how much exercise for a juvenile redfoot?

[micklady713]

Hello, I just got my yet-to-be-named redfoot tortoise and he is the silliest thing I've ever been awe-struck by. He's only about a year old, so says the guy who sold him to me, and is pretty inactive in his temporary 20 gallon until I take him out and let him run around. He spins in a circle, looks all around him, and then takes off toward a shadowy place. I know he needs time to adjust to his new space and that going for a hide is normal. The bedroom is fairly clean and I leave a blanket on the ground for him to run around on. But I can't leave him run around in there because it's not exactly safe...eventually we will build a turtle table, but until we do how long should I leave him out to exercise? I can section off a corner of the room and let him roam while I do homework or yoga...but approximately how long did or do all of you let your little guys exercise for...if so?

 

[micklady713]

Inconsistently walks with limp

Today I noticed my two-year old red footed tortoise is inconsistently walking with a limp. His rear right foot (back passenger side In America, driver side in Europe, if you will), sometimes collapses when he steps on it. He steps on it, then it straightens and he kind of falls forward. I will try to post a video later, but my phone is dead now. Anyway, he does not do it all the time, just every couple of minutes or so. I haven't noticed if he does it on the other side.

Has anyone seen this before? I think it could be anything from a sore muscle to improper diet or humidity conditions. His humidifier broke last week and I haven't had a chance to get another one. Maybe this has something to do with it.

 

[Yvonne G]

Quite a bit of time has passed since your first post in this thread. Has your tortoise's habitat situation changed?

Redfooted tortoises need their own space - a shady, but warm, moist and humdid environment.

I'm going to guess that the tortoise is suffering from a calcium deficiency, but none of us can tell you for sure what's wrong with the tortoise. It will need to be seen in person by a vet for that diagnosis.

Calcium-rich foods or a calcium supplement two or three times a week, plus vitamin d3 from either the sun or a good UVB light, is what your tortoise will need to strengthen his bones and shell.