New redfoot

[Cherbear]

Hi, I bought a redfoot this past weekend at a petstore. I was a little concerned because the next day after having him/her I noticed her eyes starting to water, although it is clear. She seems to be eating pretty good, but not as aggressively as my other torts. I have her on repti bark, have a hide and correct lighting.

Basically my questions are should I be worried about the watery eyes? How old would you guess her to be? Shell length is 4 inches long. What is her sex? What kind of red foot is she? Thanks

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n31/cherbear71/Redfoot001.jpg
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n31/cherbear71/Redfoot002.jpg
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n31/cherbear71/Redfoot003.jpg

 

[HarleyK]

very colorful....I would try to increase the humidity levels although it looks like the substrate is pretty moist. Do not be afraid to directly mist the tort...mine really likes that! welcome to the boards.

 

[Itort]

She (?) is an approx 3 to 4 years old northern RF. The watery eyes are probably attributed to the conditions she was kept in in petshop (usually too dry) and will likely clear up with a humid enviornment. Try putting moist sphagrum moss in the hide and a large enough (1.5 x shell length) soaking/wading pool. She will become an aggressive eating machine with time (my juveniles will out eat my adults pound for pound).

 

[HarleyK]

Also....what kind of lights are you using? Some tort keepers had bad experiences with those spiral cfl lights.....

 

[rubes]

very nice!! mine is about the same sizetoo. I noticed some white spots in the last picture, maybe fungus?

 

[Cherbear]

Thanks for the quick responses. I really appreciate it. The kind of light I use is the one thats a tube. I'm glad to hear that the watery eyes should clear up. I'll keep her humitity up. I didn't even realize there were white spots, so I went out to check on her and the spots look to be old dried up spots. I'll keep watching that. Should I soak her every day for a while to make sure she gets rehydrated?

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Cherbear:

Welcome to the forum!!

 

[terryo]

Hi and welcome. My Cherry Head was 19 months old when he was 4 3/4 inches. He's three years now and a little over 6 1/2 in.
When they look like they're crying, it is most likely low humidity. You can up your humidity by putting in some plants.

 

[Madkins007]

Hi, I bought a redfoot this past weekend at a petstore. I was a little concerned because the next day after having him/her I noticed her eyes starting to water, although it is clear. She seems to be eating pretty good, but not as aggressively as my other torts. I have her on repti bark, have a hide and correct lighting.

Basically my questions are should I be worried about the watery eyes? How old would you guess her to be? Shell length is 4 inches long. What is her sex? What kind of red foot is she? Thanks

What other kinds of torts do you have? While there are many similarities in tort care, there are differences you should be aware of.

Watering eyes are a sign of dehydration. Increasing humidity or moisture often helps. Part of this will depend on where in the US you are- drier climate or more humid climate.

Eating? A healthy Red-foot is a pig. Get things right and it will eat pretty much everything.

It appears to be about 3-4 years old as a guess, definitely a Red-foot from the northern part of the range, probably east of Venezuela. It looks like a girl, but it is too young and small to really tell yet.

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Should I soak her every day for a while to make sure she gets rehydrated?

There is debate as to whether soaks actually do much. Mist the shell, boost the humidity, and try some other tricks first.

I've posted an article on my Tortoise Library site that may help- https://sites.google.com/site/tortoiselibrary/red-foots/red-foot-care[hr]

Should I soak her every day for a while to make sure she gets rehydrated?

There is debate as to whether soaks actually do much. Mist the shell, boost the humidity, and try some other tricks first.

I've posted an article on my Tortoise Library site that may help- https://sites.google.com/site/tortoiselibrary/red-foots/red-foot-care

 

[Cherbear]

I have two herman's tortoises. Yeah they eat like there's no tomorrow. I love to watch them eat.

I live in Ohio, so humidity is good in the summer, but it gets pretty dry in my house during the winter. I have painted turtles also and I have to add lots of water due to evaporation during the winter.

 

[Madkins007]

I have two herman's tortoises. Yeah they eat like there's no tomorrow. I love to watch them eat.

I live in Ohio, so humidity is good in the summer, but it gets pretty dry in my house during the winter. I have painted turtles also and I have to add lots of water due to evaporation during the winter.

If you keep the Red-foots close to the Sliders, their humidity will help the torts.

 

[Cherbear]

Oh good. I guess I picked a pretty good spot, cause they are in the same room next to each other!