Unplanned Redfoots... need help

[mdtort]

I am a pet sitter and have some friends who own a pet store. They suckered me into taking home 2 redfoots, and I am already in love. I recognize that I should've done research before bringing these girls home, but now they are here, and I want to give them the best. The problem is that the pet store folks clearly didn't know proper/full care. They had me buy a 40 gal (3' x 1.5') aquarium for the two 5"ish torts. Also had me buy marine sand which I now know is not right for redfoots. They sold me a dome light with a 100 watt bulb, too. I have since bought them 2 hides (half log and a tortoise shell-shaped hide), sphagnum moss, eco earth coconut fiber substrate, a paint tray to serve as their pool, 2 thermometers and a spray bottle until I figure out the best method for keeping their environment humid. Now, I am a complete newb to torts. I'm not even sure how to build their environment, and it looks like the moss I got is for hatchlings. We are in Maryland. Torts are on ground floor of house, so it is a bit cooler. Will anyone be my redfoot mentor? I NEED HELP!

 

[naturalman91]

it's your lucky day they is ton's of redfoot master minds here, redfoot's need a high humidity to do well you want the humidity in the 80% to 90% range and a heat that stays in the 80s even at night you can up the humidity by using a closed chamber enclosure and you can keep the heat up with a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) on a thermostat a CHE only puts off heat they're is no visible light it's more of a ambient temp you want then having temps vary

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

can you post some pics of the torts and there enclosure?

 

[mdtort]

I just emptied out their current enclosure with sand so I can redo it for tonight. It's a blank slate, and I will go buy what they need today. Right now they are walking around in a giant pen indoors.

How do you measure humidity?

 

[leigti]

The 100 W bulb will be fine if it's a mercury vapor bulb.

 

[mdtort]

The bulb...

 

[immayo]

Welcome
I'm glad you decided to join!!

 

[mdtort]

Okay, got a mercury vapor bulb and CHE and hygrometer and some more stuff. Will update later!

 

[Maro2Bear]

Welcome - yeah, another Marylander in the house!

 

[CharlieM]

Welcome.
@pfara has great posts and photos of humid indoor enclosures for her redfoots. Check her threads out.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/my-redfoot-family.88562/page-3#post-926162

 

[mdtort]

Welcome - yeah, another Marylander in the house!

I'm in Arnold!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Welcome. They actually look pretty good and judging by the overall shape of them, I'd say it's a male and a female.

 

[mdtort]

gender thoughts?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Male on top. Female below is my thought now. Most males have an hourglass shape to them and a slightly concave plastron. I don't see either. But the tail looks male.

 

[mdtort]

The top is actually the rounder of the two. They seem to like each other

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Two males won't be a match made in heaven. A male and a female would do better as long as the female has room to escape. Two females would be O.K. I've been keeping RF for quite a long time, nut to be honest, I also need help sexing mine. I'm trying to get one male and three females. I have a male. A female...and an undetermined. (Baby) With several females, the male has a choice of mates and wont harass just one.

 

[immayo]

I don't see anything that shouts male in either of them. They may need to do more growing before the obvious signs set in.

 

[VBgecko]

The top one is too close to call, but the bottom is DEFINITELY a male. The anal scutes are short and wide.