Newbie from Venezuela

[Marlin&emily]

hello everybody I'm from Venezuela, a very tropical country where I have two baby red-footed tortoises "Marlin & Emily" I've had them for almost 3 years. they have been great companions since their terrarium is in my office area. I researched a lot about red-footed tortoises and noticed that they don't even need a heating lamp cause Venezuela's weather is just perfect for them despite living in an apartment. I don't know how old they are exactly But I know they are growing fast. is there a way to know which one is male and which one is female? or do I just need to wait until I see them develop more and more over the years? I'm new on the forum

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome!!

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

hello everybody I'm from Venezuela, a very tropical country where I have two baby red-footed tortoises "Marlin & Emily" I've had them for almost 3 years. they have been great companions since their terrarium is in my office area. I researched a lot about red-footed tortoises and noticed that they don't even need a heating lamp cause Venezuela's weather is just perfect for them despite living in an apartment. I don't know how old they are exactly But I know they are growing fast. is there a way to know which one is male and which one is female? or do I just need to wait until I see them develop more and more over the years? I'm new on the forum

Hello and welcome!

You may try to "sex" them if they are grown up enough. Males have longer tails and "concavity" on the plastron, some have "peanut" shape of carapace, sometimes in a warm bath they show an "evidence" (which many keepers want to "unsee" then). You may post some photos - maybe it's possible to guess already.

However, if you keep them in the same enclosure - you need to put them aside. Living in pairs is stressful for tortoises, can suppress sexual maturity and result in injuries (no matter what their sex is). Even with "more social" redfoots. If you see a tortoise pair cuddling in the sunshine, be sure that one is tenderly whispering to another "Get out quickly or I'm gonna hurt you".

 

[Marlin&emily]

thank you for your response I didn't know that about the warm bath, how warm does it have to be?
I always check to see any changes but to me they look the same. haha

 

[TammyJ]

Welcome to the forum! Your tortoises are very much in need of the correct care, which is apparent from the quite severe (for three years old) pyramiding of their shells. This happens when they have been kept too dry for too long. If they have the humidity in their (separate) enclosures at 80% constantly, and the temperature being correct also, the pyramiding will stop, but it cannot "go away" at this point.
Thanks for coming. I am from Jamaica, and I also knew very little or nothing about all this before I joined this forum back in 2016! You are in the right place.

 

[zovick]

thank you for your response I didn't know that about the warm bath, how warm does it have to be?
I always check to see any changes but to me they look the same. haha

At this time, both tortoises look like females to me.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

thank you for your response I didn't know that about the warm bath, how warm does it have to be?
I always check to see any changes but to me they look the same. haha

It happens during usual regular soaking in a lukewarm water (90F, 31-32C). Not always and not with all tortoises. By the way, both of yours look like females.

On that photos they look dry (maybe because of substrate). When kept indoors they need substrate which better retains moisture and is not dusty - like coco coir, orchid (fir) bark or cypress mulch.

 

[Marlin&emily]

It happens during usual regular soaking in a lukewarm water (90F, 31-32C). Not always and not with all tortoises. By the way, both of yours look like females.

On that photos they look dry (maybe because of substrate). When kept indoors they need substrate which better retains moisture and is not dusty - like coco coir, orchid (fir) bark or cypress mulch.

thank you so much for the info. yes they look dry because of the dry soil at that moment. one of the tortoise tends to get on top of the other and now i see maybe it is because they need to be separate. i will definitely change the substrate to one of those options thank you for taking the time and helping. my tortoises will appreciate it!

 

[Marlin&emily]

At this time, both tortoises look like females to me.

thank you! your help is much appreciated!

 

[Marlin&emily]

Welcome to the forum! Your tortoises are very much in need of the correct care, which is apparent from the quite severe (for three years old) pyramiding of their shells. This happens when they have been kept too dry for too long. If they have the humidity in their (separate) enclosures at 80% constantly, and the temperature being correct also, the pyramiding will stop, but it cannot "go away" at this point.
Thanks for coming. I am from Jamaica, and I also knew very little or nothing about all this before I joined this forum back in 2016! You are in the right place.

hello thank you for all the info you gave me i will definitely do the right thing for my tortoises. yeah they were dry because of the dry soil I got them from to take the picture. in other comments, I got more help about which substrate I should use for them which I will definitely change. and will definitely keep their space more humid. thank you for all the help I really appreciate it

 

[wellington]

Your tortoise are very dry looking and have lots of pyramiding for oy 3. They need to be separated ASAP and humidity needs to be 80%. Your temps and humidity might be good outside but inside at least the humidity is poor
Get them changed up ASAP and get the humidity corrected to get them to start growing smooth. Can't undo what has been done, but you can stop it from getting worse.

 

[Marlin&emily]

Your tortoise are very dry looking and have lots of pyramiding for oy 3. They need to be separated ASAP and humidity needs to be 80%. Your temps and humidity might be good outside but inside at least the humidity is poor
Get them changed up ASAP and get the humidity corrected to get them to start growing smooth. Can't undo what has been done, but you can stop it from getting worse.

they're not 3 years old, I don't know how old they are but they have been with me for 3 years. in the time that I've had them they already had pyramiding. I rescued them from an owner that barely did anything for their well-being.

 

[Marlin&emily]

guys they're not 3 years old. they must be older than 3 years. I just had them for 3 years but i rescued them from a terrible owner

 

[wellington]

they're not 3 years old, I don't know how old they are but they have been with me for 3 years. in the time that I've had them they already had pyramiding. I rescued them from an owner that barely did anything for their well-being.

I see, I thought you had them the whole time and it was 3 years
So you do need to separate them and get them in the 80% humidity.
Damp substrate on the bottom with dry on top.
I like the coconut coir damp on the bottom with orchid or fir bark on top.

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome. Here is some general tortoise info:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

thank you so much for the info. yes they look dry because of the dry soil at that moment. one of the tortoise tends to get on top of the other and now i see maybe it is because they need to be separate. i will definitely change the substrate to one of those options thank you for taking the time and helping. my tortoises will appreciate it!

You are always welcome!

Yes, getting on top, pushing, blocking the way, pursuing, biting are some obvious signs of bullying. Often these signs are more subtle, but nevertheless - stressful. One tortoise may be larger than other because of that, as well.

You can also look through this care sheet for redfoots: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/redfoot-tortoise-care-sheet.175319/

Don't hesitate to ask any questions if might have.