experts please help

[redtort]

Hello,

I have a 4 yr old male redfoot. I live in chicago, so righ now it is the best time for me to take him out to the yard and get as much sunlight as possible. However when he is back in his cage he usually just sits on the cooler side of the cage and does not move at all, mostly head an les tucked in. the temp gradient is 80 to 87. On the hot side i have a waterpan with a che right above it he usually enjoys the warm pan like a hot tub. what can I do to make him more active. Also I tried feeding him some meal worms hates them and no longer eats them. Any other worms you recommend?. Enjoys all other veggies and fruits as usual. Also about a week ago I saw a silverfish in the cage, so I clean the cage throughly and have not seen any more but are they harmful. Please help, I have had him for about 6 months now

 

[terryo]

Mine goes crazy for....boiled chicken breast...worms (earth worms).....AND Mazuri. He eats two days greens, 1 day fruit, and then two days greens...etc. Every two weeks I give him 1 day of protein...the chicken is his favorite. I keep the CHE over his hide, and on the other side a long tube 5.0 UVB....Humidity is around 80. He's outside for the summer now, but when the temp goes down, I bring him in and he won't come out of his hide for two days. I don't know if they have any emotion, but it seems like he's sulking and missing outside.

 

[t_mclellan]

Hello Redtort;
Since I have no idea what your tort's set up looks like, I might suggest looking through the "Enclosure" section.
Redfoots like lots of hiding places & humidity. Look & get some ideas. When your tort is comfortable it will be more active I think.
As for "Silver fish" they are not harmful & I wouldn't doubt he would eat them.
Try digging up earthworms for him, He may just do a dance for you!
Ok so he may not dance but he will probably devour them.

Keep us informed & keep reading.

Hope I helped.

Tom McL.

 

[HLogic]

Hi Redtort,

Is there any chance he is getting too warm while outside? It may be that he is tired after running around outside and is resting after playing in the sun.

It is not unusual for them to bask for a while and then hide out the rest of the day.

HTH,

Art

 

[llamas55]

ask somebody if he is a candidate for worming?

 

[Itort]

I live in Davenport (about 160 miles west of you) so have been getting the same weather as you. My RFs have been outside 24/7 for about 3 weeks now and the behaviour is active from about 2 hours after sunrise and two hours before sunset. The rest of the time they are in the shade or wallows "chillin". I find they are most active in the upper seventies and low eighties, above mid eighties they seek cooler areas. This may be what you are seeing. As for food mine have never been big on mealworms but earthworms, sowbugs and other active bugs look out.

 

[redtort]

thank you all for help. I love this site. (Toto) my RF had a ball today in the sun, kept eating all the lawn grass. I will be sure to get some earthworms, and share pictures soon.

 

[redtort]

ok so got the earthworms and he absolutely loves them. Any advise on how often and how many should I feed him. Eversince he got the taste, he has been playing hardball and avoiding all other foods. All he wants is earthworms now.

 

[egyptiandan]

As you haven't been giving any protein, he's just tanking up on the protein right now. Give him a week of protein, than cut it back to twice a week for a week, than once a week after that. He'll get back to eating everything else when he gets hungry.

Danny

 

[Madkins007]

As things settle down, I would just treat earthworms as a treat or snack (especially if you are buying them rather than digging them for free). I only offer mine actual meat (worms, cooked chicken, egg, etc.) about every 2-4 weeks.

Dan is right about the tough love approach. Tortoises, just like dogs and cats, quickly learn that they can train us to give them treats, snacks, and such whether they are good for them or not. If you don't give your tort any more worms, it will start to eat what you DO offer when it really gets hungry.

Just understand- tortoises can go a LONG time on a small amount of food. That is one of their big biological advantages. It may take a while before he is hungry enough to eat the 'good stuff'.