Newbie with Questions- Redfoot

[Lou_eeees]

Hi Everyone! I am planning to add a tortoise to our family this spring/summer, and have been lurking here for a few months while I research different species. I have decided that a Redfoot would be a good fit for us, and I would rather have a young adult or juvenile than a hatchling. I live in central Alabama. We have a humid climate that stays warm most of the year. I have an 8'x8' outdoor area that can be expanded as needed, and space indoors for winter. I have located a Redfoot near me that is in need of rehoming. I am going to look at it tomorrow. The info that I have is vague, and honestly combined with the photos, I think it is currently in a not so great situation. It looks to have some pretty major pyramiding. I am willing to put in the time/research/work/$$.....but with this level of pyramiding, am I jumping in over my head for a first time tort owner? Any advice is appreciated!!!
Info from the current owner:
The red foot is big enough for me to just wrap both of my hands around. I want to say it is a male because his tail is longer and I’m not sure of his age but maybe 4-5 years. I bought from petsmart in the year of 2020. He is a super sweet baby, he’s always loved head pets and he absolutely loves strawberries. I’ve been mostly feeding him lettuce, strawberries, blue berries, some hay pellets, dried mealworms, and some dried flowers. I’ve let him eat some different things but I’ve found so far that’s been his favorites.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

He has been kept too dry and possibly without an adequate UVB source and definitely a less than great diet.
The pyramiding itself can just be cosmetic. But it can also often be an indication that several critical needs have not been met.
I can't and don't want to recall how many thousands of dollars I've spent nursing free or otherwise unwanted Redfoot back to health.

Get a good look at him/her. See if he walks with his body fully raised off of the ground. Make sure his legs are strong and straight. Make sure his shell is hard and that his eyes are wide open and glassy clear.
Listen to him breathing. It should be silent. Lift him up and make sure he feels relatively heavy. If there is poop. Look at it and see if it's solid or watery.

Be prepared ahead of time by locating a local vet that is experienced in tortoises.
You may or may not need one.

 

[Lou_eeees]

He has been kept too dry and possibly without an adequate UVB source and definitely a less than great diet.
The pyramiding itself can just be cosmetic. But it can also often be an indication that several critical needs have not been met.
I can't and don't want to recall how many thousands of dollars I've spent nursing free or otherwise unwanted Redfoot back to health.

Get a good look at him/her. See if he walks with his body fully raised off of the ground. Make sure his legs are strong and straight. Make sure his shell is hard and that his eyes are wide open and glassy clear.
Listen to him breathing. It should be silent. Lift him up and make sure he feels relatively heavy. If there is poop. Look at it and see if it's solid or watery.

Be prepared ahead of time by locating a local vet that is experienced in tortoises.
You may or may not need one.

Thank you so much for the fast response! You have given me some (pretty easy for my newbie eyes to see) signs to look for. That is exactly the kind of advice that I was hoping for! I don't want to leave the poor guy in a bad situation, but I am also realistic and don't want to take on a more severe issue than I'm prepared for. Hopefully the pyramiding is just cosmetic! I will update after I see him/her in person tomorrow.
PS. I have a great vet who sees a lot of exotics, and whose assistant has torts.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Thank you so much for the fast response! You have given me some (pretty easy for my newbie eyes to see) signs to look for. That is exactly the kind of advice that I was hoping for! I don't want to leave the poor guy in a bad situation, but I am also realistic and don't want to take on a more severe issue than I'm prepared for. Hopefully the pyramiding is just cosmetic! I will update after I see him/her in person tomorrow.
PS. I have a great vet who sees a lot of exotics, and whose assistant has torts.

A hard shell and strong straight legs that fully lift the body when he walks. No dragging....
That's a good indicator of no MBD. Or not severe MBD.

 

[wellington]

He has been kept too dry and possibly without an adequate UVB source and definitely a less than great diet.
The pyramiding itself can just be cosmetic. But it can also often be an indication that several critical needs have not been met.
I can't and don't want to recall how many thousands of dollars I've spent nursing free or otherwise unwanted Redfoot back to health.

Get a good look at him/her. See if he walks with his body fully raised off of the ground. Make sure his legs are strong and straight. Make sure his shell is hard and that his eyes are wide open and glassy clear.
Listen to him breathing. It should be silent. Lift him up and make sure he feels relatively heavy. If there is poop. Look at it and see if it's solid or watery.

Be prepared ahead of time by locating a local vet that is experienced in tortoises.
You may or may not need one.

That enclosure he is in is too small for his size. If they want to sell that with the tort don't buy it unless you need it for a temp home, very temporary. Also the diet needs improving. They can eat fruit but not only fruit. Sounds like that's mostly what he gets.
Zeropilot can fill you in more on what should be added.
Good luck.

 

[Lou_eeees]

That enclosure he is in is too small for his size. If they want to sell that with the tort don't buy it unless you need it for a temp home, very temporary. Also the diet needs improving. They can eat fruit but not only fruit. Sounds like that's mostly what he gets.
Zeropilot can fill you in more on what should be added.
Good luck.

Thank you! They actually did offer to sell the enclosure, but I declined. I need to add more plants, but other than that my outdoor space is ready to go. Our temps are currently in the high 70's-low 80's during the day and mid 60's at night. If he needs to spend time inside in the next week or so, I will use an extra large rubbermaid until I finish getting my indoor space ready.
Here's hoping the issues are not serious, and he/she gets to come home with me tomorrow! I have fresh bananas, strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, cantaloupe, apples, turnip greens, and spring mix on hand just in case (my family eats a lot of fresh fruit and salad!)....not to mention a yard full of weeds.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Thank you! They actually did offer to sell the enclosure, but I declined. I need to add more plants, but other than that my outdoor space is ready to go. Our temps are currently in the high 70's-low 80's during the day and mid 60's at night. If he needs to spend time inside in the next week or so, I will use an extra large rubbermaid until I finish getting my indoor space ready.
Here's hoping the issues are not serious, and he/she gets to come home with me tomorrow! I have fresh bananas, strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, cantaloupe, apples, turnip greens, and spring mix on hand just in case (my family eats a lot of fresh fruit and salad!)....not to mention a yard full of weeds.

You'll need a CHE for heat on a thermostat
You'll need a linear, strip T5 florescent UVB Lighting fixture and you'll need to set up a closed chamber enclosure to keep him warm and humid. At least 70% humidity 24/7.
Temperature between 80 and 88. (82).
A diet of over 60% fruit is great to get a RF tortoise acclimated. But too much fruit can cause digestion issues in a RF that has internal parasites. So make it 40-50% and make it berries and figs and less sweet fruit at first.

 

[Tom]

I have an 8'x8' outdoor area that can be expanded as needed...

Build a heated and insulated nigh box so your tortoise can stay outside at night, and farther into fall, and earlier out in spring. Like this:

Single Tortoise Night Box

I like my larger tortoises to live outside full time. My climate permits this year round with a little help. For people who live where it snows all winter, this type of box is still good for warmer weather, getting them out earlier in Spring, and keeping them out a bit later into fall. You'll...

tortoiseforum.org

Double Door Night Box

As the years have gone by and I build more of these boxes, I learn more and more each time. This one is the latest and I incorporated everything I've learned over the years. I also tried to take lots of pics so I can explain in more detail some of what is going on. It will take multiple posts to...

tortoiseforum.org

Also 8x8 is a bit on the small side for a tortoise that size. Go BIG! I'd want at least 20x20, but larger than that would be better.

 

[Lou_eeees]

Good Morning! Thank you all so much for the excellent advice.
I went to meet the tort yesterday. He walked well, his shell was hard, and his eyes were clear....so he came home with me. I let him walk around his outdoor area for a little while, then gave him a good soak and tucked him into an extra large rubbermaid for the night. He didn't eat, but the former owners said that they fed him yesterday afternoon. He peed. He pooped. (which amazed my 10yr old son in it's size...lol). Is that fungus on the bottom of his shell? I have athletes foot cream, but wanted to be sure first. Any other advice or observations are welcomed and appreciated!
PS. We are a family that LOVES old country music, so what else could we call a "Red Headed Stranger" but Willie Nelson? He (or she) will be called Nelson for short.

 

[TammyJ]

Love the name.

 

[Lou_eeees]

Build a heated and insulated nigh box so your tortoise can stay outside at night, and farther into fall, and earlier out in spring. Like this:

Single Tortoise Night Box

I like my larger tortoises to live outside full time. My climate permits this year round with a little help. For people who live where it snows all winter, this type of box is still good for warmer weather, getting them out earlier in Spring, and keeping them out a bit later into fall. You'll...

tortoiseforum.org

Double Door Night Box

As the years have gone by and I build more of these boxes, I learn more and more each time. This one is the latest and I incorporated everything I've learned over the years. I also tried to take lots of pics so I can explain in more detail some of what is going on. It will take multiple posts to...

tortoiseforum.org

Also 8x8 is a bit on the small side for a tortoise that size. Go BIG! I'd want at least 20x20, but larger than that would be better.

I can't get the link to work...is it just me?

 

[jaizei]

I can't get the link to work...is it just me?

Try again. I fixed the formatting so they should work

 

[Lou_eeees]

Try again. I fixed the formatting so they should work

They work now! Thanks!

 

[Tom]

Try again. I fixed the formatting so they should work

Thank you for the assist. Anything I can do going forward to make sure they work?

 

[jaizei]

Thank you for the assist. Anything I can do going forward to make sure they work?

there was just a space missing between the links

 

[Ink]

I'm not an expert but, in the pictures his tail looks really fat?

 

[Maggie3fan]

I'm not an expert but, in the pictures his tail looks really fat?

Uh oh...That's what I thought as well....Nelson...male

 

[Lou_eeees]

His tail is really fat. His plastron also seems to be slightly concave...we are calling "him" Nelson either way though. Lol!