Easy red foot enclosure .

mike taylor

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They hatched out back in October.
 

Anyfoot

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They hatched out back in October.
Are you going to hold on to them for a bit Mike. Mine all grow smooth up to 6 months then some show signs of pyramiding, I was hoping we could see what these 2 are like at about 7 months old.
 

mike taylor

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Yes I'm keeping them for a year . Then they're going to a buddy's house probably for a few years or until his son gets sick of them . I try to get as many kids into keeping and learning about reptiles. Trying to find the next Steve Irwin.lol
 

Anyfoot

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. Yours is just getting that 1st crevice(growth ring). Someone told me they are caused with temperature variation. I'm not sure myself, but thinking back it could tie up with some of my observations, equally it could not, and it could be the natural growth sequence of RF's.
 

TortGardener

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This thread is so helpful. My red footed tort gets here on Friday and I am so worried the habitat won't be right. I think I'm overthinking (and overspending!) but the information provided here has helped a lot. It's also reassuring to know that if something isn't quite right, the tort won't keel over in one day. I have time to adjust things. I am so excited!!
 

Ernie Johnson

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The big things for RF's and YF's, especially sub-adults, are a constant humidity of 75-90% and temp of 80-90 degrees.

These torts, in my opinion, are the most susceptible to pyramiding because people just don't understand the critical nature of their need of high humidity throughout their entire life cycle.
 

mike taylor

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That's why this enclosure is awesome for red footed tortioses.
 

bgonez

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Great thread and will definitely do something similar if I settle on a red foot/cherry head. Right now just over thinking them, hermann's, greek, oh my!!!

One question I have is would it be better to put the heat emitter on one end and run the UV in the center length wise?

I am just thinking back 20 years when I had a boa and had it drilled into my head to create a temperature gradient. Not sure if it applies to torts, but that is the only change I think I would make. But then again, this would be my first tort so don't know if more even is better than a hot and cool side.
 

mike taylor

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The middle is the warm side . Off to the sides it gets cooler . Red foots tend to shy away from brighter lights . You want to shoot for 80/85 degrees with humidity . Reds love it warm and humid . No need for big temperature differential . Warm and humid with uvb is key for smooth shell growth . I'm still in the testing stages of this enclosure . I'm keeping two reds I hatched out in this enclosure until they out grow it . Then I'll post the results I've seen . I'll also add pictures of the reds as it runs . I've built other enclosures like this and will sale them with the hatchlings to ensure heathy tortioses . Mostly to friends and family . I don't ship them . I'm really not a breeder . It so happens my reds do it all by themselves . I get lucky and find the hatchlings . So far I've gotten 10 reds out of 7 females to two males .
 

triari

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Just got these babies that Ernie brought over this weekend in a similar setup.

I'm probably going to swap that giant hood out for a smaller one(it's only a 100W CHE in that giant hood...). Still tinkering a bit with the thermostat probe location and holes for humidity since I was spiking over 90% with just the hole for the light cord/probe. I wish I had bought a shorter UVB(bought it before I decided to go this enclosure route).

Anyways, I like the simplicity of the setup I was able to get everything functional and ready for the little guys in about 30 minutes. I definitely wish I had come across this when I first got into red foots.

IMG_1478.JPG IMG_1482.JPG IMG_1484.JPG IMG_1479.JPG
 

Markw84

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@mike taylor Love your post and your design that allows a good, controlled environment fairly easily for very young tortoises.

However, in seeing you list a UV sensor, I though I would comment. So many are reluctant to get a proper UVB meter because of the price of the Solarmeter 6.5. But that is the only way to really know what a tortoise is getting in our setups. Seeing the sensor you have shown may give others a feeling of a better, cheaper option. That is dangerous! SO... Just a cautionary note for you about the UV sensor you picture as part of the complete setup: It cannot be relied upon to tell how much UVB your tortoise is getting.

That sensor can give you a very misleading indication of the UVB actually present. It simply reads the amount of TOTAL UV. It is not weighted towards UVB, and certainly not bioactive UVB. The only UV that is going to allow your tortoise to metabolize D3 is a very narrow range right around 293 nm. It is the UV from 292 - 300 that is pretty much the only UV we are looking for to enable D3 metabolism. This type UV sensor reads ANY UV. For example, we can buy 5.0 or 10.0 UVB bulbs. Not exact, but normally they produce about 35-40% of their "light" in the UV range. A 5.0 will be about 5% UVB and 30-35% UVA. The 10.0 will be about 10% UVB and 30% UVA. So with the sensor you have, both will show about the same reading, while the 10.0 is actually producing TWICE the UVB.

Also, as a light degrades and ages, the shorter wavelengths are normally lost first. So you can have a bulb that is still producing UVA but absolutely no UVB is being produced. That sensor will not show that. It will siimply show a slight drop in overall reading. Some grow lights even produce some UVA now. Your sensor would show there is UV, but there is actually absolutely NO UVB.

The only meter I know of that I would trust to evaluate UVB output is the solarmeter 6.5. I certainly wish there was a cheaper alternative and more people would then get a meter, but a cheaper meter is not only "not as good" it is potentially dangerous as it gives false readings.
 

mike taylor

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Ok thanks . I have a good meter . Just trying to get people to check the UV output . Most people don't do it at all . But most people also take their tortioses outside . So really if they get outdoor exposure there's no need for indoor uv . I know if a person can't buy a meter most pet shops around here will check lamps for you for a few bucks . But I like the feed back . Gets people thinking .
 

wyattroa

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Would this enclosure be alright with cyprus mulch or is the substrate you are using a better method? Also, I saw you only have the UVB on for 5 hours a day, is this only for hatchlings? I thought I had read they needed to be on for 10-12 hours. I plan to build this same enclosure this coming week. Our little one will be here on Friday.

Robert
 

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