Redfoot 2 years living environment

pip wallace

New Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2019
Messages
17
Location (City and/or State)
Evesham UK
I have a redfoot Maeve. I have had her since March last year and learnt a lot already! She is just over 2 and her shell is about 15 cm long. She is in a 4ft vivarium. I bought the largest vivarium in the shop and was told it would be okay until she is about 4. I’m not convinced. I have a large planting table in the garden with tortoise weeds etc. Growing. When it is 80 degrees I put her in it to wander. The rest of the time she is in her vivarium. As she grows I want to provide her with a vivarium of the correct size. Can anyone help with advice. Will she always be in a vivarium? Is humidity as essential as she matures. I now have a mister and the humidity is 80% and the temperature is 80 degrees. I now feed her once a day but she has plants that she can eat. What can I do to provide her with an interesting environment? She has wood to hide under, plants and a large terracotta saucer to soak in. I only soak her myself every other day, is this adequate? Any tips or advice welcome.
 

Kapidolo Farms

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Nov 7, 2012
Messages
5,173
Location (City and/or State)
South of Southern California, but not Mexico
I have noticed, from a few venues, that a vivarium or 'viv' seem to have a certain specific realization among UK tortoise keepers. I don't know what that realization is.

A vivarium, closed top, open top, made of wire fabric, whatever, to me, just means the enclosure. The enclosure needs to be sorted out such that the animal is in the 'climate' most appropriate for it. So, your tortoise will always need to be in a viv, as I am not aware of anywhere in the UK that approximates the more tropical like environment of south America. I 'get it' that some variants of redfoots come from seasonally arid places in SA, but odds are that yours is not from one of those places.

As for size/space, larger is better, but I also realize there are space constraints on how large an enclosure will be manageable. A small greenhouse outside could extend the week/months of 'outside time'. Inside for a single adult redfoot, I'm thinking a one by two meter enclosure would suffice.
 

TammyJ

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2016
Messages
7,120
Location (City and/or State)
Jamaica
Hello there. Can you post some pics of your tortoise and enclosure?:)
 
Top