New Tortoise Carer

[Andrea Nicole]

Hi, I'm Andrea and I recently got two redfoot tortoises, Dash and Speedy! Dash is a little bit smaller than Speedy, but they are both around 4 inches. I received them because I am apart of the FFA vet program at my high school and they had nowhere to go for the summer; however, as you can tell I am not that experienced! I just want to make sure they get the best care they can while they are here. Thank you in advance!


Dash!



Speedy!

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello Andrea
Your a head of most you came here for help !

 

[Jodie]

Welcome to the forum! Ask all the questions you have.

 

[Andrea Nicole]

Thank you guys!
After browsing through, I found things about how housing tortoises in pairs can be bad for them. Since these two share an enclosure will that cause an issue? This is how they have always been housed and it hasn't caused any problems that I am aware of.

 

[surfergirl]

Welcome to the TFO!
Glad to see the FFA in Ga working on Tortoise programs! I was in Ag in Texas during my HS years and we focused on Cattle, Sheep, Hogs, Chickens but never had an opportunity to foster Tortoises. we missed out.

Someone who has RF tortoises will chime in shortly with a caresheet. etc. there is so much information to explore on here one cannot get bored..

 

[Tom]

Thank you guys!
After browsing through, I found things about how housing tortoises in pairs can be bad for them. Since these two share an enclosure will that cause an issue? This is how they have always been housed and it hasn't caused any problems that I am aware of.

Hello and welcome. Yes it is a problem to house them as a pair. Tortoises should not be housed in pairs. They don't like it, even when there is no obvious overt bullying. It is very stressful on them. They should be separated.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Andrea, and welcome to the Forum!

I would start a program of extra soaks for a couple weeks. Your guys look a bit dry. How were they set up at school? They need to be kept in a humid environment, however, this species is prone to shell rot, so you have to make sure the top layer of substrate is fairly dry so the tortoises aren't sitting on wet substrate.

Redfooted tortoises seems to be the exception to the "pair" rule. I would just adopt a wait and see attitude. But keep vigilant. It may not look like bullying, it could look like they're cuddling or being friendly. One thing to do is to provide two hiding places, lots of sight barriers and a fairly large enclosure.

Here's a picture of Candy's indoor habitat for ONE redfoot tortoise:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/heres-dales-new-enclosure-picture-heavy.11023/#post-95174

 

[Andrea Nicole]

Thank you guys for the info!

I will add more hiding spots for them and keep a close eye on their interactions with each other.

 

[Pearly]

Hi Andrea and welcome from Texas. I too have a couple of RF's. Got them before I knew about this forum. They are almost yearlings and still together and so far doing great. I learned everything I know from Tortoise Library and this forum. My biggest struggle was keeping the humidity in and getting one of the babies to eat. I have a thread on both of those struggles illustrated with lots of pics, so if you share any of those concerns please take a look at "Pearly's 40 gal covered tank", and "Pearly's tips on feeding picky eater". Just go to SEARCH at main menu and type in those words. The threads should pop up. There are many great RF keepers here who will chime in to help you as well. Check out SPECIES SPECIFIC SECTION and SOUTH AMERICAN: RED AND YELLOWFOOTED. Lots if great info. I also read A LOT in HEALTH section. Not that mine were sick but just wanted to know what the common issues were and simple remedies. here are my baby grand-torts (they are actually my 11 yr old daughter's pets, so I'm their g-ma) the darker one is Shellie and the marbled one is Tucker. They say HI to yours

 

[Pearly]

Thank you guys for the info!

I will add more hiding spots for them and keep a close eye on their interactions with each other.

I also have bunch of plants in their tank they love to nestle in the greenery

 

[Pearly]

Hi, I'm Andrea and I recently got two redfoot tortoises, Dash and Speedy! Dash is a little bit smaller than Speedy, but they are both around 4 inches. I received them because I am apart of the FFA vet program at my high school and they had nowhere to go for the summer; however, as you can tell I am not that experienced! I just want to make sure they get the best care they can while they are here. Thank you in advance!


View attachment 175065 Dash!



View attachment 175066 Speedy!

They are cute! The ridges between the scutes are thought to be caused by dryness. I have been keeping my tank warm and at least at 80% ambient humidity. Plus soaks every other day and whenever something is off even slightly, soaking them daily.

 

[Pearly]

Also google TURTLETARY, another place to get lots of reliable info

 

[Andrea Nicole]

Thanks again,
Also I noticed that after I first put them in after cleaning out their cage they were picking at the substrate. They would put it in their mouth, but I couldnt tell if they were actually eating it because they were hidden. I took them away from it and put them by their food to encourage them to eat that instead, but they did it again!

 

[Yvonne G]

You probably used something different than what they've been used to. What kind of substrate is it? I think it should stop when they get used to it and have already tasted it. But do you have a red light on during the day? Some tortoises see substrate as edible under a red light.

 

[Andrea Nicole]

No I don't have a redlight(Is that something I need to get?)
It was sphagnum moss. Pretty strange because they always have it, but I guess it looked greener than usual. Also, they seem to have stopped picking at it so that's good!

 

[Pearly]

Hmmm.... I've NEVER seen mine eat their substrate. And I DO use the red light when need to bump up the heat a little... Mine have free access to food and water at ALL TIMES, there's always cuttlebone available, and plenty of places to hide, plus good temps/humidity so there's no environmental stress. Anytime they do something weird I always go back to check all the basics. I have also noticed that lately they eat a lot more than they have and mine seem to be similar size to yours so I'm thinking: they maybe hitting growth spurt and are hungry all the time. Which mine are! I also make sure ours get out of the tank every day for excercise. Ours are chill little torts, they don't freak out when we pick them up, they just go with the flow, never pull inside their shells, walk up to us, love to be touched, especially on their coconut oil massage day It's funny, but I could swear they can feel their shells and really enjoy having that oil rub down. And yes, I put some on their limbs, head/neck/shoulders and butt&tail. The first few time Tucker was squirmy didn't want his legs messed with nor his neck/shoulders. Now, he doesn't mind it at all. I know there is some controversy about coconut oil vs UVB absorbtion, etc. I find organic coco oil to be very beneficial in nutrition and natural medicine. It has antiseptic properties, plus, after nice rub and wipping down with soft cotton cloth it makes my grand-torts look pretty awesome. But that's just me, and I've only been doing this since June'15. There are great, seasoned RF keepers here who have tons of experience and know all kinds of reliable resources. We are both in great place to learn

 

[Speedy-1]

Hi and welcome Andrea !

 

[TortoiseWarrior]

Hi.. Welcome

 

[Andrea Nicole]

Is there a lamp that is a combination of heat and uv?

 

[Sara G.]

MVB bulbs provide both heat and UVB. I use one for my tort. And I love it.