Best Set-up for RedFoot

[RedHeadMama]

Hello! We have a juvenile/young adult RedFoot female that we adopted from a friend whose child became allergic to her bedding. We're currently keeping her in a forty-gallon aquarium with a mixture of coconut coir and cypress mulch substrate, a Boston fern (she loves to hide under the fronds), a tortoise soaking dish and of course the heat/UVB lamp and humidifier...but we really feel that this is too small for her and would like to build her a bigger tortoise table. The problem we've encountered is every time we try a bigger enclosure--whether 75-gallon aquarium or our first attempt at a tortoise table (~16 square feet, on the floor)--it's nearly impossible to keep it at the right heat and humidity level unless the ambient temperature is at or above 75 anyway. We live in the SE, so this won't be a problem during the summer (we've already decided not to run AC in her room)--but our house is 100 years old, there's no central heat, and during the winter the nighttime temp in the house can get to 60 or below. How would you create a set-up that is easy to heat and humidify under those circumstances? Because I don't think you can use an under-tank or tank-side heating pad like the ZooMed one with a wooden tortoise table, am I right?

Thanks!

 

[Alex Z]

Happy bday!! Party hard.

https://www.google.com/search?q=red...AUICCgC&biw=1280&bih=800#imgrc=Bozr2eAtFh0aZM:

Hopes this helps. Its 6x2, but you can make it bigger. Plexi glass for doors and viewing. Hang the domes off the rail system. Its just a 2x6 and you drill hooks so the domes are hung from them. Holes on the sides for ventilation. 1 more hold for the reptifogger hose. It should run you about 70 bucks from the local hardware or a lil cheaper at home depot. I got this idea from Ernest Johnson. Follow him om youtube. His name is the channel. Another good knowlegable person is Kamp Kenan.

 

[RedHeadMama]

Thanks! That's a great idea--I never thought of making the back higher, but that would allow for an upper level as well, so she'd get more exercise. Right now her movement is pretty limited unless we get her out to walk around in the house or yard. I try to do that at least a few times a week, but it's complicated especially when it's cold.

 

[Alex Z]

Its why an enclosed chamber works best built with adequate space and trapping humidity and heat..

 

[Bigmik101]

Hi hoping you can help i have just got a redfoot and reptile shop appears to have given me bad advice so have lost faith. Have had to set up in a viv as i have dogs in the house. Inhave a 5.0 UVB tube and a 100w infrared heat bulb on a thermostat. Is this a good set up?
Is there anything i need to do different?

Thanks

 

[crimson_lotus]

Hi hoping you can help i have just got a redfoot and reptile shop appears to have given me bad advice so have lost faith. Have had to set up in a viv as i have dogs in the house. Inhave a 5.0 UVB tube and a 100w infrared heat bulb on a thermostat. Is this a good set up?
Is there anything i need to do different?

Thanks

you dont want the infrared bulb - if you can return it, do that.

instead you want a ceramic heat emitter 100w that emits no light, only heat. use a ceramic fixture with it.

if you can take a pic of your setup we can tell you anything else we see. is your redfoot older or a baby?

 

[Bigmik101]

you dont want the infrared bulb - if you can return it, do that.

instead you want a ceramic heat emitter 100w that emits no light, only heat. use a ceramic fixture with it.

if you can take a pic of your setup we can tell you anything else we see. is your redfoot older or a baby?

Thanks. It 8s between 6 months and a year old

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Hello! We have a juvenile/young adult RedFoot female that we adopted from a friend whose child became allergic to her bedding. We're currently keeping her in a forty-gallon aquarium with a mixture of coconut coir and cypress mulch substrate, a Boston fern (she loves to hide under the fronds), a tortoise soaking dish and of course the heat/UVB lamp and humidifier...but we really feel that this is too small for her and would like to build her a bigger tortoise table. The problem we've encountered is every time we try a bigger enclosure--whether 75-gallon aquarium or our first attempt at a tortoise table (~16 square feet, on the floor)--it's nearly impossible to keep it at the right heat and humidity level unless the ambient temperature is at or above 75 anyway. We live in the SE, so this won't be a problem during the summer (we've already decided not to run AC in her room)--but our house is 100 years old, there's no central heat, and during the winter the nighttime temp in the house can get to 60 or below. How would you create a set-up that is easy to heat and humidify under those circumstances? Because I don't think you can use an under-tank or tank-side heating pad like the ZooMed one with a wooden tortoise table, am I right?

Thanks!

Welcome.
Search posts for "closed chamber enclosures".
Redfoot do well in a closed/semi closed system because such an enclosure keeps in the warmth and that equally critical high humidity.
Some folks use a simple, giant plastic tote from the hardware store.
Although none exist that are large enough for an adult Redfoot.
Where are you in the southeast?
Can you set up an outdoors enclosure to use some of the year?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Hi hoping you can help i have just got a redfoot and reptile shop appears to have given me bad advice so have lost faith. Have had to set up in a viv as i have dogs in the house. Inhave a 5.0 UVB tube and a 100w infrared heat bulb on a thermostat. Is this a good set up?
Is there anything i need to do different?

Thanks

You have answers waiting on your other post