Redfoot Questions!!

[crabby-J]

Ok I've had my baby redfoot for about 3-4 months now and have some questions:

-Why does his eyes look "Sleepy/Tired" all the time??

-Are redfoots social? Do they need to have a companion?
(Someone had told me not to get another RF tortoise because they like to be alone?)

-What is a yearling??? and how do you figure out how old a tortoise is? How do you measure and what parts?

-Should I get my baby tortoise a buddy (another Redfoot?)

Thanks!

 

[kathyth]

Maybe you can post pictures of your Redfoot and zero in on the face.
Also please post pictures of the enclosure and tell us about his humidity and temps in the enclosure. His diet also. This will help us to help you.
Redfoots are definitely more social than your average tortoise, however do very well together.
I have 7, but am always aware, that if there is ever an issue with bullying, aggression, I will have to separate them and provide appropriate enclosures for all. If you can do that and have plenty of space, go for it. If not, I wouldn't. Your guy is fine, alone.
If you get another, it must be quarantined for 3 months min.
Also please see Turtletary.com. Redfoot care sheet and The Tortoise Library,

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

are you using a coil bulb?

 

[Mavrik]

Yearling refers to its age -- as in it is roughly 1 year old. Without knowing the tort's exact hatch date, there is no concrete way of figuring out how old your tort is. Some swear by the size method, others say that you can count the growth rings on the shell like a tree, but neither of those methods nor any other method are 100% tried and true. You'll get a guesstimate, and have to be content with that. Torts, like humans, are unique, and no one tort is exactly the same as another. Case in point -- I have 3 RFs... All 3 are considered yearlings -- 5" Chava was born September 2013 according to the guy I bought her from in August 2014, 4" Chico I was told was a yearling when I got him a week ago, and 3" Che Guevara was born possibly February or March of 2014 (the guy I got him from said he was a "hatchling", though that may have been based solely on his size.)

You do not "need" a friend or buddy for your tortoise... That is simply us humanizing them. There are many more things to take into account if you do indeed decide to get another tortoise or tortoises. Space is a big one -- are you willing and able to provide the space needed to house multiple tortoises? Sure, it's fairly easy when they are young and small, but as they grow older and need exponentially more space it becomes tougher. Also, what would you do if you ended up with tort on tort aggression and had to separate them? And one more, how do you plan on making sure that they are fed every week, again particularly as they grow older and require more to sustain life?

I am far from being an expert, having just joined this wagon train myself about 2 years ago. But I welcome you, and wish you good luck in your tortoise journey.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

+1 on the coil bulb! Also, is your humidity high enough? Baby RF do sleep A LOT! However, his/her eyes should be fully opened and clear. It's either dust or wrong lighting hurting its eyes. My true yearling is about 5" and 141 grams. I have three tortoises and house them occasionally together. It's clear that they don't care either way. However, I also have five very large pens in my back yard from 3'x5' to 10'x12'. And these are for just one tortoise. Currently, my three year old, Julio is in the larger one. and the smallest one is my baby yearlings day time pen. He comes in at night. The others do not. Unless it drops below 60 degrees.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

are you using a coil bulb?

Really! Show us your bulbs. Some commonly sold can cause permanent eye problems and more.

 

[Yvonne G]

Two things spring to mind when thinking of sleepy eyes - the coil shaped compact fluorescent bulb, which causes a painful condition similar to snow blindness, and not enough moisture in the habitat.