Non active red foot tortoise

Angie_P

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Oct 28, 2020
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Chula Vista
Hi, I’m new to this forum. In the past month I’ve gotten a red foot tortoise that I’ve been told is about 1 1/2-2 years old. He seems to be healthy and eating well but literally will stay in the cooler side of his enclosure the whole day. He perks up a little when I open that side but I never see him just freely walking around. I’ll move him when I feed him and he’ll walk over to his food but afterwards he walks right back and goes and hides. His enclosure is in the low 80’s. His basking area is 95. I use a reptile fogger/humidifier to get humidity in his enclosure. His covered area of the cage usually stays in the low to mid 70’s. Any suggestions are welcome. Thank you. I’ll include some pictures...

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JoesMum

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Red foots are tropical tortoises from the rainforest. They don’t need to bask, but they do need steady warmth at 85F day and night.

They need a closed chamber - a lid on top - so the heat and humidity cannot escape. Your open enclosure does not provide the environment needed

Please read this care sheet and compare it with your setup; it is a collaborative effort that’s been put together by Technocheese
 

ArmadilloPup

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Agreed, those nice-looking wooden cages are a trap for new redfoot parents. You can temporarily fix it by placing plexiglass over most of the wire top, but the humidity will eventually break down that cage.

My guess for the hiding is that it's too bright. In the forest, they spend a lot of time in dens or undergrowth. If your heat is a lamp, switch to a CHE. You can block some of the lighting with soft fake plants like Fluker's. They will decimate live plants, so only invest in those if you want to replace them a lot.

You'll also need a MUCH bigger water bowl, most redfoots like water and will sit in it. We figured out that our own goober will go back to sleep in his own den even if it's flooded (apparently they will do this in the wild, with just their nose sticking out).

A big welcome to you and your new buddy :)
 

Angie_P

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Joined
Oct 28, 2020
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Chula Vista
Red foots are tropical tortoises from the rainforest. They don’t need to bask, but they do need steady warmth at 85F day and night.

They need a closed chamber - a lid on top - so the heat and humidity cannot escape. Your open enclosure does not provide the environment needed

Please read this care sheet and compare it with your setup; it is a collaborative effort that’s been put together by Technocheese
[/QUOTE
Red foots are tropical tortoises from the rainforest. They don’t need to bask, but they do need steady warmth at 85F day and night.

They need a closed chamber - a lid on top - so the heat and humidity cannot escape. Your open enclosure does not provide the environment needed

Please read this care sheet and compare it with your setup; it is a collaborative effort that’s been put together by Technocheese
Ok! Thank you, good to know :)
 

Angie_P

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Joined
Oct 28, 2020
Messages
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Location (City and/or State)
Chula Vista
Agreed, those nice-looking wooden cages are a trap for new redfoot parents. You can temporarily fix it by placing plexiglass over most of the wire top, but the humidity will eventually break down that cage.

My guess for the hiding is that it's too bright. In the forest, they spend a lot of time in dens or undergrowth. If your heat is a lamp, switch to a CHE. You can block some of the lighting with soft fake plants like Fluker's. They will decimate live plants, so only invest in those if you want to replace them a lot.

You'll also need a MUCH bigger water bowl, most redfoots like water and will sit in it. We figured out that our own goober will go back to sleep in his own den even if it's flooded (apparently they will do this in the wild, with just their nose sticking out).

A big welcome to you and your new buddy :)
Thank you for your feedback ❤️ I use a ceramic heat emitter. And as for the light... i thought it was really important for them to have the uv rays... is it not so much with red foots?
 

ArmadilloPup

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The hood light and CHE are perfect. UV is still important, but they only really need a short time of exposure to it (like with humans, I think it's only 15 minutes a day). So you don't have to flood the entire cage, just have a small area where it's available for when they do come out. They also get vitamin D through their diet. So sometimes they will avoid the light for days, other times they'll go right over and hang out in the light. Right now, since he's new and shy, he probably wants to stay out of the light, and that's okay!
 

Srmcclure

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Gosh you have a cute little guy there!

Like was stated above, a closed chamber is going to be your best friend. I use grow tents for mine and they work great after a small amount of tweaking and are super affordable on amazon for a larger size. Mine is 3ft x 6ft and was only about $90 when I got it. It gives my redfoot lots of room since she's about the same age of 2ish
They hold heat and humidity amazingly and I never have to use a humidifier to keep it 85%+ and 84° ?
I use a RHP instead of a CHE so thats why no lamp can be seen lol

And mine loves to hide too until I come home or bring her fruit lol
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Chi Chi says hi and welcome to her new redfoot friend ?
 

Angie_P

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Chula Vista
Gosh you have a cute little guy there!

Like was stated above, a closed chamber is going to be your best friend. I use grow tents for mine and they work great after a small amount of tweaking and are super affordable on amazon for a larger size. Mine is 3ft x 6ft and was only about $90 when I got it. It gives my redfoot lots of room since she's about the same age of 2ish
They hold heat and humidity amazingly and I never have to use a humidifier to keep it 85%+ and 84° ?
I use a RHP instead of a CHE so thats why no lamp can be seen lol

And mine loves to hide too until I come home or bring her fruit lol
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Chi Chi says hi and welcome to her new redfoot friend ?
Ok, good to know!! Thank you! I’ll look into getting one of those! Love how you set your enclosure up!!
 

Srmcclure

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Ok, good to know!! Thank you! I’ll look into getting one of those! Love how you set your enclosure up!!
Thanks! Oh, and most of my big plants came from hobby lobby when they do the ½ off sale lol ? I try to be thrifty lol

If you decide to got that route look for 3x3x6ish or 4x4x7 or 8. Don't get they 2x4x6 lol. Awkward to set up and keep heat lol. If you have any questions about them I'll be more than willing to help out ?
 
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