New here, and to the tortoise world!

[marilynann93]

Hey everyone. I wanted to just introduce myself, and my new Red Foot Tortoise! I am very excited and nervous for this adventure. I have read so much on what to do and not to do I am more confused then when I started. Right now my RF is in a rubbermaid tub with a tube uvb light and a heat light to keep the temp around 85 on the hot side. I have been having trouble with the humidity it ranges from 50-80%. I brought her(not really sure if its a her) home yesterday and she spent hours just sitting in her water I don't know if its normal. She also has not really eaten a lot so I am worried. I know they need a period to adjust but I just want to be sure.

I live in the central Florida area so when she is bigger(only about 4 inches long now) I will build her an outdoor area at the place I work(Summer camp) I just think she is too small now. I just want to be doing things right. Any input it helpful!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Marilyn and welcome to the Forum!

RF tortoises like it a bit on the humid side. There's some pretty good RF reading at the Tortoise Library

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome

 

[diamondbp]

welcome to TFO! Glad to have you

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello Marilynann welcome to the TFO from AZ. Good luck with the RF tort . How's your weather in Florida ?

 

[marilynann93]

Weather has been in the 60s and raining. All I can seem to get her to eat so far is romain lettuce. Where she came from I don't think she was kept at the right conditions and she spends almost all of her time in her water bowl. I don't know if she was dehydrated or what.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Marilyn:

If you don't provide romaine, she can't eat it. Feeding romaine every day gets the tortoise in a habit...like feeding your kid candy all the time. They don't need romaine to live, and if he won't eat for a couple days because he's holding out for the romaine, you just have to be stronger than he is, and hold out longer. Buy a bag of Spring Mix and pick out a lot of the spinach. They usually go for Spring Mix pretty good.

 

[marilynann93]

I guess I need to hold out. I bought the spring mix and it wouldn't eat it yesterday so I started to worry and offered the romain today and she ate it with no hesitation. I will try the spring mix tomorrow.

 

[Barista5261]

Hello and welcome, fellow Central Floridian! [SMILING FACE WITH OPEN MOUTH][TURTLE]

 

[Instinct]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[[email protected]]

Welcome to The Fourm and the proud owners of Tortoises land xx


From Chlöe Essex,England

 

[FLINTUS]

Mushrooms are never rejected. Also try overripe fruits such as papaya and figs.

 

[bouaboua]

Hello and welcome. Very good to have you here. This is a great place to be for a Tortoise Lover!!

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

It looks to me it's a baby RF if it is cut the food a lot smaller about 1/4 inch squares and Evan 4-5 little squares of romain if you want that way it will smell the romain and start eating it all

 

[FLINTUS]

Oh forgot to mention the following:
While humidity is too low as Yvonne said below, so are the temps. The warm spot should be above 90, and the ambient between 80-85.
Also, what UV light is it? What %?

 

[marilynann93]

I have the repti glow 5.0 it said for tropical it is the tube kind not the compact. It is eating a lot better now, I think it just needed time to get used to the new home I think. The temp and humidity has gotten under control the temp under the spot light is around 90 and rest stays around 85-87.