New redfoot

[mamameg]

Hello!

My name is Meg and I am new to the redfoot world. I am attaching photos of my new cherryhead, Loretta. She is about 6 months old and was mailed overnight on Tuesday. She's been home with me for two days now. Every morning I soak her for 15 minutes. She seems alert and moves around in the water. Afterwards I place her on her food and she only eats for (less than) a minute and goes back to her favorite hide. She stays in her hide unless I pull her out to eat/be sprayed/soak. She only eats for a minute each time. She had stuck to greens so far and has not had any fruit or mushrooms yet. I keep her home at the low 80s on one side and the low 90s on the side she prefers. Humidity is between 65% - 75%. Is there a reason she is not being active? Should I be concerned? Perhaps I am being a bit paranoid, but I thought I'd rather be safe and ask than be sorry!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Congratulations on your baby.
Your humidity is a little low and your high temperatures are a bit too high. My Redfoot do not like it hotter than 88ish.
Otherwise, babies DO sleep and hide a lot.
Also, as you will soon hear again. Those red lights work well for a little extra heat, but they color a lot of things red. Red is a color that looks like food and will often lead to a tortoise eating something that it shouldn't have. (like those plastic plants)

 

[mamameg]

Congratulations on your baby.
Your humidity is a little low and your high temperatures are a bit too high. My Redfoot do not like it hotter than 88ish.
Otherwise, babies DO sleep and hide a lot.
Also, as you will soon hear again. Those red lights work well for a little extra heat, but they color a lot of things red. Red is a color that looks like food and will often lead to a tortoise eating something that it shouldn't have. (like those plastic plants)

@ZEROPILOT I have already seen her head towards the plastic plants. Should I take them out for all real ones? I can trade out the red light for a second ceramic heater. I thought they couldn't see the red! Thank you for the advice. What humidity level do you suggest?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

My enclosed chamber gets no lower than 80%
Some babies try to eat the plastic plants and I would not, do not use them. I know it looks nice, though. Do you need the extra heat emitter with temps already in the comfortable range?

 

[mamameg]

@ZEROPILOT I have already seen her head towards the plastic plants. Should I take them out for all real ones? I can trade out the red light for a second ceramic heater. I thought they couldn't see the red! Thank you for the advice. What humidity level do you suggest?

@zerop

My enclosed chamber gets no lower than 80%
Some babies try to eat the plastic plants and I would not, do not use them. I know it looks nice, though. Do you need the extra heat emitter with temps already in the comfortable range?

@ZEROPILOT I can experiment with the heat minus the red. With them both on my "cool" side is 83 and "hot" side is 92. I'm assuming I will need them both and to just spread them out? How do you suggest getting the humidity up that high? I spray 2-3 times a day and soak the moss in the morning. I also have lined the top with reflectix. Will do on the plastic plants- I have a few real ones in there too just wanted to create a border. I will go get some more succulents today.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

You don't need a cool and hot side.
If that's the way it winds up, it's O.K.
The whole thing at 84 would be fantastic during the day. And
a CHE on a timer at night to keep it about 75.
Sealing up the top and any gaps will bring up the humidity.
A happy medium will be reached by tweaking and adjusting.

 

[mamameg]

You don't need a cool and hot side.
If that's the way it winds up, it's O.K.
The whole thing at 84 would be fantastic during the day. And
a CHE on a timer at night to keep it about 75.
Sealing up the top and any gaps will bring up the humidity.
A happy medium will be reached by tweaking and adjusting.

@ZEROPILOT Thank you for your help! I will tape down the reflectix.

 

[mamameg]

@ZEROPILOT I am still having a hard time getting her to eat. I am still trying to feed Loretta the same things (mixed greens, turnip greens, mazuri, sweet potato, and rotating strawberries and mushrooms). I have been freshening it twice a day and putting her on top of it many times a day. To my knowledge, she has not eaten for the last two days (and very little since I got her). Is this normal? I have taken out all fake plants and put in real ones from a previous thread on edible plants for redfoots. Her habitat is stabilized at 85 degrees (varies with one side at 83 and the other at 88) with a humidity level between 75-90%. Let me know if you have any helpful hints to get her to eat. Thanks!

 

[Pearly]

You are in good hands here with Ed (ZEROPILOT) I'll just add little to ithttp://www.tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Pearly%27s-tips-to-feed-picky-eater.139381/. Hope you find something useful in this old thread. It was my little cherryhead Tucker who was not eating. Try to get your hands on Mazuri (the regular one, not the LS). Some torts find it irresistable

 

[mamameg]

@Pearly thank you! I will try to blend for her right now. The mazuri I use came from the breeder. It is large and I soak them in warm water and crush over food. I will keep you updated.

 

[mamameg]

@Pearly I chopped up mixed greens, squash, butternut squash, and strawberry separately and put mazuri on all. She ate the dark squash for about 30 seconds. Drank water, knocked over a few plants, and went back to her hide. I am attaching a photo. She does this throat thing that I think is normal- like a jerking/swallowing motion. Advice when you can!

 

[Pearly]

They do make sounds! Surprisingly! Just keep her warm and watch closely. You will be learning a lot about her over the next few months. With the food, try serving different ways, I would at times mix all different things up and just put few favorites on top (pieces of favorite fruit or freeze dried river shrimp) just to spark their interest in eating. With those first few bites trying to get their yums they get some of their "good food" and I figure they go "oh, this ain't so bad either!" and start eating their wholesome meal. Putting things in separate piles is great when you introduce new foods, this way you figure out their likes and dislikes by seeing what they go for most eagerly. Then be sure to add some of that favorite to their chopped salad and sprinkle few chunks on top

 

[Pearly]

My breeder sent me little Mazuri with my babies too, and the entire 3 wks or so that I had ignored it trying to feed them only the best fresh and organic greens with some fruits/veggies, etc my little Tucker was not eating and I was worried he'd just wither away and it wasn't until when i got that Mazuri out soak it and gave him the softened pellets out of desperation, that he started showing interest in food. I suspect Mazuri mash may have been all he had eaten since hatching out and he was just not recognizing other things as food. Again my Tucker was VERY young when i got him. His belly was not quite completely healed yet, looked like the yolk sac had just been absorbed and the scar was still looking like raw flesh. So ... maybe... he had not eaten anything at all?... who knows? Anyway there is something about Mazuri that most torts find very enticing. Initially I was completely discounting commercial pellet food after reading some misleading articles and checking out few different brands' labels. They all had some sort of grain type component and I thought this was bad for them. Now, this is before I had found this forum. Then tried the Mazuri out if desperation and then started stocking up on other brands for the variety. Then being active in this forum I had learned a lot and decided to make the commercial food a part of my pets' diet (daily about ¼ or so) and I'm glad I did bcs I believe that the veterinarian nutritionists spend lots of time researching dietary needs of different animal species and in designing those diets most of those factors are being considered vitamins, aminoacids, trace elements and all the other building blocks of the growing tort's body, in the right amounts and proportions. On the other hand there are many personal aspects of FEEDING people or animal so in a way most of us must figure out the best ways that work for us as well. Just take your time getting to know your pet, keep her safe, RELAX, make sure she is kept nice and warm and humid, soak her daily in nice warm bath for 20-30 min, offer best varied diet (with RF choices are MANY and offer her a "rainbow of colors" to eat daily. The more diversity the better. Allow her time to exercise in the indirect sun and give her fluorescent tube UVB light (not the spiral bulbs or those "loops"). Put cuttle bone in her enclosure and be sure diet includes calcium rich foods.... and again: RELAX! And ENJOY your new pet! They are awesome animals! Really cool to have around. I could sit and watch mine eat and do their thing for hours! There is something really ZEN about them. And wait until you see yours yawn! Omg!!!! The cutest thing ever!!!

 

[Pearly]

@Pearly I chopped up mixed greens, squash, butternut squash, and strawberry separately and put mazuri on all. She ate the dark squash for about 30 seconds. Drank water, knocked over a few plants, and went back to her hide. I am attaching a photo. She does this throat thing that I think is normal- like a jerking/swallowing motion. Advice when you can! View attachment 205509

One more thing, for your everyday feedings I'd put in more greens than what's on your pic. Again, I'm still figuring out my ways but from watching mine eat, move, grow, put on weight, and their poops, I do roughly ½ or more of the meal greens including cactus (dandelions, collards, endive, escarole, grape leaves, whatever weeds i have, plantain is awesome) then ¼ is Mazuri or othen brand (rotating them daily), and other ¼ is fruit, or mushrooms, or veggies, or meat or bit of everything... something like that! I just watch them and play into their taste and likes at

 

[mamameg]

@Pearly @ZEROPILOT it's a (my) Birthday miracle! Loretta has been chowing down for the last 10 minutes on dandelion greens, salad mix, cucumber, and mushrooms!!!
She loves this combination!

Thank you both for all of your advice and links!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

@Pearly @ZEROPILOT it's a (my) Birthday miracle! Loretta has been chowing down for the last 10 minutes on dandelion greens, salad mix, cucumber, and mushrooms!!!
She loves this combination!

Thank you both for all of your advice and links!

See there? each keeper finds their own secret combination. My Redfoot adults don't eat Dandelion. Go figure. Also, white mushrooms and not Portabella.
Whenever I have a very sick individual, my GO-TO food for them is fresh and over ripe mango. Mango is even more addictive than Mazuri.

 

[TammyJ]

That little tortoise is really beautiful!

 

[Pearly]

See there? each keeper finds their own secret combination. My Redfoot adults don't eat Dandelion. Go figure. Also, white mushrooms and not Portabella.
Whenever I have a very sick individual, my GO-TO food for them is fresh and over ripe mango. Mango is even more addictive than Mazuri.

Mango, papaya, banana, prickly pear fruit, chantarelle mushroom for my Shellie. Tucker will ALWAYS go for the shrimp, steamed fresh of freeze dried... anything SHRIMP and thise tiny colorful tort food "flakes". He always tries to get into the jar befire i have a chance to sprinkle them down over their fresh food. It is very useful to know your pet's likes, it helps especially when they get into unusual conditions (illness, stress etc)

 

[mamameg]

Mango, papaya, banana, prickly pear fruit, chantarelle mushroom for my Shellie. Tucker will ALWAYS go for the shrimp, steamed fresh of freeze dried... anything SHRIMP and thise tiny colorful tort food "flakes". He always tries to get into the jar befire i have a chance to sprinkle them down over their fresh food. It is very useful to know your pet's likes, it helps especially when they get into unusual conditions (illness, stress etc)

@Pearly Loretta seems to really like white mushrooms. Are all mushrooms OK? How often do you give fruit a week? She had her first worm this morning and it was the first thing she ate. She seems to really enjoy cucumbers as well.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Cucumber will make for runny poop.
It's a laxative that we sometimes utilize.
My babies eat about 20, 25% fruit. And a lot of meal worms as well as greenery.
My adults eat about 50% fruit in the summer time.
Be careful with sappy, sticky fruit because it quickly draws insects. In the past I had serious battles with fire ants outdoors and sugar ants indoors.