indoor enclosure for red foot

[steve tort tort]

how big should my new red foot tortoise enclosure be, he will soon out grow his house, and also what should it be made out of right now I have a wood house but it wont keep the humidity that good and is starting to grow mold. the pet store said he is about 2-3 year old, he is 4 and a half inches long, and should I have it be an indoor or an outdoor in closure where I live the humidity is about 30% and there is cats that lives next door. Sorry if i asked to much questions I don't know that much about tortoise enclosures

 

[Blgreek08]

Rule of thumb is 1-1.5 square feet per inch of tortoise so that would be a 6.5 ft by 6.5 ft enclosure and humidity can be an easy fix, make a good large hide and use a fogger inside the hide, they will control their own a bit, it gives them variety. Other then that you want the enclosure to be 80 degree and above during the day, have a water dish, and food ready to go, most pet stores don't feed rig h t so lots of fresh greens, veggies and fruits with Mazur mixed in and a calcium supplement occasionally and you'll have a good start
Outdoor is always suggested if you can

Good luck, post a few pics and,

THERE ARE NEVER TO MANY QUESTION OR THE WRONG QUESTION, ASK AWAY THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ALL HERE FOR!

 

[steve tort tort]

Thanks for the answer!☺ do you think the cats will hurt my tort I want to make sure he is ok, and what is a good fogger I heard bad reviews about them

 

[steve tort tort]

I dont have pics but I have a Zoo Med Wood Tortoise House heres a link http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00167S5EY/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20
I heard its not good for red foots over 2 years old, and its starting to grow some mold it

 

[CharlieM]

Redstrike has great older topics on this. Try searching them.

 

[Blgreek08]

I dont have pics but I have a Zoo Med Wood Tortoise House heres a link http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00167S5EY/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20
I heard its not good for red foots over 2 years old, and its starting to grow some mold it

That's what I used to use, mine never got moldy.....I used the repti fogger, it will only last about a year before it needs a new motor but i run it a lot. I like it. Cats I don't know about, I am allergic so I dint have them

 

[christinaland128]

I'm making my own fogger with a cool mist humidifier. I'll post my results when it's complete. Because yeah, that ZooMed fogger took a doodie after a couple months. :/

 

[christinaland128]

how big should my new red foot tortoise enclosure be, he will soon out grow his house, and also what should it be made out of right now I have a wood house but it wont keep the humidity that good and is starting to grow mold. the pet store said he is about 2-3 year old, he is 4 and a half inches long, and should I have it be an indoor or an outdoor in closure where I live the humidity is about 30% and there is cats that lives next door. Sorry if i asked to much questions I don't know that much about tortoise enclosures

I have a wood enclosure as well. It was built in March and now after constant moisture my wood is doing fine except for the dowel rods along the sides that must be a different kind of wood and gave begun moldingslightly. see the rods on the side? Those.

 

[christinaland128]

(There is a sterilite bin inside holding all the soil and substrate.)

 

[Mantissa3]

I dont have pics but I have a Zoo Med Wood Tortoise House heres a link http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00167S5EY/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20
I heard its not good for red foots over 2 years old, and its starting to grow some mold it

I have a massive tile grout mixing tub. It's about 5 feet long, 4 feet wide, is really heavy (construction grade) black plastic, and the sides are a bit sloped so my baby redfoot tortie doesn't tip over if he tries to climb up the sides. Oh, and the sides are about 3 feet tall too, so plenty of room for substrate and making a brush pile that my little guy loves to dig around in and hide in. I have a piece of hardware cloth with heating cable zip tied to it, and it's in the bottom under it all. Then I mix my own orchid soil (not orchid bark) and green moss and forest floor cypress bark. My husband is i the construction trades, and when I told him I needed a bookshelf and a piece of plastic to line it to make a tortoise table, he just laughed and brought home this massive, wonderful plastic tub. I highly recommend tile grout/mud pans, since they are tough, completely waterproof, and very very inexpensive. My huge tortie table tub only cost me about $100 for the tub, plus substrate.

 

[Kathy Coles]

Just to give you a heads up, my RF went from 4 inches to 6.5 in about a year. As soon as you get them set up, they don't fit in it anymore.

 

[Lira]

Hi guys, I need help with substrate. In Brazil (especially the State I live in), it is pretty impossible to but reptile products for tortoises. My reptile vet said to try and buy everything online. I managed to get Lira's UV lamp and some repti-carpet from another State, and had her house custom made by a carpenter, but the only substrate available online is for sand based reptiles.

I walked miles visiting as many pet shops as I could find in my city but the only available option was hamster bedding, which they incorrectly recommended to me and I had to remove after a day! It seems that many people here on the forum use coconut coir. I found the below link for where I could buy some from another State but the only option is the one sold for planting and I want to be sure this is the correct kind/safe for Lira!! The advertisement says it is sterilized. Does it look right???

It probably seems odd to foreigners, but tortoises are so common here that probably one in three homes have them, but they generally just wander about in the gardens or sometimes even concreted areas behind the house, where they are talked to and given vegetables to eat, but are not 'specifically' cared for in the way we do with enclosures, special lamps etc etc. As such, I'm an exception to the norm here many people have laughed at me saying Lira is mollycoddled and I find it very difficult to source safe products for an indoor enclosure and reliable information about those products.

Any help much appreciated.

http://produto.mercadolivre.com.br/...ubstrato-p-carnivora-e-orquidea-15-litros-_JM

 

[steve tort tort]

Hi guys, I need help with substrate. In Brazil (especially the State I live in), it is pretty impossible to but reptile products for tortoises. My reptile vet said to try and buy everything online. I managed to get Lira's UV lamp and some repti-carpet from another State, and had her house custom made by a carpenter, but the only substrate available online is for sand based reptiles.

I walked miles visiting as many pet shops as I could find in my city but the only available option was hamster bedding, which they incorrectly recommended to me and I had to remove after a day! It seems that many people here on the forum use coconut coir. I found the below link for where I could buy some from another State but the only option is the one sold for planting and I want to be sure this is the correct kind/safe for Lira!! The advertisement says it is sterilized. Does it look right???

It probably seems odd to foreigners, but tortoises are so common here that probably one in three homes have them, but they generally just wander about in the gardens or sometimes even concreted areas behind the house, where they are talked to and given vegetables to eat, but are not 'specifically' cared for in the way we do with enclosures, special lamps etc etc. As such, I'm an exception to the norm here many people have laughed at me saying Lira is mollycoddled and I find it very difficult to source safe products for an indoor enclosure and reliable information about those products.

Any help much appreciated.

http://produto.mercadolivre.com.br/...ubstrato-p-carnivora-e-orquidea-15-litros-_JM

Hi lira i don't know if ok to use but if you use coconut coir make sure to use a different substrate on top to prevent shell rot and if you can find orchid bark or coconut husk (bark) those are good substates for red foots hope this helps

 

[Lira]

Hi lira i don't know if ok to use but if you use coconut coir make sure to use a different substrate on top to prevent shell rot and if you can find orchid bark or coconut husk (bark) those are good substates for red foots hope this helps

Thanks!!

 

[Lira]

Hi lira i don't know if ok to use but if you use coconut coir make sure to use a different substrate on top to prevent shell rot and if you can find orchid bark or coconut husk (bark) those are good substates for red foots hope this helps

@steve tort tort There is no orchid bark and the only coconut bark is almost exactly like the coir, it is all shredded.

 

[Lira]

Hi lira i don't know if ok to use but if you use coconut coir make sure to use a different substrate on top to prevent shell rot and if you can find orchid bark or coconut husk (bark) those are good substates for red foots hope this helps

Thanks BTW.

 

[steve tort tort]

@steve tort tort There is no orchid bark and the only coconut bark is almost exactly like the coir, it is all shredded.

Does it look like this?

 

[Lira]

Does it look like this?

Like this...
http://produto.mercadolivre.com.br/...litros-_JM#D[S:HOME,L:CONVCATEG-CORE-ITM,V:1]

 

[steve tort tort]

Ok, hope you find some substate of your tortoise

 

[AB2017]

I have a wood enclosure as well. It was built in March and now after constant moisture my wood is doing fine except for the dowel rods along the sides that must be a different kind of wood and gave begun moldingslightly.View attachment 84505 see the rods on the side? Those.

How many red foot tortoises do you have? Only 2?