New Adult Redfoot Adjustment Period?

[khaiqha]

Hello all! I got a new 12 inch adult male, 10lb Redfoot on 5/8. I named him Oko and he's been a blast. I'm a little concerned with his shyness because he doesn't seem to be eating much.

He pretty much stays in his hut the whole time. I lift him out once a day for an hour to soak and feed him. Once he's out he's pretty active. He grazes on grass and dandelion, eats a little greens, fruits, pellets.

I havent seen him drink or poop and he only eats a small amount. At what point should I worry about him not eating enough?

He lives in a 10x16ft outdoor enclosure in TX with a heated hut. Day temps range from 70s-90s. Night temps are 60s-70s. His hut runs about 10 degrees hotter.

Humidity is typically ambient 50-60%, I mist the enclosure twice a day, his hut once, and soak him for 10 mins once a day.

I'm assuming he's just shy from having been transported from Florida and is gonna take some time to warm up, just worried he's not eating enough in the meantime. Any advice would be much appreciated!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

They do take time to get acclimated.
Especially with the new, warmer temperatures and the new, lower humidity.
Plant some shady bushes in that enclosure.
Places to hide and cool off out of the sunlight will help. I'd also suggest laying down a few bags of Cypress mulch and getting a garden hose, attaching a sprinkler to it, and letting it rain on the enclosure for a good half hour every other day.
All of this will make it feel like Florida.

 

[khaiqha]

Thanks Zero! Any advice on what type of bushes?

 

[LasTortugasNinja]

Lots of Spider grass. A lot of rainforest species feel exposed when we put them in our enclosures. They have a natural urge to hide, but we want to see them. Spider grass, edible ferns, or other plants that can block out the sun and keep him feeling secure will go a long way to helping the acclimation process move smoothly.

 

[zovick]

Thanks Zero! Any advice on what type of bushes?

My tortoises always liked fountain grass, specifically Pennisetum alopecurides (hameln), which is a dwarf form and gives the tortoises plenty of cover under which to hang out and feel safe, yet you can still find them easily enough under the drooping leaves.

I used to plant this in rows along one or two sides of a rectangular enclosure such as the one in your photo.

Here is a link to what it looks like: https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1...BCAQsKwBKAV6BAgBEAY&biw=1536&bih=723&dpr=1.25

 

[khaiqha]

Thanks everyone, I'll be making a trip to the gardening store this week. He still eats not enough I think but I attribute that to him getting used to everything. I finally watched him eat a big chunk of the hibiscus plant!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

This is a Lyriopi house plant.
I've planted many of these outdoors in my pens.
They aren't technically edible, but my Redfoot have never eaten them.
They cost a whopping $4 each, have very little care requirements, grow into big, fluffy bushes and hold up great to tortoise traffic.

 

[Toddrickfl1]

This is a Lyriopi house plant.
I've planted many of these outdoors in my pens.
They aren't technically edible, but my Redfoot have never eaten them.
They cost a whopping $4 each, have very little care requirements, grow into big, fluffy bushes and hold up great to tortoise traffic.

I've got tons of that growing in my pen. Tortoises aren't interested in eating it but they love hiding underneath it.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I've got tons of that growing in my pen. Tortoises aren't interested in eating it but they love hiding underneath it.View attachment 294248

I love them.
I found "elephant grass" at a nursery, but it's very expensive and would do the same job for me.

 

[Joey Arnetti]

Hello all! I got a new 12 inch adult male, 10lb Redfoot on 5/8. I named him Oko and he's been a blast. I'm a little concerned with his shyness because he doesn't seem to be eating much.

He pretty much stays in his hut the whole time. I lift him out once a day for an hour to soak and feed him. Once he's out he's pretty active. He grazes on grass and dandelion, eats a little greens, fruits, pellets.

I havent seen him drink or poop and he only eats a small amount. At what point should I worry about him not eating enough?

He lives in a 10x16ft outdoor enclosure in TX with a heated hut. Day temps range from 70s-90s. Night temps are 60s-70s. His hut runs about 10 degrees hotter.

Humidity is typically ambient 50-60%, I mist the enclosure twice a day, his hut once, and soak him for 10 mins once a day.

I'm assuming he's just shy from having been transported from Florida and is gonna take some time to warm up, just worried he's not eating enough in the meantime. Any advice would be much appreciated!

View attachment 294019

I have a 6 inch long russian hermian tortoise, when I first got him he was always in his bedroom bit of his indoor enclosure, I talked with the pet store and they asked what watage bulb was I using, it was 150 but I changed it to 100 watts. The girl said try a 75 watt. He now comes out and is more lively, so it was the heat lamp was too hot. Mabyes if a part of the enclosure had a sheet of wood going across a third of the enclosure , therefore your tort may come out more. It could also be stress as torts,dogs, cat, n the such like get stressed when being rehomed, and need to adjust to new surroundings.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I have a 6 inch long russian hermian tortoise, when I first got him he was always in his bedroom bit of his indoor enclosure, I talked with the pet store and they asked what watage bulb was I using, it was 150 but I changed it to 100 watts. The girl said try a 75 watt. He now comes out and is more lively, so it was the heat lamp was too hot. Mabyes if a part of the enclosure had a sheet of wood going across a third of the enclosure , therefore your tort may come out more. It could also be stress as torts,dogs, cat, n the such like get stressed when being rehomed, and need to adjust to new surroundings.

Often, the wattage is far less critical than the type of bulb.
For example, a 100 watt incandescent is different than a 100 watt super desicating Mercury Vapor bulb. (MVB)
A 100 watt LED would produce almost no heat.
Some tortoises are more sensitive to bright lights. Some are more sensitive to heat.
Some of these pet shop bulbs do more harm than good.

 

[khaiqha]

I just added a giant Boston fern to the enclosure today and my tort walked out of his house on his own and checked everything out!

It was the most adorable thing. He stuck his head out of his house, looked at me, then came on out and walked around my legs for a little bit before going back into his house. I think he's starting to warm up.