Please critique my redfoot care sheet!(picture heavy)

[TechnoCheese]

That’s me stumped. I don’t own a credit card. A raretty in modern times. Haha.

Looks fine.

I saw a study on adult redfoots and around 90% of them had scars from shell rot. So it does occur naturally quite a lot.

Ok, thank you!

 

[Toddrickfl1]

If I'm not mistaken shell rot and fungus are two different things. I think fungus is pretty minor and easy to get rid of. Shell rot is a little worse but I don't know much about it. I'll wait for others to chime in.

 

[Anyfoot]

I’ve never had a case of shell rot yet with my redfoots, and I keep them very wet. I suspect it’s something to do with what they are actually getting wet on. I’m more and more thinking coir and moss mixed together is a good substrate. The moss keeps it moist and stops it getting messy and at the same time they can dig in. An area with orchid bark allows them to dry out if need be.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Thank you! Would you recommend using one for an adult?

Mine also do not bask. But live outdoors and it's rarely anything but warm.
Also, at night with less humidity...temps into the lower 70s will do no harm to them. In fact with less humidity, I let it get into the 58 degree range before I turn on the heat in my night boxes.
The problem is cool temps PLUS high humidity. Bad combination.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

If I'm not mistaken shell rot and fungus are two different things. I think fungus is pretty minor and easy to get rid of. Shell rot is a little worse but I don't know much about it. I'll wait for others to chime in.

I've had small bouts of shell fungus. Usually during the raining season. (Now)
And yes. Shell rot is a different and serious issue.
My outdoor substrate is mulch, dead leaves, grass and weeds.

 

[Anyfoot]

I've had small bouts of shell fungus. Usually during the raining season. (Now)
And yes. Shell rot is a different and serious issue.
My outdoor substrate is mulch, dead leaves, grass and weeds.

Ed. Tell me , In Florida what is your humidity like. It’s Alien to me to think of high humidity year round.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I really like your care sheet.
The thing is, we are all learning, all of the time. And in sharing our findings, we keep re thinking and discovering better ways of taking better care of our animals. So any care sheet will need to be a work in progress. With a small adjustment needed here and there from time to time.​

 

[TechnoCheese]

I've had small bouts of shell fungus. Usually during the raining season. (Now)
And yes. Shell rot is a different and serious issue.
My outdoor substrate is mulch, dead leaves, grass and weeds.

Are they treated the same, and should I change the “treatment name” to shell rot, or shell fungus?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Ed. Tell me , In Florida what is your humidity like. It’s Alien to me to think of high humidity year round.

Well. For example. Right now it's 85%.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Are they treated the same, and should I change the “treatment name” to shell rot, or shell fungus?

No. Actual rot is microbial. It's smelly, crumbling shell.
Not just a simple fungus.
And for clarification, I have not dealt with anything that serious.
Shell fungus. Get some athletes foot cream. Easy.
Shell rot. Call the vet.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Ed. Tell me , In Florida what is your humidity like. It’s Alien to me to think of high humidity year round.

In the dryer winter months 50% is more accurate. And I supplement with overhead sprinklers.

 

[TechnoCheese]

I really like your care sheet.
The thing is, we are all learning, all of the time. And in sharing our findings, we keep re thinking and discovering better ways of taking better care of our animals. So any care sheet will need to be a work in progress. With a small adjustment needed here and there from time to time.​

Thank you! And yeah, that’s what’s great about tortoises. Information is always changing, we’re always discovering new things, and we never stop learning.
Also this care sheet has taken me WAY too long, lol. But, anything for the poor tortoises on reptile amino(almost no one knows what they’re doing 0-0)!

 

[Toddrickfl1]

I use about 2 inches of coco coir, then coco coir

Ed. Tell me , In Florida what is your humidity like. It’s Alien to me to think of high humidity year round.

Anyfoot, im from South Florida, its very high humidity year round usually 80+. Also the temperature is very warm year round

 

[TechnoCheese]

No some actual rot is microbial. It's smelly, crumbling shell.
Not just a simple fungus.

Do you think I should include both? And was the way I described how you treat shell rot, or fungus?

 

[Anyfoot]

Thank you! And yeah, that’s what’s great about tortoises. Information is always changing, we’re always discovering new things, and we never stop learning.
Also this care sheet has taken me WAY too long, lol. But, anything for the poor tortoises on reptile amino(almost no one knows what they’re doing 0-0)!

Tom has a care sheet on here for Sulcata. I think you should follow that format.

 

[Anyfoot]

I use about 2 inches of coco coir, then coco coir

Anyfoot, im from South Florida, its very high humidity year round usually 80+. Also the temperature is very warm year round

Just out of interest, have you ever checked the humidity levels out in the open sunlight.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Do you think I should include both? And was the way I described how you treat shell rot, or fungus?

Fungus.
Most keepers will never encounter shell rot.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Just out of interest, have you ever checked the humidity levels out in the open sunlight.

My meter is on a post on the wall of my south facing pen

 

[TechnoCheese]

Tom has a care sheet on here for Sulcata. I think you should follow that format.

I totally would, but we have a set format for people to create care sheets, because members were creating sheets that were badly formatted, or didn’t have enough information. As an admin of the site, it would be a bit hypocritical to stray too far from it.(also, I’m way too lazy to go through the trouble of reformatting it, lol)

 

[TechnoCheese]

Fungus.
Most keepers will never encounter shell rot.

Ok, thank you!