Hello from the frozen Midwest!

[Yvonne G]

I'm not sure about that, as I only see one banner ad per page, across the top of the page, no pop ups

 

[leigti]

A question about the pop up ads? Are you using the app or going to the website on your phone or tablet? I use the app and I see very very little advertisement, and no pop ups. I only see one advertisement when I look in the different categories such as participated timeline etc. but I didn't know if that was different on the website. I love the app, I personally find it easier to navigate and the website. But if I am doing a search I much prefer the website. Just my opinion

 

[Archelon]

Hi and welcome they are beautiful little torts and this is a great place for up to date information and can save you lots of money on equipment and vets bills.
I don't know what the RF/YF temperaments are like but you will probably need to watch them closely and be ready to separate them as soon as any signs of bullying starts. Lots of people think they snuggle and follow to be friendly but they are solitary creatures and don't like competition for space or food etc so the dominant one can bully and stress out the other, its not always out right aggression.
These will give you ideas of what to look out for
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/cuts-on-back-of-legs.133977/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...together-a-lesson-learned-the-hard-way.94114/

Other good tips are do not use coiled or long thin loop type cfl bulbs - they can damage tort eyes
and red heat bulbs can confuse them as they see colour.
Good luck and there is always someone around to help

That's good info at the right time...
We started them in a 20 gal aquarium with 3 sides blocked off to keep them from bumping the glass. I was planning on starting with a simple 100w soft flood clip light and doing the research for proper UVB & heat light. We have zoned hydronic heat, with baseboard heaters so I can set up their enclosure with one side against the heater so they have a warm area to sleep. Basking will be set up with a timer, and I already have plans to create a "duplex" tort condo if they start acting like politicians.

I appreciate all the help & advice. I've been posting between tasks at work and I'm still working, I have yet to go home and meet them, my wife unboxed them this morning. "The Turtle Source" in Ft Myers did a great job, they were packed well in an insulated carton with a big heat pack. Temp inside the box was in the mid 80s. They were soaked and fed well yesterday, and came with a starter pack of food and lots of advice and info in print.
The folks there were super nice to deal with and have been diligent on follow through, confirming that they arrived ok and even checked back later to be sure they are OK.

 

[Lyn W]

I bet you can't wait to get home to meet them!
Lots of us use mercury vapour bulbs (mvbs) which give heat light and uvb rays in one bulb, very easy to use, especially if like me you are short of electrical sockets - others prefer tube fixtures - I think there is a light and heat section under Enclosures. At night a ceramic heat emitter run through a thermostat is great for keeping the temps even and switched the che on and off as required, and they just give heat as torts need darkness to sleep. Be careful of the clamps as they have been known to fail and cause fires, so a stand or some way of hanging the heat/light source would probably be safer. I use both in a ceramic bulb holder with a wide dome (deep domes can cause overheating and make the bulb burn out).
For your water dishes shallow, terracotta plant saucers sunk level with the substrate and big enough for them to self soak in are the cheapest and safest option. A digital temperature gun is an invaluable piece of equipment for spot checking your 4 temps.
The Redfoot section should have a link to the care sheet which will tell you all about diet temps, humidity substrate etc.
The Beginners Mistake thread is also great fro avoiding the same pitfalls experienced by others.(link below).
If you can post pics of the enclosure you will get great advice on how best to set it up.
If you find their advice contradicts anything you read or are told here then please double check it as there is still a lot of out of date advice and information being given by pet shops and breeders, while the many experience keepers here have tried and tested methods over the years which have led to important improvements in tort care.

 

[Cheryl Hills]

Thank you! There seem to be many tort lovers down your way, I guess the climate makes that natural.

My hatchlings are coming from "The Turtle Source" in Ft Myers. Not sure how far south you are, but if you have any info to share about that outfit- good or bad, I'd appreciate it.

Regards to all and thanks for the welcome-

Might want to check

I bet you can't wait to get home to meet them!
Lots of us use mercury vapour bulbs (mvbs) which give heat light and uvb rays in one bulb, very easy to use, especially if like me you are short of electrical sockets - others prefer tube fixtures - I think there is a light and heat section under Enclosures. At night a ceramic heat emitter run through a thermostat is great for keeping the temps even and switched the che on and off as required, and they just give heat as torts need darkness to sleep. Be careful of the clamps as they have been known to fail and cause fires, so a stand or some way of hanging the heat/light source would probably be safer. I use both in a ceramic bulb holder with a wide dome (deep domes can cause overheating and make the bulb burn out).
For your water dishes shallow, terracotta plant saucers sunk level with the substrate and big enough for them to self soak in are the cheapest and safest option. A digital temperature gun is an invaluable piece of equipment for spot checking your 4 temps.
The Redfoot section should have a link to the care sheet which will tell you all about diet temps, humidity substrate etc.
The Beginners Mistake thread is also great fro avoiding the same pitfalls experienced by others.(link below).
If you can post pics of the enclosure you will get great advice on how best to set it up.
If you find their advice contradicts anything you read or are told here then please double check it as there is still a lot of out of date advice and information being given by pet shops and breeders, while the many experience keepers here have tried and tested methods over the years which have led to important improvements in tort care.

You might want to check the venders forum. I read their about The Turtle Source and it was not good. Just wanted to let you know. The article in there was about the turtle shack and the turtle source. I hope you get great babies and not something you didn't expect . Good luck and welcome to the forum

 

[Archelon]

I'm not sure about that, as I only see one banner ad per page, across the top of the page, no pop ups

I'm on my iPad now, and it's not happening so it must be an iPhone thing...

 

[Archelon]

A question about the pop up ads? Are you using the app or going to the website on your phone or tablet? I use the app and I see very very little advertisement, and no pop ups. I only see one advertisement when I look in the different categories such as participated timeline etc. but I didn't know if that was different on the website. I love the app, I personally find it easier to navigate and the website. But if I am doing a search I much prefer the website. Just my opinion

I'm not using the app... Going directly to the site on phone and tablet. As I said in my last reply to Yvonne, it's only happening on my phone...

Where do I find the app, download in the App Store on my iPhone or is it a Tapatalk style that's linked on the site?

Thanks for any help- on my phone, they really are annoying as they buffer all kinds of graphics which slows my phone down like a .... Snail?

 

[Archelon]

I bet you can't wait to get home to meet them!
Lots of us use mercury vapour bulbs (mvbs) which give heat light and uvb rays in one bulb, very easy to use, especially if like me you are short of electrical sockets - others prefer tube fixtures - I think there is a light and heat section under Enclosures. At night a ceramic heat emitter run through a thermostat is great for keeping the temps even and switched the che on and off as required, and they just give heat as torts need darkness to sleep. Be careful of the clamps as they have been known to fail and cause fires, so a stand or some way of hanging the heat/light source would probably be safer. I use both in a ceramic bulb holder with a wide dome (deep domes can cause overheating and make the bulb burn out).
For your water dishes shallow, terracotta plant saucers sunk level with the substrate and big enough for them to self soak in are the cheapest and safest option. A digital temperature gun is an invaluable piece of equipment for spot checking your 4 temps.
The Redfoot section should have a link to the care sheet which will tell you all about diet temps, humidity substrate etc.
The Beginners Mistake thread is also great fro avoiding the same pitfalls experienced by others.(link below).
If you can post pics of the enclosure you will get great advice on how best to set it up.
If you find their advice contradicts anything you read or are told here then please double check it as there is still a lot of out of date advice and information being given by pet shops and breeders, while the many experience keepers here have tried and tested methods over the years which have led to important improvements in tort care.

Awesome post there! I'm reading in between work and kids and basketball practice and ballet class and shopping and...well, you get the picture.

I have read the beginners mistake thread and already avoided a few rooky blunders. One thing that is contradicted is water. Some folks, including the outfit that we purchased our torch from suggest that a water bowl in the cage is not necessary, provided that adequate hydration is available in food and soaking yes three times weekly. They claim that the young torts will defecate in their water bowl and then drink it or develop an infection from exposure to bacteria if they try to soak in it. For now, I plan on using a shallow bowl and short soaking sessions every other day.

Much to learn, this Padawan has!

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Archelon]

Might want to check

You might want to check the venders forum. I read their about The Turtle Source and it was not good. Just wanted to let you know. The article in there was about the turtle shack and the turtle source. I hope you get great babies and not something you didn't expect . Good luck and welcome to the forum

Hello-well, they arrived this morning and were packaged with great care.

I did check them out as best I could before we ordered, and communicated with them via phone and email; they were very helpful and answered all of my MANY questions. They seemed knowledgeable, but was not on this site yet.
The torts arrived safe and sound and appear healthy, both are active, inquisitive and are eating and pooping. Their eyes are clear and bright and they are strong little buggers!

I posted a thread in the red and yellow forum:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/one-of-each.134590/

 

[Archelon]

Well, regardless of their actual sex, they have been named.
My kids assumed the yellow is a boy because it's VERY outgoing and adventurous. Meet Leonardo:

The red started out much more shy and reserved, and is so pretty that all have assumed it's a female. Meet Mona:



Of course, in my newbie ignorance it could just as easily be Leona and Manny!

 

[Archelon]

Hah! Had to laugh at myself here, quoting my own post so I can edit it...
After more reading and browsing the red and yellow forum, I found Yvonne's Male? Female? Diagram. They have to swap names. It appears that we have a very outgoing yellow "Mona" and a curious but a bit more shy red "Leonardo"...

I'm sure their personalities will com to light more in the weeks ahead.

We were really surprised at how active they are in the day. They're sleeping soundly somewhere back in their cave, it appears they each burrowed into the substrate at each end of the heating pad. It's 74 in the room, 82 ambient in the cave and 84-86 down on the bottom surface of the cave.

I can see already that I'm going to need a temp gun to do this right, and may well be building a two sided enclosure with separate but equal amenities.


Edited version:

Well, regardless of their actual sex, they have been named.
My kids assumed the yellow is a boy because it's VERY outgoing and adventurous. They were wrong. Very narrow rounded shell notch and tail tell the truth here.

Meet Mona:View attachment 161579

The red started out much more shy and reserved, and is so pretty that all have assumed it's a female. All were wrong. Wide "V" notch and strong tail almost touching his left leg.

Meet Leonardo:

View attachment 161580

Of course, in my newbie ignorance it could just as easily be Leona and Manny!

 

[leigti]

You can find all of these at a hardware store.
I did get the lamp stand and that mercury vapor bulbs and the ceramic emitter at the pet store. Everything else was at the hardware store.

 

[Lyn W]

Awesome post there! I'm reading in between work and kids and basketball practice and ballet class and shopping and...well, you get the picture.

I have read the beginners mistake thread and already avoided a few rooky blunders. One thing that is contradicted is water. Some folks, including the outfit that we purchased our torch from suggest that a water bowl in the cage is not necessary, provided that adequate hydration is available in food and soaking yes three times weekly. They claim that the young torts will defecate in their water bowl and then drink it or develop an infection from exposure to bacteria if they try to soak in it. For now, I plan on using a shallow bowl and short soaking sessions every other day.

Much to learn, this Padawan has!

Thanks for sharing!

Check the RF caresheet and I have tagged some RF keepers like @ZEROPILOT and @Anyfoot who will be able to advise you. Most species have access to water at all times, but see what they say.

 

[Archelon]

You can find all of these at a hardware store.View attachment 161585View attachment 161586View attachment 161587View attachment 161588
I did get the lamp stand and that mercury vapor bulbs and the ceramic emitter at the pet store. Everything else was at the hardware store.

I made that obligatory run to Home Depot last night and picked up a piece of slate, some timers, low profile terra cotta plate for water, and some ceramic based high heat rated lamps. Also placed an order on Amazon for a couple of thermometer/ humistats, gun thermometer, some ceramic heater bulbs of differing wattage and lamp hanger to use in lieu of bright light. Thanks for the suggestions and for posting the pics, it confirms that I'm on the right track from what you've shown. There is definitely a fire hazard to manage here, plus I'm glad I've already decided on a larger enclosure. With the moisture levels required, the wood one we ordered will need to be very temporary but we will likely keep it as a backup just in case. It would be handy to have if they need to be separated.

Thanks!

 

[Archelon]

Check the RF caresheet and I have tagged some RF keepers like @ZEROPILOT and @Anyfoot who will be able to advise you. Most species have access to water at all times, but see what they say.

Funny you say that- I already took note of Anyfoot and have gleaned some great pearls.
I will start watching out more for ZEROPILOT who posted a welcome in this thread IIRC.

I decided right away when I read that instruction that I would not be following it.
Water is the most basic necessity for LIFE, and the red foots are forest floor dwellers, which can be a rather moist environs with plenty of mud puddles.

It just seems cruel to deny them WATER...

 

[Lyn W]

Funny you say that- I already took note of Anyfoot and have gleaned some great pearls.
I will start watching out more for ZEROPILOT who posted a welcome in this thread IIRC.

I decided right away when I read that instruction that I would not be following it.
Water is the most basic necessity for LIFE, and the red foots are forest floor dwellers, which can be a rather moist environs with plenty of mud puddles.

It just seems cruel to deny them WATER...

Yes - and a cheap terracotta plant saucer big enough for them to get in and self soak is ideal. Pet shop dishes have steep sides and are difficult for them to get out of - they can cause them to flip back and drown.
I think Yvonne also keeps RF.

 

[Archelon]

Yes - and a cheap terracotta plant saucer big enough for them to get in and self soak is ideal. Pet shop dishes have steep sides and are difficult for them to get out of - they can cause them to flip back and drown.
I think Yvonne also keeps RF.

The one I have is low, buried flush with the substrate. I woke to find the water dirtied so someone used the latrine!

It's big enough to soak both at a time for now, but won't be forever. I can see why sharing space might cause problems. I've kept plenty of reptiles- enough to know that if one decides to soak when the other is in the way, we might witness an episode of bumper cars as needs drive behavior.

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

After more reading and browsing the red and yellow forum, I found Yvonne's Male? Female? Diagram. They have to swap names. It appears that we have a very outgoing yellow "Mona" and a curious but a bit more shy red "Leonardo"...

I'm sure their personalities will com to light more in the weeks ahead.

Just so you know, sexing is not reliable at their current sizes. You may be surprised in a few years when their secondary sex characteristics start to develop (or if you have a male that starts flashing). It really doesn't matter what you name them though - plenty of people have gendered tortoise names that don't 'match' their tortoise's genitalia. Your tortoises won't be offended

Beautiful babies, both of them. Two good species choices.

 

[Cheryl Hills]

Hello-well, they arrived this morning and were packaged with great care.

I did check them out as best I could before we ordered, and communicated with them via phone and email; they were very helpful and answered all of my MANY questions. They seemed knowledgeable, but was not on this site yet.
The torts arrived safe and sound and appear healthy, both are active, inquisitive and are eating and pooping. Their eyes are clear and bright and they are strong little buggers!

I posted a thread in the red and yellow forum:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/one-of-each.134590/

I am so glad they turned out ok They are so cute too.

 

[Archelon]

Just so you know, sexing is not reliable at their current sizes. You may be surprised in a few years when their secondary sex characteristics start to develop (or if you have a male that starts flashing). It really doesn't matter what you name them though - plenty of people have gendered tortoise names that don't 'match' their tortoise's genitalia. Your tortoises won't be offended

Beautiful babies, both of them. Two good species choices.

That's good to know... How old do you suppose they need to be to tell definitively?

I'm still thinking we might be right... The red has a very wide "V" notch and the tail is big, touching the back of the left leg.

The yellow has a very narrow "U" notch and the tail is very short and thin.

After reading your post, I read as much as I could about sexing torts and came to the solid conclusion that I have no real clue.

At least I learned a new word- "Flashing".

My wife read the definition and laughed, then walked off muttering something about me being part reptile...