Hello and questions from IL

[CassandraM]

Hi everyone! I have been reading great posts here for over a year and decided it was time to ask a few questions of my own.
I have a fantastic Redfoot family member named Rosey that came last August from Turtle Source as a 30g hatchling that was remarkably affectionate right from the start. She has now quadrupled her weight, eager to come when I greet her, and loves when I rub her head (she was having a moody morning in the pics until I put my finger near her then she stretched as far as she could).

So, for the questions -
Is she really a boy?

How warm does the day have to be for me to let her back outside for a brief time with grass? Tomorrow it should hit 70 and sunny, but that is much cooler than her inside area, so I am concerned.

And finally, I really want to get her a companion redfoot while she is still small. Can hatchlings be sexed, and should I go with the opposite of her (or his?) gender?

She is very special to our family! I just love the little heart on her face too. Any thoughts are welcome!

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome. I too am in Illinois, Chicago. Unfortunately, hatchlings and even young juvies can not be sexed, it takes quite some time. You can purchase some that maybe incubated for a certain sex, but there still is no 100% guarantee.

 

[Ashes]

What part of Illinois?

Wellington, you're the closest to me that I've found! I live in the Quad Cities (Iowa side) - heard of it?

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

If it's 70 drees at10 AM then yes put it out because by noon it will be warmer .

 

[CassandraM]

It was low 70's today, so I sent her out for a bit and she was so happy! She just ran around taking 1 bite of everything for an hour in the sunshine. I keep an area seeded in her indoor area with grass, chia, clover etc., but it is just not the same as real sunshine even if it is only for an hour.

We are in mid-IL about 45 min south of Bloomington/Normal.

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome!

 

[pam]

Welcome.

 

[shanu303]

Hello and Welcome, Rosey is adorable...

 

[CassandraM]

Thank you all for the welcome!
I have been looking through all the past posts about red foot living in groups, and have noticed that some think it is a great idea while others think it will be very bad. I do not want to do anything to hurt Rosey, but like the idea of having 2 red foots living together. Will it make a difference that I am starting out with an almost yearling and then adding a hatchling?

 

[CassandraM]

Thank you all for the welcome!
I have been looking through all the past posts about red foot living in groups, and have noticed that some think it is a great idea while others think it will be very bad. I do not want to do anything to hurt Rosey, but like the idea of having 2 red foots living together. Will it make a difference that I am starting out with an almost yearling and then adding a hatchling?

Another question to add - I have seen a few people say that keeping 3 red foots is better than 2 when you have space. But with hatchlings, how do you not end up with 2 boys and 1 girl (I still do not know the sex of Rosey unless someone can tell from that photo)? It seems like any other combo would be okay? Just luck?

 

[CharlieD]

Hi and welcome. Im also from IL and have redfoots, always nice to see another member from the area. Great looking little tort, love the head coloring.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome!

 

[Kasper2reds]

Thank you all for the welcome!
I have been looking through all the past posts about red foot living in groups, and have noticed that some think it is a great idea while others think it will be very bad. I do not want to do anything to hurt Rosey, but like the idea of having 2 red foots living together. Will it make a difference that I am starting out with an almost yearling and then adding a hatchling?

Hello, i also live in Illinois, near chicago. i started with one juvy redfoot about 4 years ago. i also wanted a companion for him so about a year after i got Duke, i purchased a hatchling cherry head, Dutch. the first 2 years everything was fine, for the most part they stayed away from each other. but as duke got bigger he started acting like a bully to the little guy (dutch). lots of head bobbing, actively kept trying to mount the baby for mating, and overall aggression. to fix this i recently built a 4x8 foot tort table enclosure with a removable divider in the middle. so when i go to work in the morning i can seperate them and not worry about Dutch getting picked on or humped all day. when i get home i take the divider out and let them roam the whole cage as long as Duke stays cool. overall, im happy having 2. just make sure you have the space for it!

best of luck!

K

 

[CassandraM]

Hello, i also live in Illinois, near chicago. i started with one juvy redfoot about 4 years ago. i also wanted a companion for him so about a year after i got Duke, i purchased a hatchling cherry head, Dutch. the first 2 years everything was fine, for the most part they stayed away from each other. but as duke got bigger he started acting like a bully to the little guy (dutch). lots of head bobbing, actively kept trying to mount the baby for mating, and overall aggression. to fix this i recently built a 4x8 foot tort table enclosure with a removable divider in the middle. so when i go to work in the morning i can seperate them and not worry about Dutch getting picked on or humped all day. when i get home i take the divider out and let them roam the whole cage as long as Duke stays cool. overall, im happy having 2. just make sure you have the space for it!

best of luck!

K

Thanks for your reply Kasper2reds! I just received my tiny baby yesterday, and am hopeful that they will get along for the long term. So far they spent a couple of hours before naptime just looking at each other through the plexiglass divider (quarantine for the little guy) and both seem interested in what the other is doing. When they are much bigger, they will be moved downstairs and I can build as large an area as they could ever need. Hopefully they will thrive together though.