Hello!

[Coconugget]

Hi! I would like my name to be kept private and would be preferred to be called Kubie. I live in the US and own a red foot tortoise named Coconut. She's 3 years old and I got her when she was 6 months. My family and I keep her in a 2.5 ft by 3 ft wooden indoor pen, since our yard barely has enough space for her. She also has a fogger. Her substrate has been walnut shell ever since I got her and I regret it. Are there any good suggestions? I soak her everyThere a few decent reptile vets near me, but I found one though it's quite far away. I am quite sure she has respiratory infection and have not decided when to take her to the vet. I'm going on a 4-day trip and am very concerned about leaving her. I'm glad I found TortoiseForum and wished I joined sooner. I was afraid of a harsh community, but so far, everyone seems helpful and nice! Thank you for taking your time reading this ;v;

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello, "Kubie" and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum to you and Coconut.
Choice substrates include coco coir, orchid bark and cypress mulch, but even yard dirt, as long as it is absolutely chemical/pesticide free is better than walnut shells. You need something that can hold humidity.
Four foot by eight foot would be a minimum for an adult tortoise enclosure especially if it has no outdoor time.
Do you have a closed chamber enclosure ? Mixing water directly into the new substrate by hand should help your humidity.
I would take the tortoise to the vet before going on your trip.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

To help your tortoise fight off the infection you need to raise the temperature inside her habitat to 85F all over the whole space. It would be helpful if you could also cover it to keep the cooler air from your house out.

 

[Coconugget]

Thank you for the advice! I will definitely look into the substrates. I have heard of closed chamber enclosures, but do not know much about it. As for the size of her enclosure, my family and I are planning on keep the size 3.5 by 2 feet for a year or 2. Apologies for my inexperience.

Hello, "Kubie" and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum to you and Coconut.
Choice substrates include coco coir, orchid bark and cypress mulch, but even yard dirt, as long as it is absolutely chemical/pesticide free is better than walnut shells. You need something that can hold humidity.
Four foot by eight foot would be a minimum for an adult tortoise enclosure especially if it has no outdoor time.
Do you have a closed chamber enclosure ? Mixing water directly into the new substrate by hand should help your humidity.
I would take the tortoise to the vet before going on your trip.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Welcome Kubie

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Welcome

 

[Speedy-1]

Hi and welcome !

 

[Gillian M]

Hi and a very warm welcome to the forum!

Would love to see pics of your tort.

 

[johnp]

Welcome

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Thank you for the advice! I will definitely look into the substrates. I have heard of closed chamber enclosures, but do not know much about it. As for the size of her enclosure, my family and I are planning on keep the size 3.5 by 2 feet for a year or 2. Apologies for my inexperience.

Have a look at http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/closed-chambers.32333/

 

[Carol S]

Welcome to the Forum.

 

[Coconugget]

Have a look at http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/closed-chambers.32333/

Her enclosure is somewhat similar though she only has 1 heat lamp with a UVB bulb and that the roof of her enclosure is not exactly "closed". It's a bit hard to explain, I'll send a picture when I feel comfortable sharing pics of the enclosure and my tort. Thank you for the help!

 

[Linhdan Nguyen]

Hello & welcome.
As everyone above mentioned, Coconut most likely has a respiratory infection and I would also agree that taking her to the vet soon would be a good idea. Could you let us know how you are caring for her (diet, temps, soaks, schedule).
Please do not feel uncomfortable here. We are all here to help one another.

 

[Coconugget]

Hello & welcome.
As everyone above mentioned, Coconut most likely has a respiratory infection and I would also agree that taking her to the vet soon would be a good idea. Could you let us know how you are caring for her (diet, temps, soaks, schedule).
Please do not feel uncomfortable here. We are all here to help one another.

Thank you!! I feed Coconut romaine lettuce quite frequently and also give her tomato, blueberries, strawberries, mango, and squash. Every 1.5 months, I give her chicken that is cooked without anything put into it. During the summer, I give her watermelon once or twice. Her usual temperature is 70-85 degrees and humidity level around 60-90. I try to soak her for 5-10 minutes daily, if not 2-4 times a week and let her roam around my house after a soak. When I get the chance, I let her roam my yard, butI don't do this often because there are a lot of items that I wouldn't want her to eat. Every time, I soak her, I examine her enclosure and clean it up any mess.

 

[Linhdan Nguyen]

Thank you!! I feed Coconut romaine lettuce quite frequently and also give her tomato, blueberries, strawberries, mango, and squash. Every 1.5 months, I give her chicken that is cooked without anything put into it. During the summer, I give her watermelon once or twice. Her usual temperature is 70-85 degrees and humidity level around 60-90. I try to soak her for 5-10 minutes daily, if not 2-4 times a week and let her roam around my house after a soak. When I get the chance, I let her roam my yard, butI don't do this often because there are a lot of items that I wouldn't want her to eat. Every time, I soak her, I examine her enclosure and clean it up any mess.

Her diet could use some improving. I dont have redfoot tortoises but @Pearly @ZEROPILOT @LaDukePhoto have redfoot tortoises. They can better help you.
Romaine lettuce should be fed as part of a varied diet though. They have little nutrition. I believe protein can be fed more than once every 1.5 months and your temps shouldnt be any lower than 78-80F.
Humidity at 60 is kind of low, im not sure what the optimal humidity for redfoots are though. Around 80 i think.
Its great coconut can roam in the yard sometimes ! If youre afraid of harmful plants your tort might eat but not 100% sure, post pictures of the plant and we can help you identify. Yvonne is really good at this.
Also, check out www.thetortoisetable.com.uk they have a list of safe plants/veggies/fruits for tortoises.