Travel / care while on vacation

[tortoisegrandmother90]

Hi all! New to tortoise care here and I'm looking for guidance/advice on travel/vacation care. Specifically, I'd love to hear what directions folks give their pet sitters for redfoots while on vacation, how they travel with them when possible and if anyone has experience with exotic pet boarding facilities.

And now for a little background. We travel throughout the year periodically and I am trying to find a good pet sitter for my son's hypo redfoot tortoise. There is also an exotic pet boarding we can look into but I'd prefer to keep her at home if I can (if anyone has had good experiences with boarding, happy to hear that too). Our tortoise just turned 1 this month. She has an outdoor enclosure as well as one we bring her into at night. We live in Southwest Florida (between Tampa and Naples) so she can be outside full time now with how warm it stays at night in theory. Her enclosure has half open top with wire and half with a wooden top with hides for her in both sides.

SITTER
Here are the options I'm weighing if we proceed with a sitter:

1. We keep her enclosure under the covered porch/lanai where it can't rain into it. She'll be warm enough but would she need a basking light on a timer if it was for a week or week and a half? This would allow us to have a sitter come just once daily to get her fresh water, food, clean the enclosure and such.
2. We have a pet sitter come twice a day to move her out into the sun and back under the lanai at night. The trouble with leaving her out in the sun and then in the same place at night is that it's nearly rainy season and I don't want her getting swamped out every afternoon if we have one of those weeks.
3. We keep her inside or even in the garage with lights and a ceramic heat bulb (no heat bulb in garage most likely) on timers and give a sitter access to the garage or house.

I've also seen the waterers that slowly release more water so would love any recommendations on good tricks like that to help make sure she stays comfy.

TRAVELING TORTOISE!
If we bring her with us (like when we go to visit family for 1-2 weeks), we have a small carrier and would use Timothy hay. She did great in it for her inaugural vet visit (and hopefully the only one she needs). Then I have family that can help me have a vacation enclosure ready for her when we get there. Do tortoises do well with travel or is it stressful to their system? The breeder we got her from said they're pretty hardy and do well with it.

BOARDING:
If we keep her at a boarding facility, are there things to be aware of or concerned about? Not having owned animals outside of dogs and horses, I'm not as well aware if boarding is totally standard or would be appalling.

Thanks so much in advance! I've already found some helpful answers digging through the forum on other care topics. Just trying to help my kiddo take care of his lifelong pet the best we can. Also, we have now totally fallen in love and didn't realize what a treat we were in for with her! Pics of the cutie just because who doesn't want to look at another adorable tortoise.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

I think most people will recommend the pet sitter option, as it is the least stressful. Maybe @Littleredfootbigredheart or @Alex and the Redfoot can weigh in on what kind of directions they would give to a pet sitter.

 

[mojo_1]

Hi all! New to tortoise care here and I'm looking for guidance/advice on travel/vacation care. Specifically, I'd love to hear what directions folks give their pet sitters for redfoots while on vacation, how they travel with them when possible and if anyone has experience with exotic pet boarding facilities.

And now for a little background. We travel throughout the year periodically and I am trying to find a good pet sitter for my son's hypo redfoot tortoise. There is also an exotic pet boarding we can look into but I'd prefer to keep her at home if I can (if anyone has had good experiences with boarding, happy to hear that too). Our tortoise just turned 1 this month. She has an outdoor enclosure as well as one we bring her into at night. We live in Southwest Florida (between Tampa and Naples) so she can be outside full time now with how warm it stays at night in theory. Her enclosure has half open top with wire and half with a wooden top with hides for her in both sides.

SITTER
Here are the options I'm weighing if we proceed with a sitter:

1. We keep her enclosure under the covered porch/lanai where it can't rain into it. She'll be warm enough but would she need a basking light on a timer if it was for a week or week and a half? This would allow us to have a sitter come just once daily to get her fresh water, food, clean the enclosure and such.
2. We have a pet sitter come twice a day to move her out into the sun and back under the lanai at night. The trouble with leaving her out in the sun and then in the same place at night is that it's nearly rainy season and I don't want her getting swamped out every afternoon if we have one of those weeks.
3. We keep her inside or even in the garage with lights and a ceramic heat bulb (no heat bulb in garage most likely) on timers and give a sitter access to the garage or house.

I've also seen the waterers that slowly release more water so would love any recommendations on good tricks like that to help make sure she stays comfy.

TRAVELING TORTOISE!
If we bring her with us (like when we go to visit family for 1-2 weeks), we have a small carrier and would use Timothy hay. She did great in it for her inaugural vet visit (and hopefully the only one she needs). Then I have family that can help me have a vacation enclosure ready for her when we get there. Do tortoises do well with travel or is it stressful to their system? The breeder we got her from said they're pretty hardy and do well with it.

BOARDING:
If we keep her at a boarding facility, are there things to be aware of or concerned about? Not having owned animals outside of dogs and horses, I'm not as well aware if boarding is totally standard or would be appalling.

Thanks so much in advance! I've already found some helpful answers digging through the forum on other care topics. Just trying to help my kiddo take care of his lifelong pet the best we can. Also, we have now totally fallen in love and didn't realize what a treat we were in for with her! Pics of the cutie just because who doesn't want to look at another adorable tortoise.

It's not good to do unnecessary traveling with them. It is stressful and redfoots need proper humidity and heat. They can't get that traveling in a car with the A/C going.
we've gone through a few pet sitters teenagers are good for about one round and after that they come up with some kinda drama that won't allow for them to do it again. Find an adult that owns reptiles themselves and is close by. That's your best bet.
Next type up and print out a feeding schedule and care sheet with the detailed instructions for tort care, so the sitter has clear instructions to follow. Sometimes care video's help too. That's what we've done and currently do for Mojo's sitters when we travel. As a side note your little tort only needs 30 minutes to an hour total of sun exposure, this of course increases as they grow.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

My tortoise is a different species (a Russian tortoise), but here is what I have done:

• If possible, I like to show in person how I go through the care routine and give the opportunity to the pet sitter to learn hands on (none of the pet sitters I used knew tortoise care)
• I also prepared written instructions so the pet sitter can easily refer to them.
• I gave them my number and encouraged them to reach out if they had any questions or concerns while I was away. I really wanted to feel like if something came up, they would inform me.
• I put all my lights on timers so the pet sitter wouldn't have to worry about them.

 

[mojo_1]

My tortoise is a different species (a Russian tortoise), but here is what I have done:

• If possible, I like to show in person how I go through the care routine and give the opportunity to the pet sitter to learn hands on (none of the pet sitters I used knew tortoise care)
• I also prepared written instructions so the pet sitter can easily refer to them.
• I gave them my number and encouraged them to reach out if they had any questions or concerns while I was away. I really wanted to feel like if something came up, they would inform me.
• I put all my lights on timers so the pet sitter wouldn't have to worry about them.

I do this for all of the sitters as well.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

It's not good to do unnecessary traveling with them. It is stressful and redfoots need proper humidity and heat. They can't get that traveling in a car with the A/C going.
we've gone through a few pet sitters teenagers are good for about one round and after that they come up with some kinda drama that won't allow for them to do it again. Find an adult that owns reptiles themselves and is close by. That's your best bet.
Next type up and print out a feeding schedule and care sheet with the detailed instructions for tort care, so the sitter has clear instructions to follow. Sometimes care video's help too. That's what we've done and currently do for Mojo's sitters when we travel. As a side note your little tort only needs 30 minutes to an hour total of sun exposure, this of course increases as they grow.

I had one of my relatives watch for my tortoise and here are some of the things happened:

• For some reason, the heat lamp didn't turn on, and he didn't notice this until the second day. I believe it was off the whole time before he noticed.
• I had the set up so that the heat lamp rested on the lid and had to be turned off and lifted every time the lid was opened. Well, once he lifted the lamp in the floor without turning it off, causing the floor paint to melt. Thankfully nothing worse happened.
• And lastly, one day he didn't visit until after the lights had turned off and my tortoise was already sleeping.

Don't get me wrong, this is not to say every teenager is like this, just listing some of the things that could go wrong if you pick the wrong pet sitter or they aren't informed on how everything is supposed to be done or is supposed to bem

 

[mojo_1]

I had one of my relatives watch for my tortoise and here are some of the things happened:

• For some reason, the heat lamp didn't turn on, and he didn't notice this until the second day. I believe it was off the whole time before he noticed.
• I had the set up so that the heat lamp rested on the lid and had to be turned off and lifted every time the lid was opened. Well, once he lifted the lamp in the floor without turning it off, causing the floor paint to melt. Thankfully nothing worse happened.
• And lastly, one day he didn't visit until after the lights had turned off and my tortoise was already sleeping.

Don't get me wrong, this is not to say every teenager is like this, just listing some of the things that could go wrong if you pick the wrong pet sitter or they aren't informed on how everything is supposed to be done or is supposed to bem

I also have cameras all over the house and in Mojo's enclosure, that are handy to make sure they're doing what was asked of them. One of our sitters showed up at a different time of day every day sometimes as late as 7pm.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hi all! New to tortoise care here and I'm looking for guidance/advice on travel/vacation care. Specifically, I'd love to hear what directions folks give their pet sitters for redfoots while on vacation, how they travel with them when possible and if anyone has experience with exotic pet boarding facilities.

And now for a little background. We travel throughout the year periodically and I am trying to find a good pet sitter for my son's hypo redfoot tortoise. There is also an exotic pet boarding we can look into but I'd prefer to keep her at home if I can (if anyone has had good experiences with boarding, happy to hear that too). Our tortoise just turned 1 this month. She has an outdoor enclosure as well as one we bring her into at night. We live in Southwest Florida (between Tampa and Naples) so she can be outside full time now with how warm it stays at night in theory. Her enclosure has half open top with wire and half with a wooden top with hides for her in both sides.

SITTER
Here are the options I'm weighing if we proceed with a sitter:

1. We keep her enclosure under the covered porch/lanai where it can't rain into it. She'll be warm enough but would she need a basking light on a timer if it was for a week or week and a half? This would allow us to have a sitter come just once daily to get her fresh water, food, clean the enclosure and such.
2. We have a pet sitter come twice a day to move her out into the sun and back under the lanai at night. The trouble with leaving her out in the sun and then in the same place at night is that it's nearly rainy season and I don't want her getting swamped out every afternoon if we have one of those weeks.
3. We keep her inside or even in the garage with lights and a ceramic heat bulb (no heat bulb in garage most likely) on timers and give a sitter access to the garage or house.

I've also seen the waterers that slowly release more water so would love any recommendations on good tricks like that to help make sure she stays comfy.

TRAVELING TORTOISE!
If we bring her with us (like when we go to visit family for 1-2 weeks), we have a small carrier and would use Timothy hay. She did great in it for her inaugural vet visit (and hopefully the only one she needs). Then I have family that can help me have a vacation enclosure ready for her when we get there. Do tortoises do well with travel or is it stressful to their system? The breeder we got her from said they're pretty hardy and do well with it.

BOARDING:
If we keep her at a boarding facility, are there things to be aware of or concerned about? Not having owned animals outside of dogs and horses, I'm not as well aware if boarding is totally standard or would be appalling.

Thanks so much in advance! I've already found some helpful answers digging through the forum on other care topics. Just trying to help my kiddo take care of his lifelong pet the best we can. Also, we have now totally fallen in love and didn't realize what a treat we were in for with her! Pics of the cutie just because who doesn't want to look at another adorable tortoise.

Hello! Absolutely gorgeous baby wow

I’d definitely opt to keep her at home, I don’t have any experience with exotic pet boarding facilities, but know it can be very stressful for a tortoise to be placed into a new environment, their adjustment period can take over a week, by time you’re back to take her home it could take longer for her to settle back in, I’d also personally be a bit paranoid over potential cross contamination risks from other tortoises/reptiles if they’re a bit too relaxed on that kind of stuff.
Travel is also very stressful, so wouldn’t personally recommend taking her with you.
They’re very territorial and routine oriented animals, so ultimately keeping her home with a scheduled pet sitter is the better choice.

We’re lucky that we work it between family members with our red foot, but hopefully some of the suggestions above will help you find a sitter if that isn’t an option.

My tortoise is a different species (a Russian tortoise), but here is what I have done:

• If possible, I like to show in person how I go through the care routine and give the opportunity to the pet sitter to learn hands on (none of the pet sitters I used knew tortoise care)
• I also prepared written instructions so the pet sitter can easily refer to them.
• I gave them my number and encouraged them to reach out if they had any questions or concerns while I was away. I really wanted to feel like if something came up, they would inform me.
• I put all my lights on timers so the pet sitter wouldn't have to worry about them.

Second all this^^

I wouldn’t keep her under the covered porch, I know we get pretty accurate weather forecasts, but for safety reasons I’d want my tortoise in a secure temperature controlled area.
I wouldn’t do the letting her in and out either, though in theory if they come twice a day it could work, life comes with no guarantees, the sitter could have a emergency of their own and not be able to get back to bring your tortoise in for the night, least with her inside you know she’s perfectly safe.
I’d go with the third option, red foots don’t need a temperature drop at night, so you can keep your che on the thermostat running 24/7, the only bulb you’d need on a timer is your ambient lighting for a night&day cycle.

I don’t have any experience with the slow release water dishes, but a daily water change by the sitter should be fine.

Generally speaking it’s recommended on the forum younger tortoises like this do best with the majority of their first few years in a closed chamber set up, a few hours outdoors is fine in a nice secure outdoor enclosure with plenty of shade, that’ll eliminate the need for indoor uvbut at least with a closed set up, you can ensure baby is kept at optimal temperatures and humidity the majority of the time, you’re in a great climate for this baby of course, but there’s always fluctuations we can’t completely control outside of that kind of enclosure.

Feel free to check out these threads if you haven’t already.

This housing thread covers correct equipment(heating bulbs, lighting etc), correct levels, importance of a closed chamber for red foots(only way to maintain the humidity you need indoors), appropriately maintaining the humidity(they are prone to shell rot so this is important! No misters or humidifiers), safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, a diet list and a really handy diet link to check out! If going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better! But I’ll add some more ideas below for closed chambers

Young red foot/ cherryhead set up

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information on an effective example of a starter enclosure for a red foot/cherry head😊 Care advice for these guys is painfully behind, fb pages, YouTube, pet stores, they’re all repeating the same outdated advice, this forum is made of...

tortoiseforum.org

This includes different closed chambers, some work better than others

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

Lastly, this one here is good to go over and keep on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

Hope they come in handy, and hope the travel advice helps! I’d definitely recommend one of those cams mojo mentioned, we have one of those, you can even get smart meters that send her environmental readings to your phone, that way you’d know of the ceramic stopped working for whatever reason

 

[COmtnLady]

You know the old saw, "Good help is hard to find."? That applies here.

Find a person you trust. It sounds easy if you say it fast - but...
People can be completely different face-to-face than once you are gone. Best way is, once you've found a likely candidate, do a short (weekend or five days) getaway well before the important traveling begins, and see how it goes. Do this far enough in advance that if it doesn't work out you have time to find another sitter.

Almost no one knows how to care for a tortoise correctly, so you will have to educate them. Be nice about it, but if they resist, don't leave your tortoise with them. They have to convince you that you can trust them. The life of your tortoise depends on it.

Print out the Redfoot care sheet from here as "homework" to give them during the initial interview.

Ask people you know who have pets that they have had someone take care of, to recommend possible sitters they're happy with. Ask your Vet for referrals. Ask the boarding place if they know good sitters. And check online sources for ones. Even if those recommendations were for dog care, the sitter may be game for taking on a tortoise.

Be cautious. If someone flakes out on you and you are a thousand miles away, its good to have a secondary backup plan in place. Have someone who can pinch hit for you in a "just in case" position... The only other option would be to cut short your trip and return home, so make sure you have back up. Just in case.




Leave very clear and simple, printed-on-paper, instructions. This should be almost a bullet point list, or like a lesson plan a teacher leaves for the substitute, rather than so much information that the sitter can't find what they need to know. Keep it simple and clear.

Go over this face-to-face after the initial interview, and expand to cover all details verbally. If something seems particularly troublesome for the sitter, add the explanation about it to the printed sheet.
Talk over all the info/details again a couple days before you leave (on the phone should do), then leave these shorter written info sheets for them to refer to. Keep in mind that this person doesn't know your house, so be sure to tell them if there is some hidden light switch or the faucet drips, or any other details that you don't usually even think about.

Explain feeding, soaking, and cleaning. You "just know" how you do it, but the sitter doesn't, so be sure to include details for them. Show them exactly where you keep everything they might need to access. Write it down clearly and simply on the care instruction sheet.

Include a sheet with
** Vet - the name, address, and phone number of your veterinarian (a Google map to their location is nice to include).
** Emergency Contacts - names and phone numbers of emergency contacts (like your friend, brother, or adult kid that knows things like where the electric breaker box for the house is, or where you keep spare batteries for the smoke alarm that's beeping.)
** Neighbors - The names and phone numbers (if you're friends with them) of the neighbors (and warnings if there is a problematic one).
** Your cell phone that you can be reached on. Plus an itinerary of where you will be and contact info for there in case your personal mobile phone number doesn't work.

Leave a separate, written, signed by you, and dated, sheet of paper that gives permission for the sitter(s), named, to seek treatment for your pet(s), also named, during the dates you will be gone. Head the sheet with Vet's name, address, phone number - in the event there's an emergency you don't want the sitter having to dig through all the papers trying to find this important info. Also state that you will pay any charges once you have returned . Include a phone number that absolutely works to be in touch with you, in case there are questions.

THEN - also call your veterinarian and let them know verbally that you will be traveling and get them to agree that the sitter can seek medical care if needed. Most people who travel a lot have an ongoing agreement with their vet, and just send the vet an email a few days prior to the trip.




Have enough food and whatever other supplies ready. If you will be gone too long for your food to last the entire time, leave detailed explanations of exactly what the sitter (or whomever else you have enlisted to cover things that need done) needs to get at the store or where ever. Be certain to leave enough funds to cover this, plus a buffer and a little more extra as a thank you for them going above and beyond.


Don't cheap out on the pet-sitter. Call a few agencies and friends and discover what the going rate is in your area and meet that cost, plus add a tip or grocery or gas gift card.. A good pet care person is close to impossible to find, once you do find a good one, value them. A resentful pet sitter won't be good to entrust your tortoise's wellbeing to.

 

[tortoisegrandmother90]

Wow! Thank you so much to everyone for taking the time to reply with such helpful information! I so appreciate the time and energy you took with it. We'll definitely be pursuing the sitter route and I'm more inclined to keep her inside instead of out in the case that a sitter isn't as attentive as we hope, for whatever reason.

 

[tortoisegrandmother90]

You know the old saw, "Good help is hard to find."? That applies here.

Find a person you trust. It sounds easy if you say it fast - but...
People can be completely different face-to-face than once you are gone. Best way is, once you've found a likely candidate, do a short (weekend or five days) getaway well before the important traveling begins, and see how it goes. Do this far enough in advance that if it doesn't work out you have time to find another sitter.

Almost no one knows how to care for a tortoise correctly, so you will have to educate them. Be nice about it, but if they resist, don't leave your tortoise with them. They have to convince you that you can trust them. The life of your tortoise depends on it.

Print out the Redfoot care sheet from here as "homework" to give them during the initial interview.

Ask people you know who have pets that they have had someone take care of, to recommend possible sitters they're happy with. Ask your Vet for referrals. Ask the boarding place if they know good sitters. And check online sources for ones. Even if those recommendations were for dog care, the sitter may be game for taking on a tortoise.

Be cautious. If someone flakes out on you and you are a thousand miles away, its good to have a secondary backup plan in place. Have someone who can pinch hit for you in a "just in case" position... The only other option would be to cut short your trip and return home, so make sure you have back up. Just in case.




Leave very clear and simple, printed-on-paper, instructions. This should be almost a bullet point list, or like a lesson plan a teacher leaves for the substitute, rather than so much information that the sitter can't find what they need to know. Keep it simple and clear.

Go over this face-to-face after the initial interview, and expand to cover all details verbally. If something seems particularly troublesome for the sitter, add the explanation about it to the printed sheet.
Talk over all the info/details again a couple days before you leave (on the phone should do), then leave these shorter written info sheets for them to refer to. Keep in mind that this person doesn't know your house, so be sure to tell them if there is some hidden light switch or the faucet drips, or any other details that you don't usually even think about.

Explain feeding, soaking, and cleaning. You "just know" how you do it, but the sitter doesn't, so be sure to include details for them. Show them exactly where you keep everything they might need to access. Write it down clearly and simply on the care instruction sheet.

Include a sheet with
** Vet - the name, address, and phone number of your veterinarian (a Google map to their location is nice to include).
** Emergency Contacts - names and phone numbers of emergency contacts (like your friend, brother, or adult kid that knows things like where the electric breaker box for the house is, or where you keep spare batteries for the smoke alarm that's beeping.)
** Neighbors - The names and phone numbers (if you're friends with them) of the neighbors (and warnings if there is a problematic one).
** Your cell phone that you can be reached on. Plus an itinerary of where you will be and contact info for there in case your personal mobile phone number doesn't work.

Leave a separate, written, signed by you, and dated, sheet of paper that gives permission for the sitter(s), named, to seek treatment for your pet(s), also named, during the dates you will be gone. Head the sheet with Vet's name, address, phone number - in the event there's an emergency you don't want the sitter having to dig through all the papers trying to find this important info. Also state that you will pay any charges once you have returned . Include a phone number that absolutely works to be in touch with you, in case there are questions.

THEN - also call your veterinarian and let them know verbally that you will be traveling and get them to agree that the sitter can seek medical care if needed. Most people who travel a lot have an ongoing agreement with their vet, and just send the vet an email a few days prior to the trip.




Have enough food and whatever other supplies ready. If you will be gone too long for your food to last the entire time, leave detailed explanations of exactly what the sitter (or whomever else you have enlisted to cover things that need done) needs to get at the store or where ever. Be certain to leave enough funds to cover this, plus a buffer and a little more extra as a thank you for them going above and beyond.


Don't cheap out on the pet-sitter. Call a few agencies and friends and discover what the going rate is in your area and meet that cost, plus add a tip or grocery or gas gift card.. A good pet care person is close to impossible to find, once you do find a good one, value them. A resentful pet sitter won't be good to entrust your tortoise's wellbeing to.

This is so thorough thoughtful and helpful! Thank you!

 

[tortoisegrandmother90]

Hello! Absolutely gorgeous baby wow

I’d definitely opt to keep her at home, I don’t have any experience with exotic pet boarding facilities, but know it can be very stressful for a tortoise to be placed into a new environment, their adjustment period can take over a week, by time you’re back to take her home it could take longer for her to settle back in, I’d also personally be a bit paranoid over potential cross contamination risks from other tortoises/reptiles if they’re a bit too relaxed on that kind of stuff.
Travel is also very stressful, so wouldn’t personally recommend taking her with you.
They’re very territorial and routine oriented animals, so ultimately keeping her home with a scheduled pet sitter is the better choice.

We’re lucky that we work it between family members with our red foot, but hopefully some of the suggestions above will help you find a sitter if that isn’t an option.

Second all this^^

I wouldn’t keep her under the covered porch, I know we get pretty accurate weather forecasts, but for safety reasons I’d want my tortoise in a secure temperature controlled area.
I wouldn’t do the letting her in and out either, though in theory if they come twice a day it could work, life comes with no guarantees, the sitter could have a emergency of their own and not be able to get back to bring your tortoise in for the night, least with her inside you know she’s perfectly safe.
I’d go with the third option, red foots don’t need a temperature drop at night, so you can keep your che on the thermostat running 24/7, the only bulb you’d need on a timer is your ambient lighting for a night&day cycle.

I don’t have any experience with the slow release water dishes, but a daily water change by the sitter should be fine.

Generally speaking it’s recommended on the forum younger tortoises like this do best with the majority of their first few years in a closed chamber set up, a few hours outdoors is fine in a nice secure outdoor enclosure with plenty of shade, that’ll eliminate the need for indoor uvbut at least with a closed set up, you can ensure baby is kept at optimal temperatures and humidity the majority of the time, you’re in a great climate for this baby of course, but there’s always fluctuations we can’t completely control outside of that kind of enclosure.

Feel free to check out these threads if you haven’t already.

This housing thread covers correct equipment(heating bulbs, lighting etc), correct levels, importance of a closed chamber for red foots(only way to maintain the humidity you need indoors), appropriately maintaining the humidity(they are prone to shell rot so this is important! No misters or humidifiers), safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, a diet list and a really handy diet link to check out! If going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better! But I’ll add some more ideas below for closed chambers

Young red foot/ cherryhead set up

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information on an effective example of a starter enclosure for a red foot/cherry head😊 Care advice for these guys is painfully behind, fb pages, YouTube, pet stores, they’re all repeating the same outdated advice, this forum is made of...

tortoiseforum.org

This includes different closed chambers, some work better than others

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

Lastly, this one here is good to go over and keep on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

Hope they come in handy, and hope the travel advice helps! I’d definitely recommend one of those cams mojo mentioned, we have one of those, you can even get smart meters that send her environmental readings to your phone, that way you’d know of the ceramic stopped working for whatever reason

Thank you so much for taking the time to pull all of this together! I'm so grateful for the advice. The meters with environmental readings are a great idea! I'll definitely look into those in that case.