New Tortoise

[Sirius]

Well I bought a redfoot tortoise the other day. I have always wanted one and saw this is one in a Petsmart with its head in the corner and I just had to get it. I found out it was a girl and that she had been in two homes already, brought back because the people didn't know what they were doing. I admit it was a semi-impulse buy (I did go home before purchasing and researched long and hard three days before going back! I was not as prepared as I like to be, but I guessed my care would be better than Petsmarts and sometimes its just hard to resist. Especially when its this little tortoise looking all depressed in the corner). Anyways, I have her setup in a big underbed tub. And I think she is around 1-2 years old and seems to be in good health.

But just I have some questions because of conflicting or unclear information:

Would it be better to put her in a glass tank, maybe 75 gallons? I've seen some people use this and it seems like redfoots are the exception to the no-glass-tanks rule.

Another thing I was thinking, was to use my bathtub. I'm on the 3rd floor of my house and have a bathroom with an old bathtub that measures 50"L x 24"W. I never use it and just use the showers downstairs. I would tape over the drain and add a few bag-fulls of cypress mulch to get it at a height that would utilize space more. The tub is in a smallish bathroom with its own heating vent, so it would be warm (75ish) if I keep the door closed.

Would this be okay for a while? I would add live plants and moss to raise the humidity and might try a shower curtain, which I saw on the forum. I also live in Maryland, so its cold right now, by the way.

Another question is have is about lighting. I have heard no UVB and then some UVB and then no light and some light. I was going to get a 100 watt MVB suspended by a stand and a 5000-7000K CFL for the plants. Would that be too much light, could I block some of it somehow? Or should I get the UVB strip, CHE and CFL? I'm just not sure how I would suspend the UVB strip if I used the tub. I know some people say no UVB is needed, but it wouldn't hurt and redfoots don't live in the dark, they would get exposed to the sun in the wild.

I also wanna run my diet plan by everyone.
The Base is calcium-rich greens like dandelions, endive, turnip greens, ect. It spans two weeks.

And one more thing, she sometimes seems to either be breathing really hard or bobbing her head. I know head bobbing is a form of submissiveness in lizards when they feel threatened by a bigger animal. Does this apply to tortoises? And how would I go about getting her used to me?

Well, I think thats all the questions I have for now, thanks in advance to anyone who answers!

I will have pics of her up soon, still thinking of a name...

 

[Jessicap]

Congratulations! I am pretty new myself. My first tort is a RF. Here is a great caresheet that I am using and it seems to make Sidney happy... lol http://www.turtletary.com/redfootcare.htm

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Sirius:

(May we know your name?)

I think the tub idea is a good one, however, I know that porcelain is pretty darned cold and I wonder if it can be warmed up with the lights or if it would stay cold. That's really the only concern that I have about it.....its waterproof, escape proof and pretty safe, but is it warm enough? You would have to figure out some way to suspend the lights low enough to do some good too.

I don't keep redfoot tortoises, so I can't offer my opinion on any of your other points...but welcome to the forum!!

 

[terryo]

I'm no expert, but my oldest Cherry Head is 3 1/2 and doing well so far. I had him in a 75 gal vivarium. I just got a 125 gal but haven't set it up yet. I use garden soil, mixed with peat moss for substrate and I sprinkle some cypress mulch on top. I use tropical plants, which I plant right in the little pot they come in. The substrate is deep enough to cover the pot. In the hide I have a lot of moss which I buy from CarolinaPet Supply. I like it the best, as it's very soft and has no extra junk in it. I have a screen cover on top with a heat emitter and a long tube 5.0 UVB. The heat emitter stays on 24/7, keeping the temperature in the high 80's. I water the plants right in the pot they're planted in and mist the plants and the tort when he comes out to eat. The humidity usually stays in the 70's. Most of the screen top is covered with clear wrapping tape. This is just what has worked for me, and isn't written in stone. I only have Cherry Head's so have been using glass tanks, as they hold in the humidity and heat very well. I've been using this concept for my box turtles for over 30 years now, with much success. This is a set up that I have a 6 month old Cherry Head in.
I feed greens two days, fruit one day, protein sprinkled with calcium every two weeks for the little one. The big one only gets protein once a month, but I sprinkle the calcium on his greens every third day about. Oh...and welcome to the forum!

 

[eudora09]

Congrats on the redfoot! You'll love her. I rescued mine and ended up getting another one to go with Dozer. I use a MVB for my redfoots and they love it. I'll catch them at different times of the day stretched out with their necks and legs all out right under the MVB soaking up rays before going back to their darker side. Their MVB is set on a timer to come on at 7 am and go off at 8 pm.
Dozer and Aurora were both scared of me at first. But when I would put their food in their enclosure I would talk to them and rub the top of their shell. After a few days they were coming up to me when I went to feed them. So just give it a little time and she'll be coming up to you. Dozer now will chase after us when given an opportunity to come out of his enclosure.

I would worry about the tub being too cold. You might be able to work out something to heat the tub. Maybe something like this.... http://www.bigappleherp.com/Big-Apple-Flexible-Heat-Ropes I'm actually thinking about getting it to use with my redfoots once I finish their new enclosure. Right now they are in a 60 gal terrarium with a MVB and a heat lamp on one end and a UTH (under tank heater) on the other.

 

[Torty Mom]

Welcome to TFO

 

[LindaF]

Welcome! I knew someone that kept snapping turtles in their tub but not a tortoise. It has it's possibilities for a humid room. In the long run I think you would both be happier with a tank or tortoise table. Having your new buddy out where you can watch and enjoy him.

---

I'm no expert, but my oldest Cherry Head is 3 1/2 and doing well so far. I had him in a 75 gal vivarium. I just got a 125 gal but haven't set it up yet. I use garden soil, mixed with peat moss for substrate and I sprinkle some cypress mulch on top. I use tropical plants, which I plant right in the little pot they come in. The substrate is deep enough to cover the pot. In the hide I have a lot of moss which I buy from CarolinaPet Supply. I like it the best, as it's very soft and has no extra junk in it. I have a screen cover on top with a heat emitter and a long tube 5.0 UVB. The heat emitter stays on 24/7, keeping the temperature in the high 80's. I water the plants right in the pot they're planted in and mist the plants and the tort when he comes out to eat. The humidity usually stays in the 70's. Most of the screen top is covered with clear wrapping tape. This is just what has worked for me, and isn't written in stone. I only have Cherry Head's so have been using glass tanks, as they hold in the humidity and heat very well. I've been using this concept for my box turtles for over 30 years now, with much success. This is a set up that I have a 6 month old Cherry Head in.
I feed greens two days, fruit one day, protein sprinkled with calcium every two weeks for the little one. The big one only gets protein once a month, but I sprinkle the calcium on his greens every third day about. Oh...and welcome to the forum!

Terry, I always love seeing pics of your beautiful tanks. You have very lucky (and cute) torts!

 

[Sirius]

Well thanks for the info and the warm welcome!

I have decided to use the tub, using my Tempgun on the tub surface I found out that it was 70 degrees on the side without the light and 75 on the light side. So it does hold a bit of the heat and seems like it won't be a problem. The room really does get warm if the door is kept shut. I walked in there today and there was a big difference compared to my coldish room. Its a toasty 75-80 in there and felt pretty humid (still need to get a humidity thermometer) but I added a ton of plants around the rim and in the room, so I'm sure they will boost the humidity. Its like a little jungle room now. And its just going to be for a few months, I'm going to build a outdoor pen for the spring/summer. And then I can invest in a tortoise table or large aquarium.

I have also decided on the MVB bulb. I don't know how I would suspend a UVB tube, so I'll just use the MVB. From my experience its not too bright and I will use some plants to block it off a bit and give that dappled sunshine look.

She is more active and less shy around me now, but she hasn't eaten in 4 days. She ate the day after I bought her (some endive) but has completely ignored the cantaloupe, carrots, squash, and apples I have offered since then. She sorta pecked at it with her mouth closed and moved on.

 

[Jacqui]

What temp is it down on her substrate? Is that at the warmest spot?

Is she still doing the head bobbing and breathing hard? Do you hear her whistling or see any bubbles?

Are you soaking her? Does she have an actual hide (humid especially)?

What were they feeding her before? Have you tried other greens or just the fruit?

 

[Sirius]

What temp is it down on her substrate? Is that at the warmest spot?

Is she still doing the head bobbing and breathing hard? Do you hear her whistling or see any bubbles?

Are you soaking her? Does she have an actual hide (humid especially)?

What were they feeding her before? Have you tried other greens or just the fruit?

The temperature in the substrate is 80-85 near the light the warmest spot being around 87-90 (basking area), and 70-75 at the other end and in her humid hide (a sideways terra-cotta pot with sphagnum moss, though I'm going to create a mound using wire as a support system and cover it with mulch and pillow moss for natural insulation).

She hasn't done the head bobbing in the last three days, no whistling or bubbles either.

I soaked her about 4 days ago in warm water.

I don't know what they were feeding her before but I'm guessing its the petsmart mix with lettuce and carrots and a few other things. I fed her endive the first day, which she ate. But when offered again with other things she didn't eat it.

 

[Marty333]

try mushrooms my redfoot who I got at petsmart LOVES mushrooms!

 

[Madkins007]

Well I bought a redfoot tortoise the other day. I have always wanted one and saw this is one in a Petsmart with its head in the corner and I just had to get it. I found out it was a girl and that she had been in two homes already, brought back because the people didn't know what they were doing. I admit it was a semi-impulse buy (I did go home before purchasing and researched long and hard three days before going back! I was not as prepared as I like to be, but I guessed my care would be better than Petsmarts and sometimes its just hard to resist. Especially when its this little tortoise looking all depressed in the corner). Anyways, I have her setup in a big underbed tub. And I think she is around 1-2 years old and seems to be in good health.

But just I have some questions because of conflicting or unclear information:

Would it be better to put her in a glass tank, maybe 75 gallons? I've seen some people use this and it seems like redfoots are the exception to the no-glass-tanks rule.

The 'no glass tanks' rule is mostly over-reaction. Glass tanks offer several benefits- visibility, easy control over heat and humidity, etc. The big downsides are manageable- weight, overheats in the sun, gets overly humid for some species, etc.

Another thing I was thinking, was to use my bathtub. I'm on the 3rd floor of my house and have a bathroom with an old bathtub that measures 50"L x 24"W. I never use it and just use the showers downstairs. I would tape over the drain and add a few bag-fulls of cypress mulch to get it at a height that would utilize space more. The tub is in a smallish bathroom with its own heating vent, so it would be warm (75ish) if I keep the door closed.

Would this be okay for a while? I would add live plants and moss to raise the humidity and might try a shower curtain, which I saw on the forum. I also live in Maryland, so its cold right now, by the way.

This should be fine as long as long as you can maintain temps and humidity.

Another question is have is about lighting. I have heard no UVB and then some UVB and then no light and some light. I was going to get a 100 watt MVB suspended by a stand and a 5000-7000K CFL for the plants. Would that be too much light, could I block some of it somehow? Or should I get the UVB strip, CHE and CFL? I'm just not sure how I would suspend the UVB strip if I used the tub. I know some people say no UVB is needed, but it wouldn't hurt and redfoots don't live in the dark, they would get exposed to the sun in the wild.

Ah, the big lighting question. Well... vitamin D is required for proper bone development, and UV light is one way to accomplish it. UV light is also considered to be helpful for proper eye development (as long as you don't overdo it) and for some of the glands, like the pineal gland. Some people say they do OK without it, but most experts strongly recommend it.

There are several ways to offer enough UVB and light in general- Balboa wrote an article about it in the Articles section, or you can try the lighting section at my site- http://www.tortoiselibrary.com/lhh.html

You are right about Red-foots getting light in the wild. Most Red-foots are a savannah or scrub forest species and get lots of light.

I also wanna run my diet plan by everyone.
The Base is calcium-rich greens like dandelions, endive, turnip greens, ect. It spans two weeks.

Red-foots can eat fruit and meat, but the fruits and meats generally offered are a lot 'richer' than what they get in the wild. I know a popular diet on this forum suggests similar amounts of fruit and meat, but I think it is far too much. My site also has a diet plan you can look at. I'm still working on the shopping list. http://www.tortoiselibrary.com/diet.html

And one more thing, she sometimes seems to either be breathing really hard or bobbing her head. I know head bobbing is a form of submissiveness in lizards when they feel threatened by a bigger animal. Does this apply to tortoises? And how would I go about getting her used to me?

Head bobbing is more a form of calm breathing if she is sitting quietly. After all, they cannot move their ribs to breathe. You would get her used to you about the same way as any other animal. Slowly, calmly, step-by-step.

Well, I think thats all the questions I have for now, thanks in advance to anyone who answers!

I will have pics of her up soon, still thinking of a name...

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Congrats & Welcome.