their best to help you help your tortoise to have a happy healthy life.
.
For your own peace of mind don't listen to the "advice" given by other sources, like: pet shops, social media sites, YouTube videos, and even most veterinarians. They're still using old info that doesn't work as well as what you'll find here.

Study the info in the links offered. All those head-exploding details will show you how to help your tortoise to thrive.

And, ask a lot of questions. Run it by the experts before you buy new equipment or whatever - their expertise will save you a lot of stress and money.

.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Welcome to the forum!

All good advice above.

The swollen eyes could just be from irritation, and get fixed by improving the environment. (Which should of course be done either way) The irritation theory is consistent with the eyes opening after being removed from the enclosure and soaked.

Seen it could be dehydration or low/high vitamin A.

If it is low vitamin A, daily soaks in baby carrot food should help to clear up the eyes in 2 to 4 days. Vitamin injections can do more harm than good.

Here are the instructions for preparing the soak:

Gerber Carrot Baby Food Soaks

This "trick" is only for turtles and tortoises that aren't eating and have swollen shut eyes. It's not a cure-all, and unless you fix the reason why the eyes swelled shut in the first place, they're just going to swell shut again after the soaks. Using a bowl with tall sides (so the animal...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Bensonredfoot]

Do you think if it would be okay to cover the top of the enclosure with the clear shower curtain to keep the humidity in it?

Smart I think we have extras

 

[Bensonredfoot]

Welcome to the forum!

All good advice above.

The swollen eyes could just be from irritation, and get fixed by improving the environment. (Which should of course be done either way) The irritation theory is consistent with the eyes opening after being removed from the enclosure and soaked.

If it is low vitamin A, daily soaks in baby carrot food should help to clear up the eyes in 2 to 4 days. Vitamin injections can do more harm than good.

Here are the instructions for preparing the soak:

Gerber Carrot Baby Food Soaks

This "trick" is only for turtles and tortoises that aren't eating and have swollen shut eyes. It's not a cure-all, and unless you fix the reason why the eyes swelled shut in the first place, they're just going to swell shut again after the soaks. Using a bowl with tall sides (so the animal...

tortoiseforum.org

Thank you, I’ll definately try those both as well.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Thank you so you really cooked, everyone talking about redfoots has contradicting opinions so it’s nice to see someone confident with their info for once

No problem at all, let us know how you get on