Humidity, Sick or Spooked?

[ThornIsDan]

I just got my first tortoise a few days ago. I actually went in to start up a fish aquarium, or get some turtles , but fell for a little red foot tortoise. Built a wooden home for her and bought her the next day.
The problem I'm having is she wont eat unless I feed her by hand. For the past two days she has spent her time sleeping in the shady area. I left food for her before work and before I went to bed which she never touches. I even left it in front of her.
When I do feed her she will eat a few leaves of lettuce or about a quarter of a strawberry.
I thought maybe the one problem was humidity since I was had problems maintaining a good humidity for the first day. It would not climb above 20 percent, no matter what I did, however using a wet face cloth over the grate has kept the humidity at a constant 40 to 50 percent. Temperature has been really good (around 85 F), though she seems to prefer the shade.
She still wont eat unless I feed her.
Another thing I was thinking of, is perhaps she's spooked. I bought her from a small local pet store, who got her from a breeder down in Toronto (I live five hours north). The pet store clerk said they had her for a few months, and although a lot of people asked to see her they were put off by the price. So I was thinking maybe the constant moving around spooked her a little. I would figure even a reptile could get scared.
I'm a little worried with her behavior, however she WILL eat if I feed her, and humidity is still a little low, but manageable.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome!

Try to get the humidity up where it should be, but make real sure the temperature stays up too. You may have to cover the tort table.

 

[Octavious22]

I think she is spooked give her space he or she is readjusting. I think most pet store animals are traumatized. Soak every other day 10 to 15 mins in tepid water and after set her in some food to encourage eating. How old is your tort by the way? They like to hide a lot when they are really young. Keep her temps and humidity right and you shouldn't have any problems.if you have an open top enclosure it's okay they still get most of the humidity they need at tortoise level. Make sure you add water under the basking spot and mist your tort and the enclosure daily with a spray bottle. This helps for even growth on its carapece. Just give it some time.

 

[ThornIsDan]

Thanks, both of you. I'm going to add another face cloth on top, cause the first one seems to be raising the humidity. I live in a basement so it's naturally dry in there.
I don't know if it's a boy or a girl. At the pet store they kept saying she so I picked up the habit. They don't know. It's impossible to tell as she/he is still very young. She was in the pet store for a few months, and they got her from a breeder. Can't be more then 6 months old.
I noticed too she didn't seem to react that favorably to the lettuce but ate the strawberries. I'm thinking of trying some spinach. Mix up the diet a little. I have some fresh carrots and tomatoes as well. Will the carrots be too hard for her to digest at her age, or the tomatoes too acidic?

 

[naturalman91]

You need to get that humidity up. you want a humidity of 80% or higher and 80 degree ambient temp

redfoot's are a tropical species they come from naturally high humid places

 

[ThornIsDan]

I'm going to have to invest in a humidifier. I've went to three wet face cloths and they are keeping the humidity at around 60 now.
But good news. She ate by herself, while I was at work. Not much, and like a child she tossed her greens aside eating only the berries. She didn't eat a lot but she ate something.

 

[DutchieAmanda]

Hi and congrats on your redfoot! They are cool

Redfoots need high temps and high humidity. This is easiest to accomplish in a closed chamber type enclosure (so closed on all sides). If everything works well you don't even need a humidifier. With an open top, most humidity and heat will disappear (the amount depending on the situation in your house). Do you already have a (digital) temp and humidity gauge? You can look up The Tortoise Library for a lot of info on redfoot care.

For their diet they need mixed greens (around 70-80%), fruit and animal protein. Variation is the best. I use The Tortoise Table website a lot for inspiration on tortoise food items.

Enjoy!

 

[ThornIsDan]

Yes I have a digital temp, humidity gauge. Still loosing lots of humidity, though I'm keeping it about 60 now, with a drop to about 50. The issue I'm pretty sure is my place is really dry (I'm in a basement). Also I think the wood chip I bought for her bedding don't hold water very well. They dry out really quickly. I might wanna go to a different kind. She definitely doesn't like the Romaine Lettuce. After the long weekend I'm going to buy some spinach. Maybe she'll be more into that.

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welcome - if you can post a picture of your enclosure and the substrate you are using etc, members with redfoots will be able to help you make sure you have a safe home for your tort and help you with the humidity problem.
The Tortoise Library has a caresheet for redfoot, that you may find useful.

 

[ThornIsDan]

Thanks. I'll probably take pics after I get home from work. Upload them tomorrow.
I downloaded the care sheet, and plan to print it out tonight. It's going to be a huge help since the store I bought it from was the smaller pet store rather then a large chain. On the plus side the deal with breeders only. On the negative they didn't know much about tortoises, since they usually only carry turtles. Their care sheet was pretty lacking.
There's also a vet walking distance from my house that deals with reptiles. I'm going to go in and see if they have a care sheet as well.
She did come out of her sleeping space today when I was playing music . I don't think they have good hearing or anything, but she did extend her neck like she was curious what that noise was. Then went back to bed - lol

 

[ThornIsDan]

This is the set up right now.

The home isn't actually on the ground. I was cleaning the table earlier so I took the opportunity to take a picture while it was there.
There is a roof where the tortoise is. I have it open there so you could see the size of the tort in comparison. The back wall also can come out so more could be added to it.
The problem is my place is so dry and the room I have her in right now is 35 feet long and 15 feet wide, and it in the basement. So I lose lots of humidity. Even with the damp cloths I lose around 2% humidity an hour. Without the cloths I lose four times that amount. I'm at work around 10 hours so I get the humidity up to about 80 with just spray when I leave. It's usually just under 60 when I get back. I also keep her shell damp.
There is a room half that size that I could use, with a really good table, but I can't clean it till later this week.
I'm pretty much sure I'm going to have to get a humidifier for her.

She's eating only when I actually place her in the food dish, and she only eats her strawberries and blueberries. She will actually move the greens out of the dish. She also has not touch sweet red peppers or crushed apples. Also she will only have a few bites before returning to the corner to sleep.

 

[dmmj]

did the pet store that sold it to you happen to mention if the tortoise was eating and if so what it was eating?

 

[ThornIsDan]

They were feeding it these dried green flakes.
I'm going there today so I could find out what it was.

 

[ThornIsDan]

did the pet store that sold it to you happen to mention if the tortoise was eating and if so what it was eating?

I went to the store today. I got lucky and the day woman were working late (I work steady graveyards so I never get to see them). She cleared up a lot. She knew exactly what I was talking about. It seems the lady there was quite close to the tortoise. When I started talking she immediately said. "so your the one who bought my tortoise" lol
She said she is a picky eater. Will not eat the fresh veges, only the dry, and will not eat dry fruit, only fresh. Suggested mixing in fresh veges in with the dry mix they've fed her, and she gave me some of the mix.
Also said she is very shy, and was in a small enclosure at the store for months so she probably got used to it. Since it's a small store, the tortoise was scared of the birds that her aquarium next to and is naturally very nervous now. She said just give it time to adjust.
Also was talking to a costumer who has lizards and happens to also live in a basement. He says everyone has humidity problems this time of year, when it's this cold and dry (it's been under -40 Degrees F outside for about a week). He showed me what humidifier he uses.
So quite a score. Try all that.

Thanks for the help

 

[ThornIsDan]

More good news. I think she found a new favorite food. I gave her a small piece of honey dew melon which she went wild for. She ate about half a small cube, and after I woke up i saw she ate most of the other half, minus two small pieces which she brought to wear she sleep. Still not eating her vegies yet. I'm keep trying new vegetables and mixing it in with fruit.
She's also coming out and exploring finally. I most have watched her explore for an hour this morning. She also really likes the new humidifier and sits right under the mist, and she's getting use to me. She is no longer hiding inside her shell when I'm around - though she did hiss at me when I applied some shell conditioner to her shell. It was really dry from being at the pet store for so long.
I was actually really worried when I got her home and all she did was sleep and she wouldn't come out to eat. It took her almost a week to start to feed herself.

 

[ThornIsDan]

I have a new question. She went after the fruit this morning again, and strangely when she pooped, it was a little runny there was a lot of it.. and it was green ???
However, afterwards she was hyper, playful and seemed very healthy. So I'm not that concerned, but it green poop normal?

 

[jockma]

Mine is a rescue and was fed only dry pellets, the pet store the original owners gave him to said the original owners were feeding him those pellets for as long as they had him as well. Needless to say he wouldn't touch fresh food. Except for tomatoes, but too much of that isn't good for him either.

What I did was I bought some of the pellets he was used to, as well as some tomatoes, smashed them up and slathered a thin layer on some foods that were good for him. This is how I got him to switch to fresh, healthy foods in a short time. If you have a pesticide-free yard full of weeds, drop her there and see if she eats the weeds, those are the best food staple for her. Tough love generally works in this regard, especially since yours does not seem to be in very bad condition...no pellets, no preferred foods (melon), just the food you offer her. When she gets too hungry she will give in and eat it up.

A sheet of plexiglass works great to trap humidity. Pre-plexiglass my enclosure got to about 70% humidity with tons of misting and effort, post-plexiglass I get at least 85% with minimal effort. Get her a humid hide (look around here for instructions, it's a simple project) and put it in the shaded area she likes so much, it'll help her meet her humidity needs.

She'll perk right up in no time.

 

[jockma]

I have a new question. She went after the fruit this morning again, and strangely when she pooped, it was a little runny there was a lot of it.. and it was green ???
However, afterwards she was hyper, playful and seemed very healthy. So I'm not that concerned, but it green poop normal?

Mine had runny green poop at first too. I think it's left over from what they were feeding her at the store. Soak her to keep her hydrated and feed her good food. If you don't have quality UVB lighting get some ASAP! Her digestive system should fix itself up within the next few weeks. I recommend sending in a stool sample to check for parasites as well.

EDIT: Also, too much fruit will do that to them (runny poop). Try to feed her drier, high fiber foods. Have you tried pumpkin yet?

 

[ThornIsDan]

Thanks. I have good UVB lighting. I got her eating the calcium treats along with her food. I'm giving her less and less fruit.. Still having trouble with getting her to eat veges. However she seems to be interested in the peas, but not the dry peas i gave her, She nibble on them a little.. So I'm going to try some fresh sweet peas. She seems to have a sweet tooth, so maybe trying sweater vegetables will help. If she doesn't go for the peas I'm going to try mashing melons and veges together and If that doesn't work I'm going to try the tough love as you suggested. No weeds right now since I live up north, and buried under snow.. but plenty in the yard during the summer.. and we don't use pesticides.
The conditioner on the shell is doing wonders. Even though she hates when I apply it. Even lightly hissed at me a couple of times, but she seems much more active and her shell seems much less brittle and dry. She hates it when I bath her in a water dish, however she likes it when I spray her shell. So I've been keeping the shell hydrated that way.
She's getting more used to me, however, if anyone else is even in the same room she somehow senses it and goes into hiding.

 

[MPRC]

You might want to try covering the grate part that has the towels on it with foil or plastic wrap. That's what most people do with open topped enclosures. My little red only has a 2inch gap that isn't covered on the top of her tank and we manage to keep it around 85% humidity.

Another thing that helps is having a good substrate. I use cypress mulch mixed with spagnum moss and organic soil and it holds moisture really well and stays more dry on top to prevent shell rot.

The best things you can do are:
Cover the top
Have moist substrate
Offer a large shallow soaking dish

I also run a humidifier several hours per day here in the winter and it seems to make a difference for my critters.