First Timer Looking For First Tort

[SnakeKeeper]

I Have never owned a tortoise but always wanted to. I been breeding snakes for past 17 years and just had no time for a Tortoise. Now that I have retired from Snake breeding I have the time to have a tortoise.

Ive been looking and so far came to either a Russian or Red Foot for first timer. Dont want something that gets huge.

I read they both have very similar requirements of the 90-95 Basking Spot with Ambient temps 75-80. Snake room I have is constant 78-83 All year long.

I was going to get a table top PVC enclosure setup thats 4ftx2ftx1ftAnd Stack it onto one of my Boa cages. Leaned towards the MVB set on a 12on 12 off cycle. Using thermostat probe to maintain set temps.

Substrate going to use 50/50 blend of Sand and Coconut husk Kept semi moist to maintain 40% Humidity level. As room stays fairly dry unless rain fall

The setup I can handle no problems, the feeding is where ive hit a haulting stop. Some say feed greens from grocery stores with other veggies chopped up. Some say I can Feed the mazuri tort food as a Every Day food. Give food daily for 15-20 mins, whats not ate take away. Or feed every other day and leave food in for 1 hour.

Something Im not rushing into, setup is what im working on right now mostly to get that setup. Ill be looking at a hatchling under 3" shell

 

[wellington]

Sounds like you'v done your homework, Congrats. Don't forget pics when you get you new family member.

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Almost forgot, Hello and WELCOME

 

[SnakeKeeper]

Yes I been reading everything i can, And compiling my own guide to go off of.

if im unable to get a open top PVC cage made, ill just have one like my boas cage, and cut out a hole on top and fasten screen to it for the basking spot.

Would be stacked ontop of that cage with sliding glass and lamp on top with the hole i cut out. This would help hold in humidity very well and no need to keep misting in dry winter months.

 

[mightymizz]

One thing to keep in mind, especially regarding redfoots is that they are not a desert tortoise. So much literature written in the past basically told people to treat the redfoot like desert tortoises.

Redfoots especially as babies, along with other tortoises it seems, really like/need high humidity. Even as they get older, a good humidity level is not bad for the redfoots.

Some do not use a MVB type buld for their redfoots, especially if they can get outside a little. Some might use something like one of the reptisun tube flourescent bulbs along with CHEs.

If you think where the redfoots naturally live, they are usually on the outskirts of the rainforest where they are in and out of the sun all day, verses desert tortoises where if not shaded, they are under intense sun.

Just some info for you to think about.

 

[SnakeKeeper]

Thanks for the Info, If i have the PVC cage setup, like a Snakes cage, The humidity levels will not be a problem as they hold it very well. Most my snakes i have now require a constant 50-60% at all times. I may just ike i stated in earlier post, go with a enclosed PVC cage rather open top so i can control humidity better to my likings, rather lose all the heat and moisture from open top cage.

Im leaning more towards the Russian than anything now. Should have cage ordered by end of week.

One thing to keep in mind, especially regarding redfoots is that they are not a desert tortoise. So much literature written in the past basically told people to treat the redfoot like desert tortoises.

Redfoots especially as babies, along with other tortoises it seems, really like/need high humidity. Even as they get older, a good humidity level is not bad for the redfoots.

Some do not use a MVB type buld for their redfoots, especially if they can get outside a little. Some might use something like one of the reptisun tube flourescent bulbs along with CHEs.

If you think where the redfoots naturally live, they are usually on the outskirts of the rainforest where they are in and out of the sun all day, verses desert tortoises where if not shaded, they are under intense sun.

Just some info for you to think about.

 

[SnakeKeeper]

So can the mazuri Tortoise Diet be fed exclusively every other day and with the occasional green leaves and what not.

With feeding Mazuri, will they get their calcium needs

 

[Lilithlee]

So can the mazuri Tortoise Diet be fed exclusively every other day and with the occasional green leaves and what not.

With feeding Mazuri, will they get their calcium needs

Search Mazuri on the forum and you will find a lot of great article.

Most people mix mazuri with greens, some people use it was a snack and their a few that just use Maxuri.

 

[SnakeKeeper]

Thanks for the Info, Once i get everything setup and before ordering, Ill figure out how he will be fed as a staple diet.

So can the mazuri Tortoise Diet be fed exclusively every other day and with the occasional green leaves and what not.

With feeding Mazuri, will they get their calcium needs

Search Mazuri on the forum and you will find a lot of great article.

Most people mix mazuri with greens, some people use it was a snack and their a few that just use Maxuri.

 

[bigred]

I only feed mazuri about once a week or 10 days for my adult redfoots. They roam the yard and eat plenty of other stuff. I give them greens, fruit, squash. I think if you get them use to mazuri everyday they wont want to eat anything else. I think there is alot of other options to keep them healthy other than a bag of dry food. Good luck redfoots are great tortoises. They can also eat Boiled eggs, boiled chicken, pinky mice, snails and earthworms. Variety is best in my opinion

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Yes I been reading everything i can, And compiling my own guide to go off of.

if im unable to get a open top PVC cage made, ill just have one like my boas cage, and cut out a hole on top and fasten screen to it for the basking spot.

Would be stacked ontop of that cage with sliding glass and lamp on top with the hole i cut out. This would help hold in humidity very well and no need to keep misting in dry winter months.

Check out Neodesha plastics they have some pretty nice cages, I just bought a 4 ft. If you have had snakes for years Im sure they are familiar with these

 

[Tom]

Your described conditions will suit a tropical tortoise much better than a temperate one like a Russian. Russians need more of a night temp drop. I think you'd be better off with a redfoot with that style of cage and those temps.

I recommend against using any sand for your substrate. It is an impaction risk and it can irritate their eyes and skin. The coc coir alone will work fine, or you can use orchid bark or cypress mulch.

For feeding, I believe all that 20 minute stuff or the every other day stuffs held over from the old days when people were struggling with understanding pyramiding. It used to be thought that too much nutrition was the cause. We now know better. Tortoises are grazers. They need to be able to munch through out the day. For my hatchlings I keep a pile in there all the time, so they can eat at will. If they eat it all up, I refill it. When they are in their outdoor enclosures they just eat p all the weeds and grass they want, all day long. Our friend Dennis in Ohio said it best, cut back their food if they are getting fat, NOT if they are growing. A young tortoise in a large pen with the right temps almost never gets fat.

If you feed Mazuri every day you will get fast growth and you will need to really ensure that conditions are perfect all the time. I like to feed it twice a week. I use it almost like a supplement to make sure they are getting all the nutrition they need. Redfoots and Russians have fairly different diets, so you'll need to do a bit of research.

 

[Nixxy]

If you're looking for a smaller Tort, Russians are quite small.