New tort arrives Saturday. food ? and uv exposure ?

[ubecrew610]

So i am hoping to pickup a redfoot at the Hamburg reptile show on Saturday i am looking to get a larger redfoot maybe a few years old instead of a baby. how much food, do you give them per day......Mazuri, leafy greens, veggies?

on to my second point, i will be housing him outside till sometime in September when temps begin to fall here in Pa. his enclosure is about 8ft x 6ft... i hope on warm winter days i can let him in his outdoor enclosure..... will this be enough uv exposure to not have UV lighting in his indoor enclosure for the winter?

 

[Mgridgaway]

My general rule of thumb for food is "as much as they can get eat in one sitting" when it comes to leafy greens and veggies. A little fruit once a week. With Mazuri, I tend to feed them a few (4 or 5) kibbles twice a week.

As for UV exposure, the general rule is about 1 hour of full sun per week. I don't know what the translation would be for winter, when the sun is weaker, but I wouldn't recommend letting your redfoot out during the winter unless A)It gets above 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and B) your tort is an adult. A Redfoot's ideal range is between 80-85 Fahrenheit (with cooler and warmer spots for variety). It needs to warm up to at least 70 during the day to survive, but it would rather be warmer. My suggestion is get him a Mercury Vapor Bulb for the winter, and turn it off once he goes outside for the summer. Knowing how bitter PA winters get (I live in MD, which isn't as bad, but still) I wouldn't even bother trying to take a Redfoot out.

Also, let us know what you think of the Hamburg Reptile Show! I've always been tempted to go but the drive is just a little too far for me (about 2 hours).

 

[ubecrew610]

i love the hamburg show, i have always gotten great deals on snakes, cages, heating equipment. but i have never went looking for torts or equipment..... i know it is bad but i havnt set up an indoor enclosure yet since i dont really know what i will be getting. large or small redfoot or maybe a russian. i think i am just going to use a baby pool inside for winter, i can put it in my office and i can suspend my lights from the ceiling.

 

[Mgridgaway]

Sounds like a good plan! Im sure you know this, but just remember that redfoots get much much larger than Russians.

 

[ubecrew610]

Sounds like a good plan! Im sure you know this, but just remember that redfoots get much much larger than Russians.

i just got off the phone with a local breeder and purchased a Cherryhead Redfoot..... i get him Saturday and am very excited. He is to Small to live outside (10 Months) all the time so he we get supervised visits to his outdoor pen.

Tommorrow i think i will stop at walmart and buy a kids plastic pool and use that for my indoor tort table. i think they are about 4ft x 4ft correct....

 

[Mgridgaway]

Congrats! Be sure to post pictures! And just out of curiosity, who is the breeder?

 

[ubecrew610]

Congrats! Be sure to post pictures! And just out of curiosity, who is the breeder?

http://turtletowns.com/

local to me but he will be at the show so i will pick him up there. I dont think he bred him, but has all the info from mom/dad and pics of parents and pics from his hatching....

i am looking for recomendations on uv lighting since he will no be housed inside..... i plan to use a CHE and a uv bulb i remember seeing people buy a UVA/UVB light from amazon for 30 dollars was almost a 100 but i cant remember the name?

---

 

[Mgridgaway]

If you're talking about a combined heat/uvb mercury vapor bulb, I use Zoo Med Powersun 100 Watts. Sometimes Amazon stocks it... sometimes you have to buy through a amazon third party marketer.

 

[ubecrew610]

If you're talking about a combined heat/uvb mercury vapor bulb, I use Zoo Med Powersun 100 Watts. Sometimes Amazon stocks it... sometimes you have to buy through a amazon third party marketer.

thats the one thank you.....

 

[Nixxy]

Sounds like a good plan! Im sure you know this, but just remember that redfoots get much much larger than Russians.

i just got off the phone with a local breeder and purchased a Cherryhead Redfoot..... i get him Saturday and am very excited. He is to Small to live outside (10 Months) all the time so he we get supervised visits to his outdoor pen.

Tommorrow i think i will stop at walmart and buy a kids plastic pool and use that for my indoor tort table. i think they are about 4ft x 4ft correct....

Usually around that. You can find them at around 6ft x 6ft as well, and a smaller variation.

They are good to use, I'd imagine. Very simple to clean.