Redfoot indoor area advice needed

MIRed

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Hello, I'm Linda - and am new here.
I will be adopting an adult 10" Redfoot male tortoise as soon as I get his enclosure built. I could really use some guidance in this as
the area I am using is in my semi-finished basement. I am using an area that is 10' x 10'. Right now there are plastic snap tiles on the floor.
My idea was to cover with a large thick tear/rip proof tarp. before putting down substrate. The perimeter walls will be 2"x12" x 10' boards.
What would be the best substrate to place on top the tarp area? My plans are to have a couple hides, one at a warm end where the temp will be around
75 degrees, and the other at the warmer end. A basking area heated by CHE would be at the warm end. A few paving stones to make a feeding area.
I will also have a couple long UVB lights suspended overhead.
Any corrections to my plans? What else would I need to do? Enrichment items?

Thank you for any help
 

wellington

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I would use one hide, they don't need multiple, it just takes roaming space.
One che most likely will not keep it warm enough and che are not good for basking. They need a light to bask as the sun is their natural basking light. However, RF don't really bask much.
@ZEROPILOT should be able to help you with how to heat the area.
 

ZEROPILOT

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You might have a difficult time maintaining a humidity of at least 70% and a temperature no lower than 80 and no higher than 88 in an open indoors enclosure.
(Although the 70s won't harm him as long as it warms up again in the same 24 hours)
 

MIRed

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You might have a difficult time maintaining a humidity of at least 70% and a temperature no lower than 80 and no higher than 88 in an open indoors enclosure.
(Although the 70s won't harm him as long as it warms up again in the same 24 hours)
I live in Michigan so an indoor enclosure is necessary for the colder months. During the summer he will have an outdoor area.
The basement is the best for keeping humidity levels up during winter as upstairs gets too dry even with a humidifier running. Any suggestions on substrate or lighting?
 

Maro2Bear

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For a 10 ft x 10 ft area - i would go with 100% cypress mulch available from Lowes or Home Depot. Our Lowes here sells it for about $3.00 per 2 cu ft bag. Id start with 3 or 4 bags. Cypress holds moisture, doesn't rot or mold or mildew. Won’t break the bank.

Ive been using this for years with our Sully in both outdoor & indoor enclosures. No issues.

063C4373-A0A7-4C83-8E12-F5663065497A.jpeg
 

ZEROPILOT

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For a 10 ft x 10 ft area - i would go with 100% cypress mulch available from Lowes or Home Depot. Our Lowes here sells it for about $3.00 per 2 cu ft bag. Id start with 3 or 4 bags. Cypress holds moisture, doesn't rot or mold or mildew. Won’t break the bank.

Ive been using this for years with our Sully in both outdoor & indoor enclosures. No issues.

View attachment 350440
I also use Cypress mulch with my adult and semi adult RF.
Hand sift it to make sure there are no foreign objects in it. I've found both metal and plastic in my bagged mulch.
For lighting I'd use a T5 HO STRIP FLORESCENT UVB. That would provide the UVB and your 12 hours of daytime light without being too bright or harsh.
(The room is also otherwise lit I assume)
Will the room be heated? Or will you be attempting to hear the 10 x 10 area?
 

MIRed

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I also use Cypress mulch with my adult and semi adult RF.
Hand sift it to make sure there are no foreign objects in it. I've found both metal and plastic in my bagged mulch.
For lighting I'd use a T5 HO STRIP FLORESCENT UVB. That would provide the UVB and your 12 hours of daytime light without being too bright or harsh.
(The room is also otherwise lit I assume)
Will the room be heated? Or will you be attempting to hear the 10 x 10 area?
The room has has heat to it, but giving consideration to ZeroPilots mention of temps no lower than 80 and no higher than 88 I am thinking it may be best to use either a green house or grow house in the basement area where I can better control temps and humidity. I see there are others here that have used grow houses. I re-measured the area and it is actually 10'x8'.
For the T5 HO light should it be best to use the desert dweller light?
 

ZEROPILOT

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The room has has heat to it, but giving consideration to ZeroPilots mention of temps no lower than 80 and no higher than 88 I am thinking it may be best to use either a green house or grow house in the basement area where I can better control temps and humidity. I see there are others here that have used grow houses. I re-measured the area and it is actually 10'x8'.
For the T5 HO light should it be best to use the desert dweller light?
The 10.0 or 12% are better at providing useable UVB at further distance than the 5.0 or 6%.
It is for this reason that I DO reccomend the more powerful light. Even for a Redfoot. At 24" or so, the 5.0 would provide very little uvb for example and a 10.0 would still be on the chart.
 

CherryLover

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I have successfully used a grow tent indoors for a pair of redfoot tortoises. Check out the tents from AC Infinity. The tent quality is very good and their tech support is wonderful. This is the one I have and I have zero problems keeping temperature and humidity at appropriate levels. I went with that size because I have two tortoises (so you may opt to go smaller). I simply divided the tent down the middle for separation, giving each tort a 4' x 8' area. Per recommendations from forum members, I ended up using a simple oil-filled radiator inside the tent. I too use Cypress mulch for the substrate with no problems. Best of luck!
 

Lrn2trvl

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I have successfully used a grow tent indoors for a pair of redfoot tortoises. Check out the tents from AC Infinity. The tent quality is very good and their tech support is wonderful. This is the one I have and I have zero problems keeping temperature and humidity at appropriate levels. I went with that size because I have two tortoises (so you may opt to go smaller). I simply divided the tent down the middle for separation, giving each tort a 4' x 8' area. Per recommendations from forum members, I ended up using a simple oil-filled radiator inside the tent. I too use Cypress mulch for the substrate with no problems. Best of luck!
Hi! I know you posted a while ago, but would you mind telling me more about this grow house? Do you have any photos? I'm guessing you can walk into it?
Thank you for any information. My poor cherry head needs a bigger place to live
 
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