My new RF

[terryo]

Chicken/eggs: I usually used cooked strips I get off the salad bar at the store, but there is no major reason it has to be cooked- just not fried . Eggs are generally offered boiled or lightly scrambled with some shell.

Humidity: There are lots of ways to increase humidity. What is your situation like? A warm room you can humidify? Can you put a tent or something around the pool to trap heat and humidity?

Well, we are planning on building the enclosure next weekend. We just have it humid in the house, we have the humidifier going as well as turning the shower on and letting it run hot every so often, I am also misting him every few hours because his shell looks brittle in between the circles. I plan on bathing him every morning until it looks better. I now have him eating greens, but I don't think he has really eaten at all. I have only had him 2 days now, so I have yet to figure out his schedule. As far as a bath in his home, it's not going to work out so well. I just have to give him a dip every so often.

You mean you're not going to give him any kind of water dish in his enclosure?

 

[Geochelone_Carbonaria]

Welcome !

I have not much more to add apart from what some already had said here; go through Matt's site and you will find most of the answers you're looking for. I would not recommend having that redfoot walking around the house though...

But from the picture, one can see that the shell doesn't look that bad (and I doubt that the tortoise only has been fed frozen food?) since it actually has growthlines already ! And my 2 Swedish krona guess is that it's a Redfoot Cherryhead ?

Good luck

What are growth lines? Can we find out how old he is?

The white lines between the scutes is new shell, it will grow wider, then turn black ish after a while and "add" to the scutes. This is an ongoing procedure, sometime you can see the growthlines more sometimes less.

It is nearly impossible to guess a torts age by its size, since they can grow differently depending all the surrounding parameters in its life.

But one thing you cannot do but many people think, is starting to count the "rings" on the scutes (like you can do with an old tree) and by that number tell how old the tort is. It can perhaps get you an idea, but not more than that.

 

[MrsGREEN]

Chicken/eggs: I usually used cooked strips I get off the salad bar at the store, but there is no major reason it has to be cooked- just not fried . Eggs are generally offered boiled or lightly scrambled with some shell.

Humidity: There are lots of ways to increase humidity. What is your situation like? A warm room you can humidify? Can you put a tent or something around the pool to trap heat and humidity?

Well, we are planning on building the enclosure next weekend. We just have it humid in the house, we have the humidifier going as well as turning the shower on and letting it run hot every so often, I am also misting him every few hours because his shell looks brittle in between the circles. I plan on bathing him every morning until it looks better. I now have him eating greens, but I don't think he has really eaten at all. I have only had him 2 days now, so I have yet to figure out his schedule. As far as a bath in his home, it's not going to work out so well. I just have to give him a dip every so often.

You mean you're not going to give him any kind of water dish in his enclosure?

He didn't have one before we got him, but his new enclosure we are building next week will have a bath. I dip him in water a few times a day and mist him also. I was under the assumption they don't drink water, they absorb it? Please let me know if I'm wrong. I am very new to this and was just given him without ANY instruction or prior knowledge of torts. Also if I put a bath in his home, he would tip it due to his heavy weight and the water wold be lost and his home would need to be cleaned. AND due to the brittle appearance of his shell, I am bathing him in the morning until it looks better.

---

Welcome !

I have not much more to add apart from what some already had said here; go through Matt's site and you will find most of the answers you're looking for. I would not recommend having that redfoot walking around the house though...

But from the picture, one can see that the shell doesn't look that bad (and I doubt that the tortoise only has been fed frozen food?) since it actually has growthlines already ! And my 2 Swedish krona guess is that it's a Redfoot Cherryhead ?

Good luck

What are growth lines? Can we find out how old he is?

The white lines between the scutes is new shell, it will grow wider, then turn black ish after a while and "add" to the scutes. This is an ongoing procedure, sometime you can see the growthlines more sometimes less.

It is nearly impossible to guess a torts age by its size, since they can grow differently depending all the surrounding parameters in its life.

But one thing you cannot do but many people think, is starting to count the "rings" on the scutes (like you can do with an old tree) and by that number tell how old the tort is. It can perhaps get you an idea, but not more than that.

From that I would say he is at least 25 years old. I would assume older, considering the lady has had him for 20 years and we only know she got him when he was young.

 

[jfb2733]

You mean you're not going to give him any kind of water dish in his enclosure?
[/quote]

He didn't have one before we got him, but his new enclosure we are building next week will have a bath. I dip him in water a few times a day and mist him also. I was under the assumption they don't drink water, they absorb it? Please let me know if I'm wrong. I am very new to this and was just given him without ANY instruction or prior knowledge of torts. Also if I put a bath in his home, he would tip it due to his heavy weight and the water wold be lost and his home would need to be cleaned. AND due to the brittle appearance of his shell, I am bathing him in the morning until it looks better.

---

He definatley needs a souce of water in the inclosure. They drink water and if the dish is big enough they will even soak themselvs. Yes they knock it over and spill the water everywhere but if you use a cypress mulch as a substrate it soaks it up and helps raise the humidity in the enclosure. At least that is my own experiance.Hope it helps.

 

[Redstrike]

You mean you're not going to give him any kind of water dish in his enclosure?

He definatley needs a souce of water in the inclosure. They drink water and if the dish is big enough they will even soak themselvs. Yes they knock it over and spill the water everywhere but if you use a cypress mulch as a substrate it soaks it up and helps raise the humidity in the enclosure. At least that is my own experiance.Hope it helps.
[/quote]

TerryO and jfb2733, are on the money - your tortoise absolutely requires a water dish in his enclosure at all times. It's unfortunate that it did not have one in the past, but I'd provide one in order to maintain a healthy tortoise.

A lot of us use and like ceramic potting saucers. They are cheap, easy to clean, hold a good amount of water, and can be set level with the substrate by digging a small depression and filling in around the sides of the saucer(s). Most hardware, greenhouses, and craft stores carry them.

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&ke...rden&hvadid=3067912931&ref=pd_sl_9teqz126i3_b

 

[MrsGREEN]

You mean you're not going to give him any kind of water dish in his enclosure?

He didn't have one before we got him, but his new enclosure we are building next week will have a bath. I dip him in water a few times a day and mist him also. I was under the assumption they don't drink water, they absorb it? Please let me know if I'm wrong. I am very new to this and was just given him without ANY instruction or prior knowledge of torts. Also if I put a bath in his home, he would tip it due to his heavy weight and the water wold be lost and his home would need to be cleaned. AND due to the brittle appearance of his shell, I am bathing him in the morning until it looks better.

---

He definatley needs a souce of water in the inclosure. They drink water and if the dish is big enough they will even soak themselvs. Yes they knock it over and spill the water everywhere but if you use a cypress mulch as a substrate it soaks it up and helps raise the humidity in the enclosure. At least that is my own experiance.Hope it helps.

Oh that's really good to know. I was so shocked they didn't drink. Good to know all these websites people are sending me to have wrong information or at least misleading. He now has a water dish, at least for drinking, not big enough to chill out in, but I am bathing him and dipping throughout the day, so he will be ok. Now, I have no idea how often he should eat. I have his dish with food in there and have noticed a leaf or two missing, but that's about it. I am about to make some hard boiled eggs for his protein, but I am just afraid he won't eat that either. I am changing out the leaves every few hours, so it doesn't seem to be a fresh factor. He is out of his home every few hours because the poor guy keeps wanting out and he can get his little head over the edge of the pool, but then slides down and it looks so uncomfortable, I feel so bad, but I don't know much about him and am scared to keep him out too long. I am letting him out for about an hour 2-3 times a day. Can his bacterias get us sick if he is wandering the house? He (so far) only poops in the tub and pees after he eats. AH! He just drank some water! YAY! Now maybe he'll pee and I can let him out again.