Rescued Redfoot... now need help!!

I found myself with a redfoot tortoise.

I was at a friends house. I found the little guy who is 4 inches in a tiny 10 gallon tank on dry bark. He was fed lettuce and strawberries. He said that he had him for about 2 years. I was fawning over the little guy and my friend suggested I take him because he is getting "too big" and he doesn't want to buy him a new tank. I don't know a lot about tortoises but I knew this little guy wasn't ok. His shell is pyramiding and he is a bit lethargic.

I had him for 2 days. I moved him into a 72 gallon bow front tank that I found yesterday on CL for $40!!!! It's cracked but that's fine by me!! It's sealed. So now I just need to find something to cover it to keep humidity in. I need a better heating system- but for right now, the tank is kept at 75 during the night in his warm spot and 60 in the cool and it gets to about 90 when the sun is out.
He is in my sun room so there is a lot of sun.

First question, do you think being in the sunroom will result in enough sunlight? Or should I get him a UVB light?

Next question- diet... How do a fix a lifetime of bad eating?
I got him some collard and dandelions. He reluctantly ate a little green pepper. Should I try adding Mazuri to him diet? Any supplements?

I put cypress mulch on the bottom in his tank and moss over it to make it fun to dig (even though he is definitely not even attempting to dig.. )

I want to make him life better. I feel that he's been missing out for so long. Poor little guy. I look at forum posts and pictures and am so jealous. I named him Littlefoot and I really hope that he makes some progress. I want him to grow and help improve his pathetic looking shell. Poor Littlefoot...

I do have some pictures!

Welcome to the forum, I hope you enjoy your visits here.
Now to answer your questions.
A sunroom if it has glass will block 99% of the sun, so it will probably not be beneficial to it, they can be in there but it won't do any real good.
Diet, any damage done by a bad diet can't be reversed, good news is, the diet was not terrible just not great, they can have fruit.

When he grows, I realize he'll probably be stunted, but do you think his shell might smooth out a bit as it gets bigger?

Shell deformities can't be corrected. As your tort grows they may become less obvious, but they'll always be there.

New growth if raised correctly will be smooth, but the pyramiding will always be there, it can't reversed.
Saw you question about mazuri, my red foot loves mazuri, he would eat it 24/7 if I let him. He gets it once a week, also mine likes snails and slugs I hope that helps out, feel free to ask more questions if you need to.

Littlefoot is so lucky you found him! Just having all that added room to roam and move around will be a huge improvement! Add more veggies to his diet ot try some Mazuri. My redfoot loves it.

Alright! Mazuri is on the shopping list!!
I'm also looking to make a frozen mix of some softer veggies and fruits for him. He seems to prefer softer things. I just served up some plum and he seemed to take to that much more than the green pepper yesterday. Maybe he's just got a sweet tooth from his previous upbringing.

I'll try some softened veggies already a little spoiled monster... lol...

He is really bashful, has been hiding in his "hide". Hopefully he starts feeling "at home" soon!

Welcome...

Hahahaha.. I just found a big tupperware bin that he's now sunbathing in... sunroom door open and in the doorway!!!! I think he needs some real sun!

Here is a small list of what my RF loves. Hibiscus flowers, mango ( goes bonkers over it) papaya, green beans, grape leaves, dandelion leaves and flowers,

For now I would keep him inside until he is jump started back to health. If your friend had him for 2 years and he's only 4" he is about 50% smaller than regular growth of a redfoot. He does have some pyramiding but we can get that taken care of. Keep his cool side at 75 minimum at night and hot side at 90 is good. Use coconut coir for substrate with mulch mixed in. Keep it very moist to uphold the humidity for him. Make sure you have a UVB light mercury vapor bulbs work better than t-8 flurescent bulbs. Give him a very fibrous diet with protein in it. Mustard, turnip greens, kale, red tip lettuce (not iceburg ever), hibiscus flowers, yellow squash ounce a week, bell peppers, dandelion, and assortment of clean grass (clean meaning non treated with chemicals). Soak him once a day in Luke warm water not cold or room temperature or too hot for 20 minutes a day.ake sure he has a hide and use a rock or plate for his feeding dish so he doesn't ingest substrate. Give him a water bowl deep enough to lift his head out of the water (being 4" a 2" deep is perfect) spray his enclosure at least twice a day to keep humidity and moisture on his shell. Also need a calcium supplement for his food. Cuddle bones are good to use that way they can regulate themselves.

I'm sure Mark will pop on here before too long, but in the meantime, check out: www.TortoiseLibrary.com ... specifically, the nutrition sections!

Thanks for the advice and the warm welcome!!

Since he seems reluctant to chomp on "harder" things, do you guys think it's be ok if I steam some of the veggies like the squash and green pepper till he's more used to them?

I really don't think he is avoiding the harder stuff.

lol, I might be a bit of a neurotic new mom... He didn't touch the green pepper yesterday.... I put in some dandelion and he ate that. I tried plum today and he went for that too. I'll try some squash and green pepper again tomorrow

Try red pepper. My tort doesn't touch green pepper but would eat an entire red one if given the chance.

Alright- it might be a human flaw I tried slicing them really THIN and then serving them up to him and he is going to town on them now! Alllllright, slow going- but I think I'm getting the hang of this. Poor guy is definitely not used to being paid attention to- every time I walk by he flinches and hides!

Baby redfoots hide a lot anyway. Try to refrain from handling him and messing with him more than necessary. Just give him LOTS of hiding places, foliage, and digable substrate.

StudentoftheReptile said:

Baby redfoots hide a lot anyway. Try to refrain from handling him and messing with him more than necessary. Just give him LOTS of hiding places, foliage, and digable substrate.

Click to expand...

I definitely need more foliage. The tank is bare! What are you opinions on going natural vs silk/fake?

Kudos to you for rescuing the little guy! Welcome!!!