Tropical plants and Redfoots query

[Anyfoot]

@Anyfoot
So, just to check I've understood- do I want to see those crevices infilling and essentially turning white?

The little chap has currently decided it's lovely and cosy snuggled behind a large bromeliad down the warmest end of his enclosure.

That's what I've observed. The first time I saw those crevices i panicked a bit thinking my tort was splitting lol, but it fills with keratin that is white, as the new keratin hardens it darkens. But if your tort is kept bone dry it won't fill the crevice causing pyramiding. This is where humidity plays it's part. Those that live in Florida naturally get high humidity and rainfall with warm weather, we don't. Well we get the rain. Lol. So you need to imitate that in your enclosure. I soaked my hatchling every day for 15mins up to 12wks old. Now 3 times a week. That's why I asked how big your tort is. Do you know it's age, where did it come from? If you don't know it's history I'd soak it ever day for a week or so to make sure it's well hydrated.

 

[TammyJ]

Haha! He sounds like a character! I'm glad I went with planting out as he absolutely loves it! I may have underestimated his trampling skills... Small doesn't mean you can't bulldoze!

Right! As we say here in Jamaica - "Him likkle but him tallawah!"

 

[Lu_x85]

@Anyfoot
I'll measure him later as I'm rubbish at estimating! He's a confident little chap but seems to have formed a close relationship with a medium sized bromeliad in his enclosure, he's forced his way behind it and made a nice cosy sleeping area.

We gave a really good spray this morning and the humidity is up much higher after that, as it would be in a tropical rainforest.

I got him from a local reptile house who gets them from a local breeder. All seemed to be in very good condition and I visited several times and saw different staff members feeding them a good variety of foods and keeping the enclosure humid as well as spraying him directly.

What sort of feeding regime/ratios do you keep for yours? I want to give him as much variety in greens as possible and then have set times where I introduce the smaller percentage parts of his diet such as fruit and protein but I'm not sure what the best regime is.

 

[Anyfoot]

@Anyfoot
I'll measure him later as I'm rubbish at estimating! He's a confident little chap but seems to have formed a close relationship with a medium sized bromeliad in his enclosure, he's forced his way behind it and made a nice cosy sleeping area.

We gave a really good spray this morning and the humidity is up much higher after that, as it would be in a tropical rainforest.

I got him from a local reptile house who gets them from a local breeder. All seemed to be in very good condition and I visited several times and saw different staff members feeding them a good variety of foods and keeping the enclosure humid as well as spraying him directly.

What sort of feeding regime/ratios do you keep for yours? I want to give him as much variety in greens as possible and then have set times where I introduce the smaller percentage parts of his diet such as fruit and protein but I'm not sure what the best regime is.

My feeding regime is simple, but not the only way.
I feed weeds every day. With this on alternate days a feed a piece of mushroom or a piece of fruit the size of its head or maybe a bit bigger. This way he eats the fruit or mushroom then turns to the weeds, if I put too much fruit or mushroom down he pigs out and leaves the weeds. I've only just started feeding protein at 12wks old. So now on a Friday he gets the usual weeds and either a worm or a piece of cat meat the size of his head. (Think I'm going to stick with the worms though). When he's a bit bigger I shall feed 1 pinkie instead of a worm.
In winter I shall have to add grocery greens instead of weeds. This will be romaine, rocket, spring greens and I'll also have hibiscus, money tree and grape leaves from indoors. I've also noticed that narrow leaf plantain grows through winter, even when below freezing.
Cuttlebone is always available 24/7. I change that every 2 weeks because I'm convinced they can smell fish on a fresh piece. After 2 or 3 wks they ignore it. Just put a couple of small pieces in the enclosure, not a full one it's a waste.
There are some other foliage I feed but I forget the names.

My main foliage is dandilion,nettles,thistle, sow thistles, clover, crimson clover, alfalfa, broad and narrow leaf plantain, hibiscus and just lately money tree and soon grape leaves when the plant is old enough.

Fruit is mango, papaya, plums, figs, melon,strawberry and occasionally banana, kiwi or tomato. Too much kiwi and tomato will give them the runs.
Some feed kale, I don't because I feed spring greens that are a lot cheaper. Both are basically the same thing.
I've also noticed my hatchling chomps on the millet I put in the enclosure as seed, every 2 or 3 weeks I sprinkle millet seed in so it's like a mini forest for him to walk through. This helps with humidity to.

Make sure you are checking temps and humidity at Tortoise level not 4" up the enclosure.
Btw I literally do one or two sprays of water. If you go mad it will build up and go stagnant. Mine is at 90% humidity.

 

[TammyJ]

My feeding regime is simple, but not the only way.
I feed weeds every day. With this on alternate days a feed a piece of mushroom or a piece of fruit the size of its head or maybe a bit bigger. This way he eats the fruit or mushroom then turns to the weeds, if I put too much fruit or mushroom down he pigs out and leaves the weeds. I've only just started feeding protein at 12wks old. So now on a Friday he gets the usual weeds and either a worm or a piece of cat meat the size of his head. (Think I'm going to stick with the worms though). When he's a bit bigger I shall feed 1 pinkie instead of a worm.
In winter I shall have to add grocery greens instead of weeds. This will be romaine, rocket, spring greens and I'll also have hibiscus, money tree and grape leaves from indoors. I've also noticed that narrow leaf plantain grows through winter, even when below freezing.
Cuttlebone is always available 24/7. I change that every 2 weeks because I'm convinced they can smell fish on a fresh piece. After 2 or 3 wks they ignore it. Just put a couple of small pieces in the enclosure, not a full one it's a waste.
There are some other foliage I feed but I forget the names.

My main foliage is dandilion,nettles,thistle, sow thistles, clover, crimson clover, alfalfa, broad and narrow leaf plantain, hibiscus and just lately money tree and soon grape leaves when the plant is old enough.

Fruit is mango, papaya, plums, figs, melon,strawberry and occasionally banana, kiwi or tomato. Too much kiwi and tomato will give them the runs.
Some feed kale, I don't because I feed spring greens that are a lot cheaper. Both are basically the same thing.
I've also noticed my hatchling chomps on the millet I put in the enclosure as seed, every 2 or 3 weeks I sprinkle millet seed in so it's like a mini forest for him to walk through. This helps with humidity to.

Make sure you are checking temps and humidity at Tortoise level not 4" up the enclosure.
Btw I literally do one or two sprays of water. If you go mad it will build up and go stagnant. Mine is at 90% humidity.

Great information here! So true about the cuttlebone. Mine are 3 inches long now and tear voraciously into pinkie mice once per week, small snails or boiled egg sometimes.

 

[Anyfoot]

Lu.
This is what I fed this morning and typical, clover, dandilion, broad leaf plantain, narrowleaf clover, dandilion flower and stalk, primrose, mushroom and another leaf and flower I forget name of lol.
Guess what he went for first.