New Texas 12 inch red footed tortoise mom needs help!

[Max2]

I am a new mom to a 12in long red footed tortoise (max)who we already love.... He needed a new home so we welcomed him. He has an outdoor habitat that I have constructed and he chooses to sleep under our shed rather than anywhere I've put together for him as well as refuses to eat greens. Loves bananas , few bites of mango and watermelon. I have pellets,alfalfa hay and all the organic greens in the produce department as well as vitamin C and D supplements. I'm worried that he will become malnourished as well as if his habitat has all he needs. He is older which worries me even more. He comes inside the house gets around very well I need help??? All suggestions welcome.

 

[Golden Greek Tortoise 567]

Welcome! Redfoots love fruit, unlike most torts, their digestive systems can handle the sugar it can make up 50% of their diet. Grocery store foods don’t have much nutrition, but you can use some stuff for protein. Sorry to tell you this, but your redfoot should not run around in your house. It’s too cold for torts, and they often eat things and become impacted. Another downside is splayed leg syndrome, which happens when they walk around on hard smooth surfaces for periods of time. This is our care sheet, read carefully.

Redfoot Tortoise Care Sheet

NOTE: I do not keep redfoots, and I only have one tortoise in total. With this in mind, remember that I am in no way an expert, and this should not be used as cold hard proof of how to raise a redfoot. I used information from great keepers on this forum to put everything together. This care...

www.tortoiseforum.org

 

[Toddrickfl1]

Welcome from a fellow Redfoot keeper, and congrats on your new buddy. Redfoots are awesome! You don't have to worry about him getting malnourished. There's so much they can eat. Also he's going to find all kinds of little critters to snack on outside like, snails, worms, etc. If you give them a choice though, they're always going to go for fruit over greens. I'd recommend getting some of the original Mazuri formula. If you have trouble finding some send me a PM. They LOVE the Mazuri and you can wet it and turn it into a mash. This is what I do. I take all kinds of different foods. Some my tortoise won't normally eat. Then I chop it up and mix it thoroughly with some Mazuri mash. This way your Tortoise can't pick thru it. @Kapidolo Farms has a great variety of dried food items that are great for doing this too. I recommend checking them out.

 

[Minority2]

I like morphing pellets and regular tortoise food into giant half spheres (the bottom stays flat so it's keep stable in the middle of the feeding dish) by squeezing and molding them while wearing plastic gloves. I find that the tortoise makes less of a mess this way because they don't have to constantly reposition themselves while eating from the dish. That lowers the amount of turning and repositioning they generally tend to do when food is often offered in a open spread sort of way.

 

[Max2]

Welcome! Redfoots love fruit, unlike most torts, their digestive systems can handle the sugar it can make up 50% of their diet. Grocery store foods don’t have much nutrition, but you can use some stuff for protein. Sorry to tell you this, but your redfoot should not run around in your house. It’s too cold for torts, and they often eat things and become impacted. Another downside is splayed leg syndrome, which happens when they walk around on hard smooth surfaces for periods of time. This is our care sheet, read carefully.

Redfoot Tortoise Care Sheet

NOTE: I do not keep redfoots, and I only have one tortoise in total. With this in mind, remember that I am in no way an expert, and this should not be used as cold hard proof of how to raise a redfoot. I used information from great keepers on this forum to put everything together. This care...

www.tortoiseforum.org

Thank you so very much! Great info

 

[Max2]

Welcome from a fellow Redfoot keeper, and congrats on your new buddy. Redfoots are awesome! You don't have to worry about him getting malnourished. There's so much they can eat. Also he's going to find all kinds of little critters to snack on outside like, snails, worms, etc. If you give them a choice though, they're always going to go for fruit over greens. I'd recommend getting some of the original Mazuri formula. If you have trouble finding some send me a PM. They LOVE the Mazuri and you can wet it and turn it into a mash. This is what I do. I take all kinds of different foods. Some my tortoise won't normally eat. Then I chop it up and mix it thoroughly with some Mazuri mash. This way your Tortoise can't pick thru it. @Kapidolo Farms has a great variety of dried food items that are great for doing this too. I recommend checking them out. View attachment 303758View attachment 303759

Thank you so very much! Going to try this.

 

[Max2]

Welcome from a fellow Redfoot keeper, and congrats on your new buddy. Redfoots are awesome! You don't have to worry about him getting malnourished. There's so much they can eat. Also he's going to find all kinds of little critters to snack on outside like, snails, worms, etc. If you give them a choice though, they're always going to go for fruit over greens. I'd recommend getting some of the original Mazuri formula. If you have trouble finding some send me a PM. They LOVE the Mazuri and you can wet it and turn it into a mash. This is what I do. I take all kinds of different foods. Some my tortoise won't normally eat. Then I chop it up and mix it thoroughly with some Mazuri mash. This way your Tortoise can't pick thru it. @Kapidolo Farms has a great variety of dried food items that are great for doing this too. I recommend checking them out. View attachment 303758View attachment 303759

Thanks so much! Great information.

 

[Max2]

Welcome! Redfoots love fruit, unlike most torts, their digestive systems can handle the sugar it can make up 50% of their diet. Grocery store foods don’t have much nutrition, but you can use some stuff for protein. Sorry to tell you this, but your redfoot should not run around in your house. It’s too cold for torts, and they often eat things and become impacted. Another downside is splayed leg syndrome, which happens when they walk around on hard smooth surfaces for periods of time. This is our care sheet, read carefully.

Redfoot Tortoise Care Sheet

NOTE: I do not keep redfoots, and I only have one tortoise in total. With this in mind, remember that I am in no way an expert, and this should not be used as cold hard proof of how to raise a redfoot. I used information from great keepers on this forum to put everything together. This care...

www.tortoiseforum.org

tinformation.

 

[Max2]

tinformation.

Thanks so much!

 

[Max2]

I like morphing pellets and regular tortoise food into giant half spheres (the bottom stays flat so it's keep stable in the middle of the feeding dish) by squeezing and molding them while wearing plastic gloves. I find that the tortoise makes less of a mess this way because they don't have to constantly reposition themselves while eating from the dish. That lowers the amount of turning and repositioning they generally tend to do when food is often offered in a open spread sort of way.

Thanks! Love the information

 

[Max2]

tinformation.

Welcome from a fellow Redfoot keeper, and congrats on your new buddy. Redfoots are awesome! You don't have to worry about him getting malnourished. There's so much they can eat. Also he's going to find all kinds of little critters to snack on outside like, snails, worms, etc. If you give them a choice though, they're always going to go for fruit over greens. I'd recommend getting some of the original Mazuri formula. If you have trouble finding some send me a PM. They LOVE the Mazuri and you can wet it and turn it into a mash. This is what I do. I take all kinds of different foods. Some my tortoise won't normally eat. Then I chop it up and mix it thoroughly with some Mazuri mash. This way your Tortoise can't pick thru it. @Kapidolo Farms has a great variety of dried food items that are great for doing this too. I recommend checking them out. View attachment 303758View attachment 303759

Thanks so much!

 

[Max2]

Welcome from a fellow Redfoot keeper, and congrats on your new buddy. Redfoots are awesome! You don't have to worry about him getting malnourished. There's so much they can eat. Also he's going to find all kinds of little critters to snack on outside like, snails, worms, etc. If you give them a choice though, they're always going to go for fruit over greens. I'd recommend getting some of the original Mazuri formula. If you have trouble finding some send me a PM. They LOVE the Mazuri and you can wet it and turn it into a mash. This is what I do. I take all kinds of different foods. Some my tortoise won't normally eat. Then I chop it up and mix it thoroughly with some Mazuri mash. This way your Tortoise can't pick thru it. @Kapidolo Farms has a great variety of dried food items that are great for doing this too. I recommend checking them out. View attachment 303758View attachment 303759

I have the mazuri ...never thought of wetting it. Had him 2 weeks and so worried I'll doo something wrong. He's very active though so I'm not doing too bad. Thanks so much. I'll sleep better tonight?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

You've been given good advice.
Whatever those vitamin supplements are...I would get rid of them.
They're not at all needed and could cause some sort of vitamin toxicity.
Varied diet is the key.
And your Redfoot needs and wants shade. That's why he's hiding under your shed.
Also, let him have access to a water sprinkler on a garden hose.
They love the "rain".

 

[Max2]

You've been given good advice.
Whatever those vitamin supplements are...I would get rid of them.
They're not at all needed and could cause some sort of vitamin toxicity.
Varied diet is the key.
And your Redfoot needs and wants shade. That's why he's hiding under your shed.
Also, let him have access to a water sprinkler on a garden hose.
They love the "rain".

I have vitamin c and d3 powder. I do spray him with a shower from the hose twice a day for as long as he wants and he loves it. Soak him every other day and have 2 water sources at each end of his habitat. He is such a pleasure. I also take him out in the yard in the evening and he explores evetyhing. Thank you so much. I really appreciate your advice. I can sleep better for sure and relax a bit. ?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I have vitamin c and d3 powder. I do spray him with a shower from the hose twice a day for as long as he wants and he loves it. Soak him every other day and have 2 water sources at each end of his habitat. He is such a pleasure. I also take him out in the yard in the evening and he explores evetyhing. Thank you so much. I really appreciate your advice. I can sleep better for sure and relax a bit. ?

With a varied diet and ample exposure to UVB. You can be 100% certain that your adult RF does not need powder or supplements of any type.
Maybe offer some CUTTLEBONE (The kind used for birds)
Just place a few out in the enclosure. They might get eaten or they might lay there for weeks.
My Redfoot have a nibble whenever they feel like it. Right now, they eat them within 24 hours.

 

[shellcior]

I am a new mom to a 12in long red footed tortoise (max)who we already love.... He needed a new home so we welcomed him. He has an outdoor habitat that I have constructed and he chooses to sleep under our shed rather than anywhere I've put together for him as well as refuses to eat greens. Loves bananas , few bites of mango and watermelon. I have pellets,alfalfa hay and all the organic greens in the produce department as well as vitamin C and D supplements. I'm worried that he will become malnourished as well as if his habitat has all he needs. He is older which worries me even more. He comes inside the house gets around very well I need help??? All suggestions welcome.

View attachment 303728View attachment 303729View attachment 303730View attachment 303731View attachment 303733View attachment 303734

Welcome to the forum! I'm not far from Alvin. I'm in Cypress! Mind spend a lot of time in the shade during the summer so I have LOTS of shady spots and I have a heated building for winter that has a barrier which separates the Redfoots from Tank the Sulcata. Enjoy! You will love having him around.

 

[Lwilliams]

I like morphing pellets and regular tortoise food into giant half spheres (the bottom stays flat so it's keep stable in the middle of the feeding dish) by squeezing and molding them while wearing plastic gloves. I find that the tortoise makes less of a mess this way because they don't have to constantly reposition themselves while eating from the dish. That lowers the amount of turning and repositioning they generally tend to do when food is often offered in a open spread sort of way.

Can you provide a photo of how you morph it into a sphere?

 

[William Lee Kohler]

Having just gotten some new tortoises and want to do whatever good I could get them to eat tried Mazuri 5M21 formula and toadstools among other things and decided to try these on my redfoots. Two of my 3 love the toadstools and and Mazuri! HALLELUJAH! I feed the white ones but maybe they'll eat the brown ones too. That's 8 or 9 of my 12 that will eat toadstools but only the 2 redfoots like the Mazuri(so far).

 

[Max2]

Welcome from a fellow Redfoot keeper, and congrats on your new buddy. Redfoots are awesome! You don't have to worry about him getting malnourished. There's so much they can eat. Also he's going to find all kinds of little critters to snack on outside like, snails, worms, etc. If you give them a choice though, they're always going to go for fruit over greens. I'd recommend getting some of the original Mazuri formula. If you have trouble finding some send me a PM. They LOVE the Mazuri and you can wet it and turn it into a mash. This is what I do. I take all kinds of different foods. Some my tortoise won't normally eat. Then I chop it up and mix it thoroughly with some Mazuri mash. This way your Tortoise can't pick thru it. @Kapidolo Farms has a great variety of dried food items that are great for doing this too. I recommend checking them out. View attachment 303758View attachment 303759

Did this!! It worked!! He ate and drank out of his water bowl today. I'm so thrilled and relieved! Thank you...Thank you ...Thank you!

 

[Max2]

Welcome from a fellow Redfoot keeper, and congrats on your new buddy. Redfoots are awesome! You don't have to worry about him getting malnourished. There's so much they can eat. Also he's going to find all kinds of little critters to snack on outside like, snails, worms, etc. If you give them a choice though, they're always going to go for fruit over greens. I'd recommend getting some of the original Mazuri formula. If you have trouble finding some send me a PM. They LOVE the Mazuri and you can wet it and turn it into a mash. This is what I do. I take all kinds of different foods. Some my tortoise won't normally eat. Then I chop it up and mix it thoroughly with some Mazuri mash. This way your Tortoise can't pick thru it. @Kapidolo Farms has a great variety of dried food items that are great for doing this too. I recommend checking them out. View attachment 303758View attachment 303759

I did this and he's eating like a champ! Full of energy. Thank you so much!