A couple months ago I encountered this site while searching to see what I could use to waterproof the palace I intended to build for our female redfoot, Ka-Ata-Killa (which is apparently Incan for moon goddess?). I'm so glad I found this place!
Our redfoot is of an unknown age, purchased from PetCo two years ago. My partner and I had discussed getting a reptile in addition to our two dogs and two seventy-gallon fish tanks, and he knew that my first pet growing up had been a Russian tortoise, so he decided to surprise me. The pet store had only a couple torts left, so he chose the one labeled as a Russian. The pet store employee said she was a redfoot, but rang her up for about half the price. When she came home, we determined (wrongly so) that she must be a yellowfoot, lacking any red altogether. That was two years ago. It was not until I came upon this site that we knew for sure what she was.
Initially, Ka-Ata-Killa was in a seventy gallon tank. Having not planned, and having had no prior experience with her species (which we weren't even certain of, anyway), we were not prepared for her rate of growth, or indeed, prepared at all. The pet store instructional pamphlet only mentioned foods, claiming she was a complete vegetarian who enjoyed lettuce and the occasional bit of fruit. Thankfully, I knew this ten- or twelve-food list to be only a fraction of what a tortoise will eat, and we did our research. With her appetite both varied and endless, she grew. And grew. And grew. We live in a two-bedroom apartment that used to be a store front in our tiny, rural Midwestern town. We don't even have so much as a closet in our house, and our fridge, against one wall of our kitchen, hits the opposite wall when opened, but I decided I would do what I could to increase her space, if only a bit. I, with no experience whatsoever with tools (I've never even used a hammer to hang a picture), and limited financial resources, built The Tortoise Palace (which is about as close to a palace as our tiny, cramped apartment). Behold:
Our redfoot is of an unknown age, purchased from PetCo two years ago. My partner and I had discussed getting a reptile in addition to our two dogs and two seventy-gallon fish tanks, and he knew that my first pet growing up had been a Russian tortoise, so he decided to surprise me. The pet store had only a couple torts left, so he chose the one labeled as a Russian. The pet store employee said she was a redfoot, but rang her up for about half the price. When she came home, we determined (wrongly so) that she must be a yellowfoot, lacking any red altogether. That was two years ago. It was not until I came upon this site that we knew for sure what she was.
Initially, Ka-Ata-Killa was in a seventy gallon tank. Having not planned, and having had no prior experience with her species (which we weren't even certain of, anyway), we were not prepared for her rate of growth, or indeed, prepared at all. The pet store instructional pamphlet only mentioned foods, claiming she was a complete vegetarian who enjoyed lettuce and the occasional bit of fruit. Thankfully, I knew this ten- or twelve-food list to be only a fraction of what a tortoise will eat, and we did our research. With her appetite both varied and endless, she grew. And grew. And grew. We live in a two-bedroom apartment that used to be a store front in our tiny, rural Midwestern town. We don't even have so much as a closet in our house, and our fridge, against one wall of our kitchen, hits the opposite wall when opened, but I decided I would do what I could to increase her space, if only a bit. I, with no experience whatsoever with tools (I've never even used a hammer to hang a picture), and limited financial resources, built The Tortoise Palace (which is about as close to a palace as our tiny, cramped apartment). Behold: