Baby redfoor loves cool side

jjrene1991

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I have a 3 mo th old red foot and he loves his cool hides. I find that odd since I've been hearing that about 80 is there fav temp. After he eats ill put him under the CHE to help him digest and then he heads strait for the opposite end of the tank. Any idea why he would do that? We have a pretty good gradient. 75 on cool side 80 in the middle and 90 on hot side. Any pointers on oh to set it up so the overall temp stays around 80?
 

Tom

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I have a 3 mo th old red foot and he loves his cool hides. I find that odd since I've been hearing that about 80 is there fav temp. After he eats ill put him under the CHE to help him digest and then he heads strait for the opposite end of the tank. Any idea why he would do that? We have a pretty good gradient. 75 on cool side 80 in the middle and 90 on hot side. Any pointers on oh to set it up so the overall temp stays around 80?
There shouldn't be a cool side. There are a million possible reasons why a tortoise would choose one hiding area over another, and temperature is usually not one of them. In the wild, anywhere they choose to park would be the correct temperature all day and all night. My tortoises will leave a head shelter at night and go park under a bush on a night when temps will drop below freezing. Well they would if I didn't lock them in. It is not within their powers of logic to understand temperatures that are different than where they evolved to survive over millions of years.

You need a large closed chamber. You'll never get temp and humidity correct with an open topped enclosure. Heat the whole thing to 82-86F 24/7/365. This species doesn't need a gradient. That is for temperate species like Russians and greeks.
 

jjrene1991

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There shouldn't be a cool side. There are a million possible reasons why a tortoise would choose one hiding area over another, and temperature is usually not one of them. In the wild, anywhere they choose to park would be the correct temperature all day and all night. My tortoises will leave a head shelter at night and go park under a bush on a night when temps will drop below freezing. Well they would if I didn't lock them in. It is not within their powers of logic to understand temperatures that are different than where they evolved to survive over millions of years.

You need a large closed chamber. You'll never get temp and humidity correct with an open topped enclosure. Heat the whole thing to 82-86F 24/7/365. This species doesn't need a gradient. That is for temperate species like Russians and greeks.
Anything directly under the CHE is gunna be a bit hotter the 82-86 right? After turning on his UVB light in the morning it gets up into the 80's but right under the CHE it is about 90.
 

Tom

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Anything directly under the CHE is gunna be a bit hotter the 82-86 right? After turning on his UVB light in the morning it gets up into the 80's but right under the CHE it is about 90.
They don't bask. You don't want a hotter area. The CHE should be set on a thermostat to maintain the ambient temperature of the entire enclosure above 80 day and night. This can't be dine with an open top.

The problem, as you've seen, is the tortoise moves to an area that is away from the heat and too cold. Why does it do that? No one knows, but that is what tortoises do. Sitting under the CHE to warm up will desiccate the carapace and cause pyramiding.

What type of UV bulb are you using? The cfl types sometimes burn their eyes and should not be used over tortoises.
 

ZEROPILOT

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Tom has given you some terrific information.
A thermostat controlled CHE will keep the temperature at a steady temperature day and night.
Can you provide photos of your enclosure and the lights and heat you are using?
 

DJ Kirk

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I keep my redfoot enclosure at a steady 83F with a couple of hotspots that get to around 88-90F using two CHEs on thermostat. I turn it off for 6 hours at night and let it drop to 75F before they kick on again. Kind of simulates their jungle climate.

More important is humidity. Must have a closed system. I keep the humidity over 80% at all times.

UVB/UVA not as important as you think. In their natural habitat they don't get a lot of Sun. They get their calcium/D3 from food. Plus I supplement with ReptiVite and Calcium dust 2 times a week.
 
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