Hello from Northern California

Camimi88

New Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2018
Messages
12
Location (City and/or State)
Petaluma, California
Good morning and hello everyone!!

My name is Mimi and I have a red footed tortoise named George who I adore. I adopted George from a situation where he was in a terrarium indoor with no roaming access.

I have purchased a 12' x 12' (9' high) green house and am trying to figure out a habitat plan for him. I would appreciate any input and advice! I would like to provide him with the best habitat I can.

I am in the Petaluma area near Bodega Bay and it gets quite cold at night. Currently he comes inside to sleep and then I have another outdoor enclosure for him during the day. I am hoping to make the green house is permanent home.

Any help, advice, habitat thoughts would be wonderful!!

Thank you all in advance from Mimi and George. :)
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,391
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
Hi, and welcome!

The greenhouse may be too hot in the summer, and in the winter you'll need a heater in there.

I have two greenhouses here that I use to keep my plants in over the winter. The greenhouse in the backyard houses tortoises, but during the summer, I have to keep the door open so they can go out, otherwise they would cook. Inside the greenhouse is a night box for winter:

new Greenhouse 10-16-14 day 6.jpg night house a.jpg night house b.jpg
 

Camimi88

New Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2018
Messages
12
Location (City and/or State)
Petaluma, California
Hi and thank you so much for your reply! Do you have a misting system that you use? I bought automatic window vents that I can set to open at a certain temperature and will buy a fan, I wonder if that will work for him. If you don't mind me asking a few more questions I would love to pick your brain. I never expected to get George and and learning as I go. I have been research a lot but would love to know what temperature you aim for, substrate you use, and diet? Since I got him in April he has gained 3 # and has new growth rings on his shell but I am concerned I am not getting his habitat just right. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!
 

Ray--Opo

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Oct 14, 2017
Messages
7,018
Location (City and/or State)
Palm Bay Fl
Welcome to TFO. I don't know anything about your species. But look for the care sheets here for redfoots. Also reply directly to Yvonne G,s post. She might notice it quicker. Good luck
 

Camimi88

New Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2018
Messages
12
Location (City and/or State)
Petaluma, California
Thank you all so much!! I really appreciate all of your help and direction with using the forum! This is a first for me :)
 

Markw84

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 17, 2012
Messages
5,042
Location (City and/or State)
Sacramento, CA (Central Valley)
Thank you all so much!! I really appreciate all of your help and direction with using the forum! This is a first for me :)
since you are new, let me explain what Ray--Opo was saying...

When you respond to a post someone makes, if you click the "reply" on the bottom right of that post, the person who posted that message will get a notification that someone has responded to them. Otherwise, as we are quite busy browsing so many posts, we may not see that you have asked a question of us. You also can notify someone by using this format - @Yvonne G This will notify Yvonne and she will see she needs to go to your post to answer a question.
 

Camimi88

New Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2018
Messages
12
Location (City and/or State)
Petaluma, California
since you are new, let me explain what Ray--Opo was saying...

When you respond to a post someone makes, if you click the "reply" on the bottom right of that post, the person who posted that message will get a notification that someone has responded to them. Otherwise, as we are quite busy browsing so many posts, we may not see that you have asked a question of us. You also can notify someone by using this format - @Yvonne G This will notify Yvonne and she will see she needs to go to your post to answer a question.


Thank you!!!
 

Camimi88

New Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2018
Messages
12
Location (City and/or State)
Petaluma, California
Hi, and welcome!

The greenhouse may be too hot in the summer, and in the winter you'll need a heater in there.

I have two greenhouses here that I use to keep my plants in over the winter. The greenhouse in the backyard houses tortoises, but during the summer, I have to keep the door open so they can go out, otherwise they would cook. Inside the greenhouse is a night box for winter:

View attachment 256485 View attachment 256486 View attachment 256487

Hi Yvonne I am still learning the proper etiquette for the forum and messed up before but now I think I know how to directly message you: :)

Hi and thank you so much for your reply! Do you have a misting system that you use? I bought automatic window vents that I can set to open at a certain temperature and will buy a fan, I wonder if that will work for him. If you don't mind me asking a few more questions I would love to pick your brain. I never expected to get George and and learning as I go. I have been research a lot but would love to know what temperature you aim for, substrate you use, and diet? Since I got him in April he has gained 3 # and has new growth rings on his shell but I am concerned I am not getting his habitat just right. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,391
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
Hi and thank you so much for your reply! Do you have a misting system that you use? I bought automatic window vents that I can set to open at a certain temperature and will buy a fan, I wonder if that will work for him. If you don't mind me asking a few more questions I would love to pick your brain. I never expected to get George and and learning as I go. I have been research a lot but would love to know what temperature you aim for, substrate you use, and diet? Since I got him in April he has gained 3 # and has new growth rings on his shell but I am concerned I am not getting his habitat just right. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!
I have RF tortoises, but those aren't the ones that live in that yard with the greenhouse. My RF tortoises live outside in a "rainforest" type yard, and they have a heated, insulated shed that they are locked into at night. There is a misting system in their rain forest. . . drip pipe strung along the tops of T-posts with misting emitters about every 5'. When it's cold I block off their yard so they can't get out there and keep them in a smaller space outside the shed. They don't come out much in cold weather. In their smaller space there is pebble bark on the ground, but no substrate inside the shed, just rubber horse stall mat. For baby RF I keep the whole enclosure 80-85F degrees, but for the full grown tortoises, they have to make do with whatever weather mother nature gives us. But the shed has pig blankets on the floor and a 250 watt brooder lamp hanging from the ceiling. My RF tortoises eat broad leaf weeds and plants, but in winter I buy produce for them - endive, escarole, romaine, etc. They also really like Mazuri Tortoise Diet.
 
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