Should I Be Concerned?

Layla

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Hello Everyone,

I've had my Red Foot for about 8 months, she's 4 years old. Tonight she has her neck stretched way out and her eyes closed. Occasionally she'll pull her head back in then stretch it out very far and go back to the "sleeping" with her neck/head out. She has also been biting at her front legs. Are either of these things cause for concern?

thank you very much,
Barbara:tort:
 

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pfara

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When I read about a tortoise biting at its legs, the first thing that people seem to ask is what your lighting is. I believe having the reddish colored lights messes with tortoise eyes and it might make anything looks like food (Torts hone in on eating red, yellow, white things for some reason). Other information can help. Temperatures and humidity, what do you feed and how often. A picture of her enclosure would help, too. From the pictures, it looks like she has an overgrown beak. Does she feed on a slate tile or something rough? Hopefully, someone more experienced can help you more.
 

Layla

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Thank you, Alma, you've given me a lot to check into. I didn't even know you could get heat lamps that were not red, all the ones I've seen so far have been red. I think maybe her enclosure is part of the problem.


pfara said:
When I read about a tortoise biting at its legs, the first thing that people seem to ask is what your lighting is. I believe having the reddish colored lights messes with tortoise eyes and it might make anything looks like food (Torts hone in on eating red, yellow, white things for some reason). Other information can help. Temperatures and humidity, what do you feed and how often. A picture of her enclosure would help, too. From the pictures, it looks like she has an overgrown beak. Does she feed on a slate tile or something rough? Hopefully, someone more experienced can help you more.
 

pfara

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www.tortoiselibrary.com

The link above contains great information on redfoot husbandry. Ceramic heat emitters (CHE) is a great way to provide heat at night without light. Some people even use black lights. We're here to help in any way we can.
 

featherator

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CHE**Ceramic Heat Emitters are a common favorite. Amazon sells the bulbs for around $20 and they are awesome. Pet stores & reptile stores will have them too if you want to pick one up today.
 
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