New red footed tort owner ?help?

[Jessicapinkie1]

Hi my name is Jessica and I signed up today for some help.
I have been doing some research on red footed torts because i wanted one so bad but did not want to get one with no knowledge.
Well one came up on Craigslist and I feel like I rescued her.
I think She is full grown (lady said shes 5 but I have no clue) i need to measure her. She keeps her running around her house freely and some times puts her in a completely empty Ben with red heat light.
Poor baby has been living like this for idk how long. So I went to Walmart got a $10 kitty pool and 3 big bags of top soil dirt. I got on amazon and ordered a 100w heat emiter, 100w basking bulb and another clamp lamp. I also bought Zoo Med Eco Earth Compressed Coconut Fiber Expandable Substrate and a large hiding spot for her, spray water bottle and some other items.
The pool is temp we are going to build her a wood table because she cannot be outside here the ants are bad and there is someone coming to spray on Tuesday. She has watery eyes maybe from not getting any humidity ive only had her for 2 days. I can also hear her breathing she isn't wheezing or anything though.

So I want any advise i can get on getting temps about right ect.
I will go get some thermometer type things on Monday.
I want to help her get to where she needs to be. She looks healthy her shell was real dry n spots though so I did mix oil and water and a rag to try to help her shell.
I know alot of you say not to do this but I didn't know what to do i tried just water first and it did nothing.

What's the best advice you can give?

Please remember I am a beginner with a tortoise and some things i may have questions on. I love her so much already I just want her to be happy and healthy with me and I figured this site was the best place to come.

 

[abclements]

Looks like youre on the right track... the dry shell will go away once you get your tort in a high humidity environment. When you build your table make sure that you make it so everything is completely enclosed. This makes heating and humidity so much easier to control!! I wouldnt put oil on the shell. Its porus and you can clog the pores... it only makes the shell look better but doesnt actually do much for it.. when you get all of your stuff from amazon, set it up to how you think it should work and then take pics. Its really easy to help if we can actually see whats going on.

 

[Jessicapinkie1]

Looks like youre on the right track... the dry shell will go away once you get your tort in a high humidity environment. When you build your table make sure that you make it so everything is completely enclosed. This makes heating and humidity so much easier to control!! I wouldnt put oil on the shell. Its porus and you can clog the pores... it only makes the shell look better but doesnt actually do much for it.. when you get all of your stuff from amazon, set it up to how you think it should work and then take pics. Its really easy to help if we can actually see whats going on.

Awesome thank you so much!!

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome You might also find some helpful info on the tortoiselibrary.com, it one of our members sites.

 

[Jessicapinkie1]

Hello and Welcome You might also find some helpful info on the tortoiselibrary.com, it one of our members sites.

Thank you!

I also wanted to add that I bought a second kitty pool i want to use for planting things for her to eat in. Inside or outside? Pool or? I do live in Texas.
What would be best to grow? I bought a few things but not sure if I should use them so here's my list

Turnips
Parsley
Carrots
Strawberrys (better to grow or plant? I have never planted carrots or strawberrys.

 

[wellington]

I'm not sure about the carrots, but the others sound good. Not sure what you mean by inside outside pool? I would plant some though both inside and out. Also, the site I gave you has a list of food items. You can also look on the tortoisetable.org for other edible plants, etc.

 

[immayo]

My redfoot loves dandelions, you should try some of those!

 

[Jessicapinkie1]

Awesome ill check out the site in a bit.

 

[FLINTUS]

Have you got a UV light?
Diet wise:
In captivity, the basis of a red foot's diet should be 30-40% fruit and 60-70% weeds, veg, salad and flowers. They should also have access to a cuttle fish bone and a calcium supplement such as Nutrobal or Nekton MSA. Every fortnight a form of protein should be provided, often people use low fat, premium dog pellets or boiled chicken.
Good veg and weeds to use: Funghi, rocket, watercress, lambs lettuce, raddichio, carrot(in small quantities), cauliflower heart(small quantities), plantain, hibiscus, opuntia cactus, clover, forget-me-not, dandelion, kale(in limited amounts), escarole, chicory, endive, evening primrose, prickly pear and other cactuses, courgettes, squash and zucchini(although technically a fruit), peppeers(technically a fruit), mallow, cornflowers, thistle, pansies, vetch, bittercress and dead nettle.
Fruit: Lichees, bananas(very little though), strawberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants, blackberries, papaya, mango, lichee, passion fruit, sharon fruit, pear, apple, kiwi,fig, cactus fruit, melon, blackberries,apricot, peach,plum, raspberries and blueberries.
Many people supplement these with pelleted diets. However, I feel as long as the range of food is diverse enough, there is no need for this. If you do use pellets, use them in small quantities and a good brand such as mazuri.
Of course this is just the way I keep mine but it's up to you really.

 

[Logan J]

Instead of cat or dog food go to your local pet store and try a worm about once a week don't get worms from yard they could have parasites


And careful with the fruit it should be given as a treat not the actual part of the meal and avoid things with lots of seeds

 

[theelectraco]

Instead of cat or dog food go to your local pet store and try a worm about once a week don't get worms from yard they could have parasites


And careful with the fruit it should be given as a treat not the actual part of the meal and avoid things with lots of seeds

Red foots require a large amount of fruit in their diet.

 

[Logan J]

But too much can be bad for the bellies I feed mine fruit everyday but it's only like 10% of her diet

 

[theelectraco]

But too much can be bad for the bellies I feed mine fruit everyday but it's only like 10% of her diet

Bad for their bellies how? No you don't want to constantly feed fruits that are super high in sugar, but you do want their diet to be composed of more than 10% fruit.

 

[Logan J]

I guess it really just varies that's what I love about torts they are all so different it's really just seeing how they grow and develop.

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What kind of fruit do you like to use? I'd like to see how my girl does with more fruit

 

[theelectraco]

Mango, papaya, strawberry, apple, melon, pineapple, kiwi, banana on occasion.

 

[Logan J]

I'm going to give it a shot

 

[FLINTUS]

Logan, dog food(and a very high quality and expensive brand at that) was just a suggestion for protein. There are plenty of other sources as well. In the wild, reds would eat 70% fruit in wet season, and 40% in dry. A lot of this is figs, which are very high in sugar.

 

[Jessicapinkie1]

I also wanted to ask if its normal to hear her breathing? She does not wheeze.

 

[Jessicapinkie1]

Looks like youre on the right track... the dry shell will go away once you get your tort in a high humidity environment. When you build your table make sure that you make it so everything is completely enclosed. This makes heating and humidity so much easier to control!! I wouldnt put oil on the shell. Its porus and you can clog the pores... it only makes the shell look better but doesnt actually do much for it.. when you get all of your stuff from amazon, set it up to how you think it should work and then take pics. Its really easy to help if we can actually see whats going on.

Hi I wanted to reply with a pic of what I'm using until i get a box built for her.
The 2 other bulbs and clamp lamp wont be here until Monday.
I will also o get some type of thermometers on Monday.
I need 4 correct?

 

[RosieRedfoot]

Open top wont really keep in humidity so adding like a plastic under bed box over half the pool to up humidity might help. The substrate looks dry, I've found a mix of organic soil and cypress to work well without being too muddy in the wet spots. Does that light have UVB or is it just a basking bulb?

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But your water dish looks nice and easy enough for soaking! Just read your other lights are on the way.

I'd recommend adding more plants for hiding and helping up humidity. My signature has a link to my redfoot tort table