A few Newb questions:-)

[DaisyDuke]

I hate to ask these questions because I am sure you all get them A LOT. But I've read the threads and numerous websites and took in so much info some of it conflicting that I am slightly confused.

So my Sheldon should be here soon. He isn't a tiny hatchling but he isn't near full grown either. I would say maybe 5 or 6 inches. I live in the North East and he will be indoors.
If I did a natural habitat with dirt and cypress how often would his home need to be cleaned? Do I change the dirt too or just the cypress? That might be a silly question but I really want to do this right. Would it be ideal to put rocks down as a first layer under the dirt? Or should I skip the dirt route and go for strictly Cypress and if I did this, how often should I change it?

About feeding. Some sites say no to tomatoes some say they're ok occasionally. I also saw a site say no bananas. Should I skip both of these? Are pellets alone fine for protein or should I cook him and egg too? I've also read you can cook them eggs.

I have a "Daylight Blue Reptile Bulb" 100 Watt. How often do I keep this on? If I take him outside with me sometimes should I skip putting the bulb on-on those days?

Lastly, for his plants. What are the best plants to have in his home? I've seen mention of Aloe Vera but is that safe for them?

Sorry so many questions. I've had many types of animals throughout my life and this is my first tortoise. I just REALLY want to do everything right. Thank you all so much in advance.

 

[spikethebest]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[terryo]

Welcome Daisy. ...is that your real name?
This is a small list of what I feed my Red foot starting with the highest in calcium.
grape leaves, hibiscus leaves and flowers, dandelion leaves and flowers, curly endive, escarole, turnip greens. You could also offer Spring mix.
As for substrate, I use soil mixed with peat moss and sprinkle cypress mulch on top. I keep mine in a planted vivarium. I use a heat emitter 24/7 which keeps the temp. in the low to mid 80's at all times. I put a long tube 5.0 light on one side on top of a screen to filter out some of the light. Low light, high warm humidity....this is what works for me. I do spot cleaning....when I see "something", I take it out...usually once a day, and I clean the water dish every day. It's big enough for him to sit in if he wants to. I'm sure someone will chime in with much more detail, but this is how I've been raising mine for three years, and he's going great so far. It's not written in stone, and everyone has their own way of doing things. Good luck and welcome to the forum. Post some pictures of your set up and tort when you get him.

 

[Madkins007]

I hate to ask these questions because I am sure you all get them A LOT. But I've read the threads and numerous websites and took in so much info some of it conflicting that I am slightly confused.

So my Sheldon should be here soon. He isn't a tiny hatchling but he isn't near full grown either. I would say maybe 5 or 6 inches. I live in the North East and he will be indoors.
If I did a natural habitat with dirt and cypress how often would his home need to be cleaned? Do I change the dirt too or just the cypress? That might be a silly question but I really want to do this right. Would it be ideal to put rocks down as a first layer under the dirt? Or should I skip the dirt route and go for strictly Cypress and if I did this, how often should I change it?

About feeding. Some sites say no to tomatoes some say they're ok occasionally. I also saw a site say no bananas. Should I skip both of these? Are pellets alone fine for protein or should I cook him and egg too? I've also read you can cook them eggs.

I have a "Daylight Blue Reptile Bulb" 100 Watt. How often do I keep this on? If I take him outside with me sometimes should I skip putting the bulb on-on those days?

Lastly, for his plants. What are the best plants to have in his home? I've seen mention of Aloe Vera but is that safe for them?

Sorry so many questions. I've had many types of animals throughout my life and this is my first tortoise. I just REALLY want to do everything right. Thank you all so much in advance.

Welcome to the forum! Don't worry about finding the 'one right' way to do things, there is no such thing. Also understand that a lot of what people say is based on theory and opinion.

SUBSTRATE. I don't like 'dirt' It is heavy, hard to keep clean, muddy, and can harbor pests. I prefer cypress (cheap, light, holds moisture well, etc.) or a bioactive substrate (a mix of sand, soil elements, and mulches along with worms and pill bugs that works as semi-natural soil that encourages beneficial micro-organisms, etc.) There are other substrates that work well also.

A drainage layer is generally unneeded, and your substrate should be replaced when it 'sours' or smells funny.

DIET. Tomatoes and bananas are fine, but in moderation. Tomatoes can cause diarrhea in some species, and bananas are too sugary for their own good. They both, and a lot of other foods, cause problems when you let them get out of hand.

Protein is not a critical thing. You can use pellets, cat food, egg, chicken, worms, beef heart, and more. You don't need a lot of it or very often.

LIGHTING. The daylight blue bulb is mostly a marketing ploy. They emit some UVA rays, which are not that helpful for tortoises, and the blue is supposed to offer more heat but there is little evidence for that. If they get real sunlight over the course of several days, and have good heat, all you need is plain light.

PLANTS. There are lists of plants they like to eat and plants that work well for decor. Terry O is a great resource for this.

You can find some care sheets to help out at my site https://sites.google.com/site/tortoiselibrary/red-foots/red-foot-care or Terry K's site http://www.turtletary.com

Good luck!

 

[DaisyDuke]

Thank you soooo much for the helpful replies and the warm welcome

Terry, where can I find a tube light? Do they have those at the pet stores? All I saw was a regular bulb. I will have to go back and check for a tube light. Where could I find a heat emitter? ETA: My real name isn't Daisy I'm just a fan of the old Dukes of Hazard show.

Madkins, that site was a godsend for me. The food chart was exactly what I needed to help guide me with his diet. Is there any particular cat or dog food I should look for?

I have a few more questions. The pet store owner gave me Calcium powder with Vitamin D3 but I've read not to give him D3. Living in the north east, winter is coming so he won't be getting too much if any time in the natural sunlight. Is D3 ok or should I take it back and get something else? My other question is, where do I find Cypress? I got peat moss at Home Depot but they said they had no Cypress. They said it might be easier to find in the South. I checked at SuperKmarts garden section too and didn't find any.

 

[Madkins007]

Thank you soooo much for the helpful replies and the warm welcome

Terry, where can I find a tube light? Do they have those at the pet stores? All I saw was a regular bulb. I will have to go back and check for a tube light. Where could I find a heat emitter? ETA: My real name isn't Daisy I'm just a fan of the old Dukes of Hazard show.

Madkins, that site was a godsend for me. The food chart was exactly what I needed to help guide me with his diet. Is there any particular cat or dog food I should look for?

I have a few more questions. The pet store owner gave me Calcium powder with Vitamin D3 but I've read not to give him D3. Living in the north east, winter is coming so he won't be getting too much if any time in the natural sunlight. Is D3 ok or should I take it back and get something else? My other question is, where do I find Cypress? I got peat moss at Home Depot but they said they had no Cypress. They said it might be easier to find in the South. I checked at SuperKmarts garden section too and didn't find any.

TUBE LIGHT. This is just a long aquarium bulb. You can use other kinds of bulbs as long as you do not use too much wattage.

PET FOODS. The brand Terry K lists is good, but most of the options other than the cheap stuff also work fine. I just use what we buy for our older cat- I could not even tell you what the brand is.

CALCIUM/D3. If you are not using a UVB bulb or natural light, then this is probably OK. They DO NEED vitamin D, the question is where are they getting it. We also do not want to offer too much.

CYPRESS. Any shredded hardwood mulch that does not have a lot of aromatic oils (redwood, pine, that sort of thing) should be OK. Where abouts are you? Maybe other keepers in your area can share what they use.