PLEASE I need some help - ive been up all night

[rguillenj]

Hey there, so my name is Ruben and im a Baylor university student here in Texas. So basically (please dont get too mad at me) im just afraid for my little guy (Koopa - hes a red foot). He eats well, walks around fine but it seems like he keeps getting bumpier, i know its not good, but i try and fight the pyramiding and just want some advice.

Here are pics of him to get me started:

And of his habitat:

So first thing tomorrow is im going to go and buy my koopa some cypress mulch to help with the humitidty.

This is a rundown of how i take care of him.

-When i get home he walks anywhere in my room, it is clean and he doesnt eat anything bad from it, he gets his exercise (i need to start taking him out more; he gets about 2 days where me and him are out a week - they are for a while usually)

-when im not at home he stays in his enclosure; but as i said most of the time he just walks around the house, like if i leave for food i know hell be fine in my room (he usually goes to his hiding places)

-my house is always at least at 72-75 degrees (some say thats cold, others say its not)

-i feed him at night usually, a bunch of romaine lettuce and the radiccio and carrots

-i have (will not anymore) fed him low fat cat food for his meat supplement, but after tonight i read too many times that this is bad and i WILL NOT ANYMORE (but would like to know if this was the cause)

-the humidifier in the picture is turned on at random, there is no set time i do it.

-the bulbs are basking on the right, and uvb on the left. But only when he eats do i turn it off, i will turn it on more now.

-his shell is NOT soft or anything, he lives happily but i dont want there later to be problems; earlier today we went to the park and he had a great time. got a lot of exercise in.

I just want to know what to change and fix for my little guy, i feel like just tearing up to think even one part of him isnt healthy.

-oh, I do sprinkle calcium powder on his food at least once weekly with a treat thrown in (like a strawberry)

-he (even though hes a she) likes cucumbers alot; i fed him a boiled egg once and he ate it very fast, but later had an upset stomach, but after reading some things im going to try again with the egg

I love him and want to only take care of him, his shell is strong and firm, idk what it is. Humidity? diet? Any help would be so much appreciated. Even right now that i woke him up to take the pictures and write this hes just walking around, playing with my stuff lying around.

Please help =/


Thank you,

-ruben

 

[dmarcus]

I think he need a better diet, nothing wrong with romaine but its not enough to give him all the nutrients he needs... Add some turnip, mustard or collard greens, kale or spring mix. For veggies, add things like yellow squash, zucchini. And you can add some fruit on occasion.

---

You may also want to add some type of protien to his diet, pre-killed pinkies (new born mice), chicken, organ meat, boiled eggs etc.

 

[tortadise]

Ditto on diet. Instead of cat food use snails or worms. Stick with dark leafy greens as stated above you can add some endive and dandelion these guys love flowers too and are good in nutrients.

 

[exoticsdr]

Sunshine Ruben.....get him out to enjoy this Texas sun!

 

[wellington]

Sunshine Ruben.....get him out to enjoy this Texas sun!

DITTO, he also needs a larger indoor enclosure. The humidity is probably not working as there is no cover to keep it in.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Ruben:

I'm afraid your enclosure is way too small for a tortoise of that size. And allowing him to walk around your room just isn't the way to go. Your tortoise needs a good diet, sunshine, warmth, lots of humidity and exercise in order to grow smoothly. But the humidity is the main part of that equation.

 

[LeaderLeprechaun]

if you dont wanna go out and buy worms you can feed him boiled shrimp tails. my RF LOOOOOOOOVES shrimp. btw so far that ive read up on id feed fruit more than just once a week. they are a tropical species as you know and the rainforest is full of ripe fruit. so bout twice a week feed him strawberries,apples, pears, pineapple and such but NO citrus. cucumber doesnt have any nutritional value so no point feeding him that. squash, bell peppers, and occasionally carrots are good. no tomato, i found tomato upsets my red foots stomach which could go along with the acidity. if you need a lid for the humidity you could use a plastic container cover but be sure to leave and opening where the tube for the humidifier and so oxygen can get in. its super cheap and easy since you need a bigger container for the guy you could always build one for him outside and for inside get a larger container from home depot or lowes. i found one, the largest they have until christmas trees come back out. was 22 bucks and about 4 feet long/2 feet wide. be much better than what you have now and you can always upgrade later. i will say though, you had the right ideas and all of us needed tuning up down the road so dont feel bad. there are quite of few of experienced ppl here that had the same problems as you do and had to learn from them as well so dont get dishearted.

 

[StudentoftheReptile]

I generally concur with a lot of the above comments. Your current set-up is too small, and that open-top makes it very difficult to maintain proper temps and proper humidity.

Speaking of temperatures, you NEED to acquire a temperature gun. This really is a must for any reptile keeper. Read this for details.

I personally do not think you should let him roam around on the floor of the house for long periods of time for several reasons. Its one thing if its only for 20-30 mins a day, but you say "most of the time." The temperatures in your house are not ideal for keeping a redfoot "free-range" especially with no basking areas provided. Again, there is also the humidity issue. Unless your room is a tropical sauna, the environment is not ideal. If you want to let him roam around for long periods outside of his enclosure, I suggest letting him do so outdoors, where he can benefit from fresh air and natural sunlight. At his size, you may have construct a pen for this purpose.

As others have stated, the diet can definitely improve. There's lots of good diet plans out there for redfoots, but in general, more variety.

I STRONGLY suggest checking out Mark's website if you haven't already: www.tortoiselibrary.com

In short, my advice is:
1.) Get a larger enclosure. A quick fix would be to go to a local dept store (Walmart, Lowe's Home Depot, etc) and get the biggest plastic storage bin/tub you can find (the ones for Christmas trees are good). They're easier to clean and retain humidity a lot better.
2.) Cut the lid in half and use one half to cover the top. Get some screen mesh or wire to lay over the other half to put your lights on.
3.) Temperature: You essentially want to get a handle on 4 temperatures in the enclosure: ambient daytime, ambient nighttime, basking spot (warmest spot), and coldest spot. Again, get a temp gun!
4.) Add some variety in the diet. Yeah, I would lose the cat food, too!

 

[Mgridgaway]

Agreed with everything everyone else has said. I would also buy a timer for the humidifier, like the kind you use to turn lights on and off in the evening. I have mine set to come on with my MVB so it doesn't bring the temperature down too much during the night and still keeps it nice and humid for 12 hours each day. It also automates the process for me so I don't have to turn it on myself every day.

Also, does anyone think it may be a "he" after all? The anal acutes aren't right but it's got that classic hourglass shape. Maybe a newly developing male?

 

[dmarcus]

I saw that but I didn't want to say anthing since the owner he was a she....

 

[ascott]

Do you live on campus housing? Or do you live at home? If a dorm dweller then an outdoor enclosure is likely not an option....but if you live at home then I suggest you set him up a day yard....buy safe and secure and shade and water in a warm but not full sun all day area....

Your indoor enclosure could absolutely use an addition of space...also will you please move that plastic comforter thing leaning right up against the side and against the light dome? Such a bad situation lurking there...

If you want to get a protein source that is able to be done quickly you can purchase the freeze dried jar of crickets, mealworms and other crunchy bugs...you can prepare the leafy greens and then sprinkle the bugs right into the greens this way they will last for quick use and no special care needed to keep them alive...also you can use a hard boiled egg...maybe slowly introduce by half a couple times then work towards the whole egg once a week along with the bugs once a week...and bigger variety of greens will be good along with fruit incentive or twice a week....

I have opinions about free house roaming torts...most times I am not for it...however, there are times it may be necessary...if you do let your tort roam I would do it only when you are there (and when you run out for food I would place him back in enclosure...alot can happen in that time)

You have a pretty tort.....

 

[Madkins007]

It's a she, and I am guessing about 8" shell length? Good looking tort, and the pyramiding is mostly cosmetic although it does show that something is not going as well as it could.

I give you high scores for enthusiasm and heart and passing scores for the diet- OK but could be better. I am afraid I would have to give you a low score for the housing. It is too small, too cold, and too dry.

You've already gotten a lot of good advice. Let us know if there is anything more specific we can help with now.

 

[Mgridgaway]

Off topic, but Mark, are hour glass shapes common for females?

 

[rguillenj]

Thank you all for the great advice. This is on my checklist now:

-first off im going to go outside more, that seems an easy thing to do

-i live off campus, but am in apartments, so cant really just build something outside. But im moving to a new place in august, and there is a slab of concrete outside (supposed to be a patio, but isnt) and im thinking i could set up an outdoor play area for Koopa so he can start getting a lot more sun

-the pen on the inside is going to be a little bit trickier, but for sure the humidity levels will be raised up. I had the humidifier on occasionaly, but will crank it on more (im going to look for one of those self timer start things) and for now (until i can make a new one/buy a new one) il get a rubbermaid cover at least to hold some of that in

-food wise during the summer i start buying more food and will make sure to go crazy with variety. that is a for sure. and for protein, i have a terrible fright of bugs and worms - i know that it would help and will if need be, but what are other good options? like where would i find "boiled shrimp tails"?

-and walking around agreed there isnt a basking area, but i have a friend here nearby with a big sulcata and what he did was get a heater and put it in an area that didnt bother everyone, could that be possible? like the place im moving into has a lower bathroom that is just for guest, could i have him walking around and have th ehater on for him to bask? My dream is to always have had him walking around, and he seems to really enjoy the thrill of my house??

My buddy Koopa (which is more than likely a she) is still my little guy and i want to thank all of you again and hopefully i can get this stuff solved. Tell me what you think of my ideas above please, it would help me out.

-ruben

 

[Mgridgaway]

A few thoughts on what you've said:

Your biggest priorities are diet and her indoor pen. Start instituting a new nutrition plan right now. My tortoise diet consists of Collard Greens, Mushrooms, Squash, a little fruit, sometimes Mazuri, and whatever random veggies I have laying around the house. When they go outside they eat whatever they want. Usually clovers and whatever plants they can get to before I shoo them away. As for meat, I'm not really sure about Shrimp tails... but mine love worms. Since you don't want to do that, I suggest boiled Chicken or hardboiled eggs. 3-4 times a months should be fine. I also give mine a little human multivitamin/calcium mixture every once in a while. Nothing extreme, just a little filler in case they're missing out on something.

I leave my humidifier on for 12 hours a day. That's the only way I can maintain 70%+ humidity for a good portion of the day. You should do whatever you can to at least get that much humidity.

As for always walking around, I'm not sure I'm down with that. My torts poops all the time. Anywhere. For whatever reason. Personally, I don't want to clean that up all the time. I would just aim for a pen at least 5'x3'. Preferably larger. I think any smaller than that would be cruel.

 

[StudentoftheReptile]

-and walking around agreed there isnt a basking area, but i have a friend here nearby with a big sulcata and what he did was get a heater and put it in an area that didnt bother everyone, could that be possible? like the place im moving into has a lower bathroom that is just for guest, could i have him walking around and have th ehater on for him to bask? My dream is to always have had him walking around, and he seems to really enjoy the thrill of my house??

A few things I'd like to comment on...

1.) First of all, I would worry about the tortoise coming into direct contact with the heater. Those space heaters already present in their own risks and hazards in normal living situations, and adding a small animal (basically a walking rock) that could easily knock it over into the equation is asking for trouble IMHO. Think of it this way: would you put an infant or a toddler on the floor near a space heater?

2.) Its been debated on this forum and others before, but in general, tortoises just seem to do better with earth, dirt and soil underneath them...not tile and concrete. It's okay for small periods and if the tortoise can access real ground when they choose, but to enclose them in an area with nothing but cold, hard almost frictionless surface to walk on is not good for their feet or their stress levels. Tortoises weren't meant to walk around human dwellings like dogs or puppies, but that is just me. Give it another few hundred years, and we might have genetically-engineered an tortoise that can...but we're not there yet.

3.) Like Mgridgaway said, I would constantly worry about hygiene. Some people don't care, but I wouldn't want to be concerned with tortoises feces in my carpet, or on my clothes, etc. "Well, that's why I would keep him in the bathroom" you may reply. See my response in #2 above.

 

[rguillenj]

Yeah i see your points now, what im thinking about doing is instating a "when i get home we go outside type thing" and sometimes around the house.

I know that for sure i already got cypress mulch and bought one of those outlet timers. At noon the humidifier turned on and it got up to 75+ humidity. And i put a rubbermaid lid on half of the cage so half is sealed and holds in the moisture. I have two lamps, a day basking bulb and a UVB going.

And today (i already ran out of food anyway) im going to go and get some varied food for the little guy.

I feel the best thing to help with his pyramiding is what all of you said, with an emphasis on humidity, im doing my best to raise that now and I feel confident it will help. But that isnt to say that I wont forget about the rest of the things. Thanks again for everything! If you guys have any more pointers, it would be oh so helpful

-ruben

 

[Mgridgaway]

The good thing about torts and pyramiding is that their shell will tell you if you're meeting their husbandry requirements. When I first got Harper he was decently pyramided, but under my care all of his new shell grow has been really even. When you start seeing that over a period of time you know you're doing it right.