bubbly eyes

[bluejen1313]

When I first got Stella, her eyes were pretty bubbly. She had a RI, and has finished her antibiotics. I made changes to get her some vitamin A high foods, and got her humidity right. Now, her eyes look great while she's in her habitat, but when I take her outside for supervised visits with nature,they bubble up again. My question, is when I house them outside next spring/summer, how do I keep the humidity up. I live in Cincinnati,OH. Ally, my other redfoot does not and has never had this problem. Could it be that Stella was suffering from really low humidity when I first got her and she's still catching up? Thanks, Jennifer

 

[Itort]

Have you built her outside enclosure yet ? I would suggest you incorporate some perenial plantings in it this fall, giving the plants a winter and early spring to get well established. This will help create a shady, humid enviornment. I would suggest hostas, daylilies, wild type roses, and rose of sharon. Throw leaf litter in this fall and let it decompose over winter, not removing in spring. All this will create a humid enviornment for them.

 

[bluejen1313]

I had not thought of building it yet,but that's a great idea. I have 2 red foots who are about 5" long. I was thinking an 8x8 or 16x8 area. Should the plants be spread evenly around the area? or should I put them on a "shady side?" Does anyone have pictures of an outdoor pen for red foots?

Have you built her outside enclosure yet ? I would suggest you incorporate some perenial plantings in it this fall, giving the plants a winter and early spring to get well established. This will help create a shady, humid enviornment. I would suggest hostas, daylilies, wild type roses, and rose of sharon. Throw leaf litter in this fall and let it decompose over winter, not removing in spring. All this will create a humid enviornment for them.

 

[Itort]

The first two are my redfoot pens(the overhanging plants are 15 year old grapes) and the last is the hingeback enclosure (same requirements as rf) Rose of sharon, hosta, and daylily are to be added this fall.

 

[bluejen1313]

Thanks Larry, I have all of those plants nearby that I could transplant. Is it better to put them in the enclosure or around the perimeter so that they overhang? Should they all go on the "shady" end, or should I spread them around? Jennifer

The first two are my redfoot pens(the overhanging plants are 15 year old grapes) and the last is the hingeback enclosure (same requirements as rf) Rose of sharon, hosta, and daylily are to be added this fall.

 

[Redfoot NERD]

Larry is right about the humidity thing.. if your redfoot is "crying" the 'ambient' humidity is too dry!

My building has tropical hibiscus in pots.. that I mist everyday - a "warm-air" himidifier.. and no one is crying! The temps are mid-80's and my glasses fog when I open the door.

Last year I got started on planting "Rose of Sharon".. they will look great in a few years! [ it doesn't take long for them to "mow-down" the dandelions, white clover and violets! ] Note the grapevines starting on the fence in the foreground..

Nerd

 

[bluejen1313]

Thanks to lots of advice,the humidity in the enclosure inside is 80% and above so no problem there. It's the outdoors that seems to cause her problems. Yet my other red foot doesn't bubble up outside. When I got Stella, her skin looked really dry and there's some slight pyramiding, could she still be reacting to not having had enough humidity in her former environment? Your rose of sharon's look great!
Jennifer

Larry is right about the humidity thing.. if your redfoot is "crying" the 'ambient' humidity is too dry!

My building has tropical hibiscus in pots.. that I mist everyday - a "warm-air" himidifier.. and no one is crying! The temps are mid-80's and my glasses fog when I open the door.

Last year I got started on planting "Rose of Sharon".. they will look great in a few years! [ it doesn't take long for them to "mow-down" the dandelions, white clover and violets! ] Note the grapevines starting on the fence in the foreground..

Nerd

 

[Itort]

Thanks Larry, I have all of those plants nearby that I could transplant. Is it better to put them in the enclosure or around the perimeter so that they overhang? Should they all go on the "shady" end, or should I spread them around? Jennifer

The first two are my redfoot pens(the overhanging plants are 15 year old grapes) and the last is the hingeback enclosure (same requirements as rf) Rose of sharon, hosta, and daylily are to be added this fall.

I would suggest planting outside the enclosure to hang over creating a shady area. You need to protect the stems from the torts grazing/browsing. Leave a sunny/partally sunny area for the dandelions/plantain/ violets (all annuals) t0 grow in. As you can see I have also built seats in suuny area that double as shade areas. Don't forget water feature (I used water heater pans and washing machine catch basins).Also as you'll notice I have chicken wire around the perimater that I am training the grapes to grow along. If you can get hold of grapes (I use concord and fox which are cheap and plentiful) use them by all mens but remember they like most perenial woody plants are not an instant thing (the vines you see are 15 years old). The ones I suggested are faster growing and good sources of food and shade.