Red foot- 3 years old, eating fruit/vegs only after they’ve dried up

Maggie3fan

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Yes, that’s a possibility. What the situation actually is, is that I feed her around 6 pm, but see her eating it way later at night, or often even the next morning. Maybe I should try giving it in the morning, and see if she’ll eat it fresh. Thanks.:)
I was taught a long time ago that I woke up the tort at the same time every morning, give him a warm soak, then put his food in and leave him.
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daniellenc

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Depending on the time of year my RF often night feeds in late spring/summer because of the heat outside. She spends most of her day nestled in her outdoor tort box filled with wet coco coir and comes out around 5 to eat before I toss her back in her indoor enclosure for the night. Her food is always wilted and half funky but if you think about it given their natural habitat it makes sense.
 

willee638

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I was taught a long time ago that I woke up the tort at the same time every morning, give him a warm soak, then put his food in and leave him.
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That's what I do, every morning when I wake up at 5:30-6 AM I already see them with their heads up looking at me. I think all animals are early birds & as soon as the crack of dawn at first light they're awake, but the torts will start to nap again after fed & hide most of the day. My red foot babies grew out of pooping in their water while soaking after 3-4 months but I suspect their still pee in it, warm soaking is a must for mine because it instantly warms their body & makes them wants to eat faster.
 

TammyJ

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My redfoot tortoise will soon be 3 years old.
I got her when she was a 2+ month old hatchling, 2 3/4 inches and 56 grams. She is now 5 inches and 700+ grams. She’s very active and alert.

This has happened countless times: I put greens and fruit in her enclosure, nice and fresh, crisp, and moist.

She leaves them sit for hours and hours, and when they are all dried and shriveled, she eats them. In fact, she almost never touches them until they’re dried up.

Is this okay, and is there any reason a red foot would prefer greens and fruit this way? Thanks.
It may not be a matter of the food, but of the time you are feeding it to her, and the temperature in the enclosure. The later in the day it gets, the warmer (or so it is supposed to be unless your temps are set at one level throughout) so the more likely it will be that she will start eating. They like to warm up first. But maybe by the time she is warmer, the food has wilted/dried out.
 

willee638

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Did I hear you right your red foot soon to be 3 y.o. & still weigh 700 grams? My yearling red foot has been with me for less than a year & a half & she's 8 inches long & weighs 1200 grams, but when she first arrived only 88 grams. Yours hasn't been eating or growing the normal rate I assume. My red foot tortoises 3 in all gets plenty of natural direct sunlight & exercises roaming the park's grass field as little as 3 months old hatchlings, sorry but you can't rely on artificial UVA+B lamps to replicate real outdoors natural temperatures & environments. You should try sun bathing her everyday or every other day for 30 minutes or an hour & you'll notice drastic changes in appetites & pooping patterns/ frequencies to stimulate faster growth,
 

TammyJ

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Did I hear you right your red foot soon to be 3 y.o. & still weigh 700 grams? My yearling red foot has been with me for less than a year & a half & she's 8 inches long & weighs 1200 grams, but when she first arrived only 88 grams. Yours hasn't been eating or growing the normal rate I assume. My red foot tortoises 3 in all gets plenty of natural direct sunlight & exercises roaming the park's grass field as little as 3 months old hatchlings, sorry but you can't rely on artificial UVA+B lamps to replicate real outdoors natural temperatures & environments. You should try sun bathing her everyday or every other day for 30 minutes or an hour & you'll notice drastic changes in appetites & pooping patterns/ frequencies to stimulate faster growth,
Hi there. Remember you have to be careful how you express things to people who may not see the whole picture. For example, you have implied in your statement that, basically, artificial light is no good and natural sunlight is all good, but neither is true. Some reptiles are raised and grow wonderfully in "artificial" conditions, as long as they are provided with the correct ones for that species! And as for natural sunlight, too much will quickly kill your tortoise if he cannot get out of it when he is too hot, and leaving him outside has its own dangers apart from too much heat. Roaming in the park can quickly be transformed into being chewed up by a large dog, for example! Let's try to get all the information we can about someone's situation before trying to help them by describing briefly our own "perfect" one in comparison.
 

willee638

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Hi there. Remember you have to be careful how you express things to people who may not see the whole picture. For example, you have implied in your statement that, basically, artificial light is no good and natural sunlight is all good, but neither is true. Some reptiles are raised and grow wonderfully in "artificial" conditions, as long as they are provided with the correct ones for that species! And as for natural sunlight, too much will quickly kill your tortoise if he cannot get out of it when he is too hot, and leaving him outside has its own dangers apart from too much heat. Roaming in the park can quickly be transformed into being chewed up by a large dog, for example! Let's try to get all the information we can about someone's situation before trying to help them by describing briefly our own "perfect" one in comparison.
Yes, I appreciate your feelings too. There's no one right way for all in raising our tortoises, just like the way each individual adapts to different conditions, I think different weather climate where they're kept requires different arrangements. I agree we can't go by other people's preferences, I am fortunate the park I take my tortoises doesn't allow other animals & there're many trees & many bushes for shades too all the while under my supervision & nobody is around to cause any accident. I started out the same way as most in the forum did, but made small adjustments.
 

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