Getting first tortoises ever on thursday :)

[TarHeelNC]

So on thursday morning ill be getting my first baby redfoot. Im sooo excited. Ive been reading all sorts of forums. And books and pretty sure I am ready. I have a tank setup right now. And waiting for other supplies by mail. But this weekend im going to ikea to get some furnature to make a tortoises table. I wabt mine to look nice. Ill post pics when its done super excited.

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome. Congrats. How exciting. Now, for the bad news. Most if not ALL the stuff you read in books and most other sites is going to be wrong, old or bad information. Please check out one of our members site, with very good and correct RF information. The website is tortoiselibrary.com

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One more thing. Any type of coil bulbs are not good. They cause eye problems.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello and welcome to the TFO from AZ . Are you going to have a outdoor enclosure for your tort in the summer time , or is it going to be a indoor tort . Good luck with your new tort .

 

[bouaboua]

Hello! ! !

Welcome! ! !

And Congrats! ! ! !

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the forum!

I'm sorry to show my stupidity, but can you tell me why North Carolinians are called 'tar heels'?

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome.

I think you will find it exceedingly difficult to provide a redfoot with the conditions it needs in an open tortoise table.

 

[waitmanff]

Pretty sure it has to do with North Carolina State University, they are the Tar heels, college football is like a religion down here (I live in south Carolina)


Well my bf just corrected me...its bc of the tar that NC use to make...I always assumed the other lol

 

[TarHeelNC]

Yes hi thanks every one. I mostly get my info directly from experienced owbers website and only trust the constant answers. Lol
Im building a habitat with some ikea furniture and water proof glue of tge outside edges and a pet safe sealant on the inside so the "wood" doesn't rot. Pretty excited about that.

And it will mostly be indoor but i willl be growing some outdoor gardens in kiddie pools for him in the summer we are moving to texas in a year and will have perfect weather for an outdoor habitat.

As for the Tar Heels.. your right it has to do with the university. But there used to be alot of tar in the woods and such and there's this long story of a man who was walking, got some on his heel but continues on his walk leaving tar heel foot prints all over town. So yea lol

 

[TarHeelNC]

As far as the table ive done alot of research. And talked to an expert in town and he and I have made plans sutable for a redfoot. I just didnt want to use ugly wood from the lows. I want it to blend in and look nice.

Im kinda a crazy animal lover and get anxious if anything looks wrong with my pets. So I guess when it comes down to alk of yhis im being ocd about safety and what will make him happy.

Id love to know what plants I should plant that I can get from the local garden shop. We already have prickly pear cactus onthe. What kind of grass?

 

[TarHeelNC]

Any one have ideas for plants I can't get at the local garden shop for the gardens? I already have ppear cactus coming.

 

[wellington]

Hostas, pothos also, check out thetortoisetable.org.uk for more plant ideas.

 

[pfara]

I personally wouldn't put plants you'd buy from nurseries or home improvement stores in an enclosure right away. Unless you know that the plants were treated organically (no harsh fertilizers or pesticides), I wouldn't risk it. In any case, the plants that do well in redfoot enclosures (warm, humid, low light conditions) are: spider plants, pothos, christmas cactus, lipstick vine, bromeliads, certain dracaenas, prayer plants, begonias (not tuberous), coleus, hostas, wandering jew, aluminum plant (pilea), Boston/maidenhair/bird's nest ferns. There are definitely more to add but these should all thrive in redfoot environments. Check out http://m.thetortoisetable.org.uk/m/tortoise_home_1.asp (mobile site) for more ideas.

Btw, I did the open table in the beginning because that's what the breeder suggested. I found it pretty difficult to provide the correct temps and humidity that redfoots required. Just make sure you test your enclosure out as soon as you can prior to getting your tort to ensure that timers and thermostats work and that the temps and humidity are stable. I'm a bit ocd, too. Good luck!

 

[mike taylor]

Hello from Texas! Great choice of tort . Red footed tortoises are awesome!

 

[TarHeelNC]

Aw thanks!!! Ill be sharing from texas next year lol
And for the table I wanted to put a clear top ontop to help with the temp and such. You know those clear plastic boards used for stair railings to keep kids from sticking their heads through?
And as far as organic plants... I'm not sure if you know much about chapel hill but its like the hippie capital of the world lol we have many all natural garden centers heren. Lol organic is Chapel Hill's middle name lol that why I'm staying my tortoises across he bc I can get everything organic and cheap here bc its soo available.

What about grass? If I wanted to grow grass from seeds.

Thanks everyone!!!

 

[wellington]

Just make sure your info you have learned from others includes humidity and 24/7 water available and soakings. So many still believe in the old way and that is what has caused most adult tortoises to be pyramided, instead of smooth like they are suppose to be. As for grass, most will do. I would stay away from any hybrid types that are now available.

 

[TarHeelNC]

Okay. Sounds good. But I have all tge equipment for temp and humidity. I have alot of hands on info. Just super excited to get him here

 

[Yvonne G]

Here's a nice indoor habitat for RF tortoises that one of our member's husband made for them:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-11023.html

 

[TortsNTurtles]

That's a nice enclosure!

 

[TarHeelNC]

Agreed thats a great enclosure! Looks similar to the one im making except it will be high to keep dogs out of it. Thanks for that that will help alot tho. Cuz right now irs just measurements and in my head.

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AND BEFORE I HEAR A BUNCH STUFF ABOUT DOGS AND TORTOISES... my dogs are small. And building a pets safe enclosure far out of their reach. And even going as far as to attach enclosure to wall to prevebt it from falling over. And while he is out of enclosure the dogs will be kept away from him. As in the other room.

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AND BEFORE I HEAR A BUNCH STUFF ABOUT DOGS AND TORTOISES... my dogs are small. And building a pets safe enclosure far out of their reach. And even going as far as to attach enclosure to wall to prevebt it from falling over. And while he is out of enclosure the dogs will be kept away from him. As in the other room.

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AND BEFORE I HEAR A BUNCH STUFF ABOUT DOGS AND TORTOISES... my dogs are small. And building a pets safe enclosure far out of their reach. And even going as far as to attach enclosure to wall to prevebt it from falling over. And while he is out of enclosure the dogs will be kept away from him. As in the other room.

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Sry :/ didnt mean to post that 4 times

 

[Yvonne G]

I think I'm hearing that your dogs are small?