Red footed and yellow footed tortoises

[Mr.pacheco]

The cage is a little bigger than a twin size bed I got him on February 18 2023 so about a year and a couple months but add a couple more months because he’s was about 2 months old when I got him I am using a coconut mat for him planning on getting him something so he can dig I am using a lamp for lighting his heat lamp is not with light the UV light is mostly from the sun he’s right next to my window but been reading and planning on getting him a UV light the temps are about 80 get into the 90 but not often and then for humidity It’s normally around 70-80 I use a mister made bye the company tuya

I think that’s how you make a thread

 

[wellington]

Get the mister out it can be dangerous and put in proper substrate you can dampen. Coconut coir on the bottom with orchid or fir bark on top works good. You can dampen the coir to make humidity while keeping the top layer of bark dry.
Uvb does not go thru glass, so you need to offer it by way of a tube florescent bulb/light or take him outside several times a week.
Temp should be around 85 day and night. Use ceramic heat emitters for heat.

 

[Mr.pacheco]

I now me and another guy have been talking about everything so no mister could you maybe recommend somthing that’s really good for him but not to expensive because I bought the mister a couple days ago my humidifier broke if you could just tell what si could use that would be great and I was think ing about making him a digging area that’s like half the environment or should I do the entire thing

 

[Mr.pacheco]

Can you also recommend the bedding you use thanks a lot

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

@Alex and the Redfoot

 

[Mr.pacheco]

@Alex and the Redfoot

Who’s that

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Can you also recommend the bedding you use thanks a lot

Beddings have been recommended above - coco coir, fir (orchid) bark or cypress mulch. Check your nearby gardening stores and plant nurseries for cheap options to buy them in bulk, not the pet stores.

Covering whole enclosure with 4-6 inches of a new substrate is really neither cheap nor easy, you can do this in several steps. Don't forget to line the bottom with a shower curtain, pond liner or, at least, mulching film.

Redfoots aren't big diggers - they often reuse abandoned animal burrows, so you don't need really deep substrate layer or "dig proofing" the bottom. However, substrate is a key factor in maintaining humidity and should be thick enough to keep moisture and stay dry on top at the same time.

In the meanwhile, to raise up humidity you can get sphagnum moss bricks (not peat moss!) rehydrate them and put in a wide and tall bowl (or casserole) under enclosure heater (ceramic heat emitter or the basking bulb). Add water as necessary. Never (!!!) let your tortoise access sphagnum moss - some of them eat it and get lethal impaction. Don't put his life at risk.

 

[Mr.pacheco]

Ok thanks so much so I only need bark right

 

[Mr.pacheco]

Just make sure there’s a couple inch’s thick so the top is dry and the bottom is wet

 

[Mr.pacheco]

If I would be making it more damp what’s so dangerous about the sprayer it’s goes of 2 times a day but it’s just like me dumping some water in there I was just wondering what the problem is

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

If I would be making it more damp what’s so dangerous about the sprayer it’s goes of 2 times a day but it’s just like me dumping some water in there I was just wondering what the problem is

First off well done working out how to make a thread!🙌🏻
So with the sprayer, this issue is they cause the air to be too wet which can result in respiratory issues, they also only get the top layer of substrate damp, if your guy is constantly sat on wet substrate, he will be prone to a fungal infection(commonly known as shell rot)
With the water, make sure it’s luke warm and you won’t need to pour loads, but enough to make sure you’re getting the under layer of the substrate nice and damp, to stop that top layer getting a little too dusty at times, mix the substrate now n then which also gives a humidity boost🙂as others have said, for your enclosure you’ll need to line it, you can use a shower curtain or some cheap pond liner👍🏻check both the substrate and humidity monitors(get something to measure humidity if you haven’t already) to do pour as and when needed

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

If I would be making it more damp what’s so dangerous about the sprayer it’s goes of 2 times a day but it’s just like me dumping some water in there I was just wondering what the problem is

1. It's redundant - with damp substrate humidity stays high for a week or two (depending on substrate thickness and so on).
2. Sprayer wets top substrate layer. Redfoots are prone to shell fungal infections (not dangerous, if caught early) and living on wet substrate increases chances of getting fungus.
3. Spraying top of the substrate doesn't give long-standing effect - more of short "humidity boost".
4. Depending on tech in use - sprayers can produce microscopical water droplets which isn't a good thing to breath.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Ok thanks so much so I only need bark right

Yes, just orchid (fir) bark is fine. 2 inches may be not enough, but a good start - try and see. I would make 4 inches on one half of the enclosure if the thinner layer won't work.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Now for your lighting/heating, what kind of heat lamp are you using specifically? Avoid any kind of halogen/mercury vapour lamp.
If your going to stick with a light emitting heat source, you’ll need a incandescent floodlight(pic attached) on a 12hr timer, backed with a CHE(ceramic heat emitter) to make sure your not loosing heat at night, this can be running 24/7 on a thermostat.

However, personally for a red foot I think CHE’s (ceramic heat emitters) are a more suitable heat source, they’re a non light emitting bulb, you can hang a few equal distance apart so the heat is more evenly distributed, you want to aim for an ambient temperature range of 80-86, 82-84 being optimal, get yourself a heat gun which can be found cheap and scan your parameters. These CHE bulbs must be running on a thermostat as to not overheat your enclosure! I’ll add a photo of the bulbs Im on about. As they are non light emitting you would need some ambient lighting, a simple screw in led from the hardware store will do the trick, in the colour range 5000-6500k, this lighting will need to be on a 12hr timer.

Now as others have mentioned, you’re going to need to add some indoor uv, this should always come in the form of a t5 tube light, I personally recommend the Arcadia brand, it’s not cheap but believe me a good investment, uv is vital to your tortoise health! You’ll need to mount this 18-21 inches from the substrate, it comes with a built in reflector fitting so no uv light is wasted, this needs to go on its own separate 4hr timer from noon👍🏻I’ll attack a pic of that too

Take your time reading all the information you’ve been given so far and familiarise yourself with it, don’t let it overwhelm you, take things one step at a time🙂

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Now I also remember from our previous conversation you were looking for some more types of fruits to try them with, you said you’ve only been feeding fruit once a week? That’s far too little, fruit makes up a large part of a red foot’s diet, you can mix up the ratios between greens and fruit, so one day it can be 60% greens and 40% fruit, then other days 60% fruit 40% greens! Red foot’s do also require some protein once every 7-10 days, I’d personally stop with the dried meal worms and go for something like a head sized portion of plain steamed chicken breast.
I’d also add a small pinch of calcium powder to their feed 2-3 times a week. Another great source of calcium is to offer a piece of cuttlefish!
Be sure you’re feeding a shell sized portion daily and include the fruit daily, if they finish their plate offer more.

These are some greens to feed(bare in mind the lettuce isn’t the most nutritional but fine to add as part of a varied diet);

Lambs lettuce
Romaine
Red leaf lettuce
Frisèe lettuce
Endive(chicory)
Spring greens
Kale
Rocket
Cress on occasion
The odd Brussel sprout on occasion

There’s also plenty of different weeds you can add! Providing you’re sourcing them from an area that is free of any harmful chemicals like pesticides and fertiliser, so be wary! We add dandelions and broadleaf plantain, A good site to check out is the tortoise table(link below) and if you click on the wildflowers section you’ll find loads! If you can get seeds you could even plant your own in safe soil!

The Tortoise Table - Home

The Tortoise Table plant database and resource site for Tortoise owners

www.thetortoisetable.org.uk

Now let’s talk fruit! We remove any pips/seed/stones that are either toxic or a chocking hazard, so for my list, we’d remove the mango stone, plum stone, peach stone, nectarine stone, cherry stones(chocking hazard!), apricot stones, appel&pear seeds(toxic)

Ones we feed more regularly(but rotate cause variety is key):
Mango
Papaya
Pineapple
Raspberries
Melon
Strawberries
Watermelon(not super nutritional but a good hydration boost)
Plum
Peach
Nectarines
Cherries
Apricot
Blueberries
Figs
Guava
Prickly pear

Ones we feel less regularly:
Appel
Banana
Blackberries
Grapes
Pear

Those last ones are more of a treat basis. You can also try cherry tomatoes on occasion but not often.
We also sometimes grate a bit of carrot on her food(not a lot) or some courgette, you can also add bell peppers on occasion, and they’ll also enjoy some mushroom once a week or so!

Hope this helps give you some ideas for variety🙂 we try not to give her too much of just the one type of fruit in any given week, however she gets papaya pretty much daily, it makes up a large majority of their diet in the wild so definitely get your hands on some!😊

 

[Mr.pacheco]

So better diet bedding uv and uvb light then a humidifier it’s just you guys are talking fast and I’m a tiny bit busy but will go back and read but did I get the stuff he needs right

 

[Mr.pacheco]

Would a UV light strip from my sister old indoor garden work? Or do I need more than 1

 

[Mr.pacheco]

And I was reading and it’s a him not a her

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

So better diet bedding uv and uvb light then a humidifier it’s just you guys are talking fast and I’m a tiny bit busy but will go back and read but did I get the stuff he needs right

Yes better diet, substrate, heating/lighting. Remove the humidifier and maintain the humidity by the ways discussed above with the lukewarm water into the corners.

Uv/uvb light are the same thing here.

Would a UV light strip from my sister old indoor garden work? Or do I need more than 1

you need to get an appropriate reptile t5 tube fluorescent tube light, like the one I’ve attached here. Mouthed 18-20 inches from the substrate. This needs to be in a 4 hour timer from noon.

And I was reading and it’s a him not a her

The age your tortoise is, it’s too soon to tell if you have a boy or girl yet.

Just take your time when you’re less busy to read all the information you’ve been given in this thread so far and step by step start making the changes🙂

 

[Mr.pacheco]

I got some watermelon strawberries blueberries and raspberries