Hi im new.

[Caboose]

I have two tortoises, one a red foot and the other a spur thigh. I got them about a month ago and they are just babies. I could use some advise on diets and housing.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Caboose, and welcome to the Forum!

Is your spur thigh a Greek tortoise? And do you have the two babies set up each in their own habitat? Your little redfooted tortoise requires a more moist environment than the Greek tortoise does.

There is some pretty good reading on redfooted tortoises here at the Tortoise Library

For Greek tortoises, here's a good place to start your reading:

www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/Basicmedcare.htm

 

[Maggie and Torie the Tort]

Hello, welcome to the forum!

 

[lynnedit]

Welcome!

As above. Do a search under the 'Species Specific' section and you will find some care information at the beginning of the sections.

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Oh, and if you give us a general idea of where you live, what your climate is like, housing advice is more pertinent.

 

[Caboose]

Well i love in florida and i have my two tortoises together in a ten gallon tank, i have forest chips for bedding, a water bowl and a food bowl, i have a red heat lamp and a normal light ( i keep the heat lamp on 24/7 and turn off the normal light at night). I have a half log for shelter. And i feed them Romain lettuce daily.

 

[FLINTUS]

Hi Caboose, and welcome to the Forum!

Is your spur thigh a Greek tortoise? And do you have the two babies set up each in their own habitat? Your little redfooted tortoise requires a more moist environment than the Greek tortoise does.

There is some pretty good reading on redfooted tortoises here at the Tortoise Library

For Greek tortoises, here's a good place to start your reading:

www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/Basicmedcare.htm

Testudo Graeca, referred generally in the US as the Greek Tortoise, is also commonly called the Spur Thighed Tortoise-generally a UK name.
As a general rule, species should not be mixed and these two are very different. You should separate them Do you have no UV bulb for your tank? Florida is perfect for red foots so you could have the red foot outside and if you can keep the Spur Thigh relatively dry you could also put him outside, in a different pen. Romaine lettuce is dreadful food as a staple, have a look at posts on diet for both Greeks and Red Foots on here. How big is the tank? Can we have some pics of it and the torts?

 

[Caboose]

I do have a UV light and here on some pictures.

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[yltneb]

I have two tortoises, one a red foot and the other a spur thigh. I got them about a month ago and they are just babies. I could use some advise on diets and housing.

Hi,
I have three Sulcata's and we have raised them from babies. The one mistake I wish I could take back, was hand feeding them lettuce and such for far too long. They could have gone on a mostly grass diet long before i made the change. You see, they get spoiled with all the lucious lettuce etc, and won't eat the grass at first, but they will eventually if you have tough love. Ours doubled in size once we released them from their enclosure and let them loose on our weed-ridden lawn. If you don't have a large yard with a thick rich lawn, and a sturdy block wall, you probably should'nt have a Sulcata. Good luck.

 

[Yvonne G]

Caboose:

You don't have a spur thigh tortoise. You have a sulcata. The sulcata tortoise comes from Africa and gets quite large. Right now, as babies, the two tortoises require more or less the same treatment...lots of humidity, exercise, good diet, and a warm environment. But once the sulcata starts to grow, he will quickly out-distance the redfooted tortoise and they will need to be separated for the RF's safety.

 

[Caboose]

When should i let my sulcata roam my yard i have a big back yard with fences, but im worried about birds of pray like ospreys.

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Also what should i be feeding them daily and should i separate them now. Also what is the best bedding. I clean and bathe them twice a week.

 

[FLINTUS]

While they both require similar humidity at the moment, temps are very different, and diet is completely different. Plus it is not a good idea to mix species for risk of parasites.

 

[Caboose]

So what do u recommend i do?

 

[luvpetz27]

So what do u recommend i do?

Seperate them and give each one the food and temps they need.
Different tortoises should not be housed together!

 

[Caboose]

Ia it ok for my tortoises to eat the grass on my yard.

 

[mike taylor]

Look in the sulcata part of the forum and read Toms threads .You can't go wrong by following Tom's Care tips. As far as the red footed tortoise I follow Turtleterry . You will have to go on line and just type in Turtleterry.com and follow his care tips . The only part of the red foot care I don't follow is the dry cat food part. I use mazurie tortoise chow . But you need to make them both an enclosure ASAP.

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[Caboose]

Outside or inside

 

[SANDRA_MEISSNEST]

Hi.i live in south florida,my 2 african are outside,since they were around 5 inches, now they are 16 inches,we never had any problems,i dont have a cover,aldo i have boxies 4 inches,they also outside ! But in a different section

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[Caboose]

Is there a specific type of thermometer i should get

 

[ShreksMom]

Hi and welcome. Where in FL do you live? I recently adopted
my cousins sulcata and will be heading back to FL on the
17th of this month. My Shrek is 16yo and about 40 lbs.
I'll be in Orlando from the 18th on. If you are near by you
can come by and see what the future holds for you. Lol

 

[samsmom]

hello and welcome, i don't know anything about a RF but i do have a sulcata and i know that if you read the threads below my signature you will have a very happy & healthy sullie! the most important thing is to read all the information then do what works best for your torts!