Proper Redfoot Tortoise Care - Help?

[Ayripht]

Several months ago I took in my sister's redfoot tortoise. I only know what I have read online about them as of right now. Before reading online I hadn't a clue about one. We call him/her Harold (can you sex a redfoot tortoise at home?).

When we took Harold in my sister gave me everything she had and said it was all just fine, but the longer Harold is here the more I worry it's not sufficient.

I have attached 3 pictures of Harold and his enclosure. I am looking to buy / build Harold a new enclosure within the next month. I'm just not sure what to look for. I have found some wonderful outdoor ideas, but since it's winter I'm thinking he cannot go outside as of right now. But it's ok for him to go outside when it warms up, right?

As for his feeding I buy the lettuce that my sister told me to buy, I try to buy organic when available and I clean and cut it myself. He doesn't seem to mind the lettuce I buy him, he actually seems to really enjoy it. I'm just worried lettuce isn't enough. What else should I be feeding Harold? Should I change the food up every few days or what?

Also, something new (and I feel *terrible* about) is that I am just now reading about humidity levels. I had no idea!! What should I do to monitor or correct this mistake I have made? I guess I can buy a humidity level monitor, but what should the level be and how may I obtain that level?

So, as you can I'm a bit lost at the moment. I'm happy to have found this forum site and hope I can get the help I'm looking for. We have grown to be quite fond of Harold and want him to be happy and healthy. So please, any advice will be very welcomed and appreciated! And any ideas on a new enclosure for Harold would also be great.

Thank You!!

 

[Kasper2reds]

How nice of you take in your sisters pet. From the pictures provided I would make sure to include a hide spot for Harold. My redfoots are happy in a store bought log they can go in or a home
Modified flower pot, turned upside down with a hole carved in it.

As far as food goes, mine love either store bought dandelion or mediterranean salad mix on the daily. Every other day or 2 I will include some fruit (strawberry, grapes, melon, apples) or vegetables (bell peppers, mushrooms, corn).

Humidity can be tricky for redfoots Since they demand such high levels (80-90 percent). I personally run 2 personal humidifiers in my 8sq foot terrarium. I mist the entire cage down first thing in the morning and when I return home from work in the afternoons. Otherwise I leave the humidifiers running All day.

At night time I let the cage drop to about 70 degrees, during the day it heats up to about 80. Directly under the heat lamps I have basking areas that reach about 95 degrees. My torts have been thriving in this man made environment. I'm from
Chicago and in the summer time I let my redfoots live outdoors in their 32 sqft enclosure..

Hope this helps!

-Kasper

 

[terryo]

This is a great site that might help you out.
http://www.tortoiselibrary.com/
Your little RF is beautiful and at that age they do need lots of humidity. I keep mine in planted vivariums for the Winter months. Summer, of course they are outside.

 

[ascott]

Terryo has some of the prettiest and truly functional indoor enclosures....hers are what I strive for on my two little RFs indoor enclosures (of course I say "strive for" lol) I would attach a pic of hers but I am on my cell and not able to figure out how to do it right from my phone...lol....but the site Terryo attached is fantastic...and what a beautiful little tortoise

 

[Madkins007]

He looks healthy, so don't worry too much.

My suggestions, and please don't take them as anything more than ideas, possibilities, etc., would be...
- Add variety to the diet. These guys generally seem to prefer a diet that is amazingly similar to what your doctor would like to see you eat. Mostly greens- lettuces, kale, spinach, collards, turnip greens, dandelion greens, leaves of edible plants (hibiscus, mulberry, grapes, etc.) About 20% roughly of the diet should be fruits and vegetables. The best stuff here are veggies with seeds (which are technically fruits- cucumber, bell pepper, squash, etc.), but also tropical fruits (pineapple, mango, papaya, fig), and then pretty much anything other than potatoes, hot peppers, etc. Even some rare corn or oranges are OK. About 5-10% should be protein. Chicken chunks, lightly cooked egg, 'oily fish', etc. are OK here, and there are more options you will discover as you research things.

- You can quickly improve his habitat by getting another tub and flipping it upside down over the bottom one, then making holes around the rim for pins or wire ties to hold them together. Make a hole in the new top for the light/heat unit. The new top will help hold heat and humidity in the habitat. You can increase it even more by adding a foil 'collar' between the top and the light dome to reduce heat/humidity loss there.

- Stick a medium-sized potted plant in at least one corner. Something leafy and spreading to add humidity, clean the air, provide shade, and provide places to hide.

- Replace the foil water pan with a similar size plastic or glazed plant saucer (I prefer the plastic ones that are designed to look like clay- cheap and sturdy. I use 2- one to wash and one to use. You can make a really cheap and easy-to-clean food dish just by serving on some newspaper (I usually use a single page folded in 4ths) and tossing it when done.

- There are lots of ways to make a good hide. My favorite quick version is to take a big chunk of bark and just lay it on the substrate, propped up in a corner. They like to burrow under the bark, and walking on the bark seems to interest them.

Otherwise, I hope my site and/or the links in it helps!