Birthday Red footed Tortoise <3

Hello! I just got a baby red footed tortoise for my birthday and I love it already! It is my first reptile and I am excited to learn everything there is to know about it. Thank you all for the advice and support! I'm looking forward to becoming a part of the tortoise community !

Welcome, lovely tort What temps are you keeping the enclosure at during the day and at night?

Good luck with your little guy. What's his/ her name?

This is his home for now. We are still building some wooden huts for him to hide in and are going to experiment with what size it likes best. The temp in his room is between 80-90 and tropically humid according to our thermometers; it is very hot and humid here in Virginia. I haven't determined if it is a boy or a girl yet, so we are still thinking up names if anyone has ideas

We also got 2 different lamps, one for vitamins and one for heat. We also got some calcium powder for his veggies but I am still reading to learn more about the proper amounts to supplement.

Welcome Great pictures

Hello Ariel welcome to the TFO from AZ .


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Hello, and welcome to the Forum!

I love the tortoises that have odd or split scutes. This MIGHT mean that your baby is female, but then again, sometimes its genetic.

We have some excellent reading material for new Redfooted tortoise keepers. Take a look at the info written and compiled by Madkins007, at the
Tortoise Library

And remember, your little tortoise comes from South America, where the temperature is usually consistently warm and the air is humid and moist. You may have to cover or partially cover your habitat to keep the warm/humid air inside.

Welcome! This is the best place to learn about the care of your little guy. What a cutie. I have found that whatever you name the tort, the actual sex will be the opposite. Just my experience. LOL. You will have to cover up the enclosure to keep the humidity in. There are different ways to do that. Good luck and welcome again.

Arial said:

We also got 2 different lamps, one for vitamins and one for heat. We also got some calcium powder for his veggies but I am still reading to learn more about the proper amounts to supplement.

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If you buy a cuttlebone (you can find it in the bird section in any pet store) and leave it in the enclosure 24/7 then you should be able to get away with a light sprinkling once or twice a week.

And I, too, love split scute babies! Yours is adorable. Happy belated birthday and welcome to the forum!

Welcome. You are going to need very high humidity especially because of how young your tort is. Turtletary.com has one of the best care sheets for raising these guys. Good luck

Thank you for all of the advice and support! At first I was worried about the split scute until I learned more about it, now I love that it's unique! We have a lid for the enclosure, but the humidity thermometer says we are in a good range without it, so could i wait until the weather changes to cover it? I'm interested in learning more about cuttlebones. And I am so excited to learn everything there is to know and learn lots more on here. Thanks again for the comments and advice!

Arial said:

Thank you for all of the advice and support! At first I was worried about the split scute until I learned more about it, now I love that it's unique! We have a lid for the enclosure, but the humidity thermometer says we are in a good range without it, so could i wait until the weather changes to cover it? I'm interested in learning more about cuttlebones. And I am so excited to learn everything there is to know and learn lots more on here. Thanks again for the comments and advice!

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What kind of hygrometer are you using? Some kinds are not so accurate. As for cuttlebones, they're just a form of calcium that your torts have an option of ingesting. It's safer to give less calcium than to overdo it. Providing a cuttlebone allows the tort to regulate his calcium intake on his own.

I would still cover it

Welcome!