My red foot sleeps all the time. Can't get her to eat anything but blue berries and dandelions. She not gaining weight either. She approximately 6months old and 59 grams hasnt gained in two weeks. Got a cage with all recommended bells and whistles. Soak her and take her out every day where she eats Asian pony foot and dandelions in the yard. Is it time for the vet?
Weight gain
- Thread starter Slow60
- Start date
mojo_1
Well-Known Member
Please detail your bells and whistles. Also post some pictures of everything so we can see what you see and we can better help figure it out. Welcome to the forum.
mojo_1
Well-Known Member
Don't take this the wrong way but everything you have is wrong.
mojo_1
Well-Known Member
Read these.
tortoiseforum.org
tortoiseforum.org
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head😊 Care advice for these guys is painfully behind, fb pages, YouTube, pet stores, they’re all repeating the same outdated advice, this forum is made of...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
Housing older red foot/cherryhead
Hello there! In this thread I’m going to go over an example of an appropriate indoor red foot/cherryhead enclosure. As much as it’s encouraged to have tortoises in a safe outdoor enclosure(especially the size these guys get!) I understand being from the uk myself, that some climate’s make it...
tortoiseforum.org
Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
Hello and welcome!
I am afraid to confirm what mojo is saying, unfortunately you’ve been sold completely the wrong set up.
First up your lighting, red bulbs should never be used, they make the substrate look like food and mess with their eyesight.
I can see moss on top of what looks like forest floor substrate? Forest floor bark is ok, but moss needs to go asap, it can impact them.
You have an open top enclosure, which is impossible to maintain your humidity where needed.
90f is a bit too hot for a red foot and 75 too cool, no where should be dropping below 80.
CHE’s (ceramic heats emitters) are more suited to red foots as a 24/7 heat source, far less desiccating on their shells and keep things in the 80-86 range, red foots don’t need a hotter and a cooler end.
Please give this thread below a careful read to make the needed changes, it covers correct heating&lighting, levels, appropriately maintaining humidity, the need for a closed chamber with lots of visual examples for everything, there’s also a good diet list to check out!
tortoiseforum.org
Please give this one a read too, it explains some of the errors you’re making and others to avoid, the wrong bulbs, substrate, housing etc
tortoiseforum.org
Give them both a read and please come back with further questions
I am afraid to confirm what mojo is saying, unfortunately you’ve been sold completely the wrong set up.
First up your lighting, red bulbs should never be used, they make the substrate look like food and mess with their eyesight.
I can see moss on top of what looks like forest floor substrate? Forest floor bark is ok, but moss needs to go asap, it can impact them.
You have an open top enclosure, which is impossible to maintain your humidity where needed.
Humidity needs to be 80+ all over 24/7, humidifiers are not appropriate, they can cause respiratory issues and only focus on the top layer getting wet, red foots are prone to fungal issues so this isn’t ideal.
90f is a bit too hot for a red foot and 75 too cool, no where should be dropping below 80.
CHE’s (ceramic heats emitters) are more suited to red foots as a 24/7 heat source, far less desiccating on their shells and keep things in the 80-86 range, red foots don’t need a hotter and a cooler end.
Please give this thread below a careful read to make the needed changes, it covers correct heating&lighting, levels, appropriately maintaining humidity, the need for a closed chamber with lots of visual examples for everything, there’s also a good diet list to check out!
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
Please give this one a read too, it explains some of the errors you’re making and others to avoid, the wrong bulbs, substrate, housing etc
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
Give them both a read and please come back with further questions
mojo_1
Well-Known Member
Stop using the humidifier immediately. It will cause health problems. Red lights are a no for tortoises, moss is also bad it can cause impacted intestines if eaten. Your water and food dishes should be terracotta saucers sunk into the substrate so they can get in and out easily. Enclosure should be a closed chamber enclosure to maintain heat and humidity both in mid 80's. Temperature and humidity gauge should be digital the analog gauge is not reliable and also should be top of tortoise shell height. Substrate can be orchid bark from a fir tree, not pine bark. Or you can use Coco coir. Your little tort is not warm enough or in high enough humidity. Remember that a redfoot tortoise is from South America it's hot and humid there.
mojo_1
Well-Known Member
Thank you, I couldn't find the common errors post you made. To add it myself.Hello and welcome!
I am afraid to confirm what mojo is saying, unfortunately you’ve been sold completely the wrong set up.
First up your lighting, red bulbs should never be used, they make the substrate look like food and mess with their eyesight.
I can see moss on top of what looks like forest floor substrate? Forest floor bark is ok, but moss needs to go asap, it can impact them.
You have an open top enclosure, which is impossible to maintain your humidity where needed.
Humidity needs to be 80+ all over 24/7, humidifiers are not appropriate, they can cause respiratory issues and only focus on the top layer getting wet, red foots are prone to fungal issues so this isn’t ideal.
90f is a bit too hot for a red foot and 75 too cool, no where should be dropping below 80.
CHE’s (ceramic heats emitters) are more suited to red foots as a 24/7 heat source, far less desiccating on their shells and keep things in the 80-86 range, red foots don’t need a hotter and a cooler end.
Please give this thread below a careful read to make the needed changes, it covers correct heating&lighting, levels, appropriately maintaining humidity, the need for a closed chamber with lots of visual examples for everything, there’s also a good diet list to check out!
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...
Please give this one a read too, it explains some of the errors you’re making and others to avoid, the wrong bulbs, substrate, housing etc
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...
Give them both a read and please come back with further questions
Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
mojo_1
Well-Known Member
You can still use your enclosure for the time being. But get a pop up greenhouse tent or some heavy sheet plastic to make a tent over the enclosure. The links above cover these things. If you want to go already built enclosure there's a wait list for new ones still i believe. You could find something on marketplace too. Here's a picture of an animal plastics enclosure. That i use. And my current temperature and humidity readings
Thanks. I have a temp gun, but since shes always on the cool side i thought she was too hot. I soak her under the basking lamp. I love to watch her "submarine" while she drinks. She really enjoys it. I have a plastic tent over it, not pictured. The crate was probably meant for a bearded dragon, my son bought it not knowing. I will change the substrate and lighting. The red is for heat only so that has been particularly vexing to get the right temp. I have a heating pad under the crate floor but I turned it off as it made the floor too hot and dry. Maybe I just get deeper substrate. I will have to use it in winter. Thanks for tip to get humidity up.
mojo_1
Well-Known Member
Do not use a heating pad either. Redfoots can't sense temperature from the bottom up they get it from the top of the shell they burrow into the substrate to regulate their body temperature. As in cool down. Get rid of the red light and replace it with ceramic heat emitters on a thermostat controller.
Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
She might be the cooler side hiding as the lighting isn’t appropriate, the basking spot probably feels too hot for her too as they don’t really need one.
I wouldn’t recommend using heat mats underneath, tortoises receive their heat from above and burrow down to thermoregulate, so it’s not good to have that underneath, they can actually overheat themselves like that.
CHE’s will work for you in winter too, they’re honestly the best heating choice for your red foot, once you set them on a thermostat, that will regulate the temperature for you
mojo_1
Well-Known Member
This all may seem like a lot. We all made these mistakes when we started caring for tortoises as well.
Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
Yeah trust me our red foots lighting set up and substrate was way worse than this years ago, we’ve all taken a lot of time learning stuff on here, we just want to help as many people as possible avoid some of the mistakes we’ve made!
