I got my first trio of red foot torts almost a year ago. One male is huge and with his perfect shell probably wild caught. The other two, one male and one female are much smaller but not juveniles. Their shells have pyramiding so I assume cb. During the summer they were out in my 1/3 acre back yard with lots of landscaping to hide in or nibble. For the winter they have an 10 X 12 foot room and daily access to the rest of the house. The large male walks around a lot and his legs are firmly under his shell when he walks. The younger two have developed splayed back legs and are reluctant to move around. I've changed the calcium brand to Repashy, replaced the UVB light, increased their protein but no improvement. This week I moved them to another room with carpeting incase traction was a problem. Please help this Newby before they get worse!
Help need for red foot tortoises
- Thread starter Grammy
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Hello! I've had a red foot tortoise with the splay issue when he walked many years ago! You must correct this now before this gets worse!! First off can you post a picture of your enclosure?
red foots actually do well together in groups. but have 2 males and one female is dangerous, this can really stress out the female.
please pst lots of pics of there enclosure and the torts. it will be very helpful
Hi, and welcome to the Forum!
Of course, not knowing the facts first hand, we can only give the benefit of our knowledge and experience. It has been my experience that tortoises kept on newspaper or smooth surfaces tend to end up having this type of leg problem. My advice is to make sure to feed plenty of calcium-rich foods, a calcium supplement several times a week and a good UVB light. They also need a substrate that provides traction.
Of course, not knowing the facts first hand, we can only give the benefit of our knowledge and experience. It has been my experience that tortoises kept on newspaper or smooth surfaces tend to end up having this type of leg problem. My advice is to make sure to feed plenty of calcium-rich foods, a calcium supplement several times a week and a good UVB light. They also need a substrate that provides traction.
Thanks a lot the info russian/sulcata/tortoise. Apptreciate it.
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+1. Two male RFs are a problem. Mine square off with each other looking through gaps in their pens. On the other hand, you could keep a dozen or more females together.
Are the tortoises living in a room? How do you provide the right temps and humidity? They need a warm and humid environment, and also UVB light. Mine is housed in a closed enclosure on coco coir, which gives a lot of traction for his feet. I have no experience with this condition though. Good luck!
