red foot vs sulcata

[trentlee111]

I have been having a sulcata for years now but i just left petsmart in my home town and saw a red foot that i would like to get. i have been looking for a new addition and it is on sale for $69.99. I have looked online and i think that is a pretty good price for them what do yall think? Also what is the difference in care and diet for red foots opposed to sulcatas? Any help would be appreciated!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Trentlee111:

They couldn't be more different! One is a desert-type tortoise and the other is a forest-type tortoise.

Madkins has an interesting thread going on right now:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Tortoise-Mythbusters-Part-2

This is interesting redfoot reading.

And you already have the sulcata, so you've done lots of reading about them.

 

[Tom]

You live in a pretty good area for Redfoots too. Several forum members have very healthy captive bred and hatched redfoot tortoises instead of those pet store ones that have very questionable health. The discounted price won't matter one bit if you end up with several hundred dollars in vet bills.

 

[tortoisenerd]

I think price is the last thing that matters when buying a tort--I care much much more about their background (wild caught vs. farmed, which is what I have read on the forum those Petco & Petsmart redfoots are vs. captive bred), health, etc. Farmed isn't that much better than wild caught. Ideally I'd look for a yearling captive bred redfoot, and not care too much about price (if $70 vs. $200 is a deal breaker, then you can't afford a tort...you should have hundreds at least set aside in an emergency vet fund). You will spend many times that over the tort's life, more if the tort ends up being acquired when sick. This is something you should think about for a few months at least to give you the time to research and plan long-term (which I assume you've done already in planning for your Sulcata's future size). The two cannot be kept together, and have very different diet plans--basically, you can feed them the same greens and such, but for a redfoot, their diet also has a fruit and protein component in addition to the greens. Good luck!

 

[Jacqui]

I think it is a great price. More importantly, you can see, carefully look over and feel this tortoise. If it seems healthy and your heart is already falling for him, I say go for it. Just because it is from a pet store does not make it unhealthy. Just as buying from a breeder does not mean problem free. There is a chance any time you buy an animal.

As for care, read up on them. Have you gone to Mark's site?
http://www.tortoiselibrary.com/

 

[HarleyK]

As for diet I wouldn't say the sulcata diet is much different than what you would feed a redfoot. Mine doesn't like hay so you may have a difficult time feeding it hay down the road.

I think the price is great for the petsmart redfoot. Redfoot hatchlings are around $100 in California and the ones I have seen at petsmart look very smooth and healthy. Although I would be worried about parasites.