Rawlo.. My 1st redfoot

[stuntdouble]

I picked up a red foot about 3 days ago and have noticed a few things and just had a few quick questions. 1st i noticed he seems to almost pump his arms and head in diff variances. Sometimes only his arms sometimes just his head and usually the most common is both. Also, he stays in his hideout all day, if i pull him out he will eat and then go back to his hideout. Is this normal? I have a 50 gallon tank for him with a screen top. The humidity will not stabalize and I was curious if I were to add more substrate could this solve my issue. Humidity stays around 45 or so, I was shooting for like 70 if poss. Temps are perfect however. I also notice some pyramiding in his back central shell, How do I make sure it stops and doesnt get any worse because other then that he is very smooth i would like to keep him this way. Thanks! -Matthew

 

[LindaF]

Congratulations on getting a red foot! He is still getting used to you and his new home, so hiding is normal. I used to have mine in a tank. It will be impossible to keep humidity up unless you at least partially cover it.

 

[dmarcus]

Hello Matthew and welcome to the forum.

The arm and head movements you describe is normal and they tend to do it more when they are nervous. My 5 year old Sulcata still does that and I have had him since he was a one month old hatchling.

What type of substrate are you using?

Also, they will hide a lot when they are not use to there environment so just give it a little time to adjust..

 

[stuntdouble]

Thats what I figured, what should I cover with to avoid fire from these hot bulbs. Its always in the back of my mind when i'm not home. Going to take some getting used to I guess. I've seen humidifiers online does anyone know if the are worth having or not, I just know that humidity can play a big role in his health!

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome.

 

[dmarcus]

Thats what I figured, what should I cover with to avoid fire from these hot bulbs. Its always in the back of my mind when i'm not home. Going to take some getting used to I guess. I've seen humidifiers online does anyone know if the are worth having or not, I just know that humidity can play a big role in his health!

You can try plexi glass, I used that when I had my hatchling in a glass aquarium and I was better able to control the humidity.

 

[ascott]

Congrats! I do not house these beautiful tortoise but I do recall reading that some will use foil on the top to close in some to allow the humidity to increase to a stable number....also, may I just mention that the screens you purchase at the pet store shield out some of the uv rays needed, so there should not be that type of barrier between the uv rays and the tortoise (you can use a lamp stand or make a screen out of the really small thick chicken wire stuff ...you can cut it to size then double it back on itself for strength (this is what I do for my RESs)

Do you plan on taking your tortoise out for some natural sun? This would, in my opinion, aid in the shell concern as well as hey seem to enjoy the natural sun (with ample shade to escape to when too warm)

 

[stuntdouble]

Hey dalano and thank you, I am using a mixture of coconut fiber and cypress bark. It was only one bag of the cypress bark so I was thinking if I used more it would hold more moisture in theory. I also notice from the lights it does seem to dry out quickly, I have been spraying in the tank 2-3 times daily.

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I do have a pen in my yard alredy cleared out I just need to landscape it for the little guy. We got him sorta unexpectedly so it just hasnt been completed yet. After this weekend I'll post some pics!

 

[dmarcus]

I use coco coir and I have to constantly mist it also, I know a few members use a zoo med repti fogger to help with humidity and I'm sure it helps keep the substrate moist. I was going to get on but all my torts are outside 24/7 right now because we have been having great weather. Might buy one when winter rolls around and the smaller ones are brought inside.

 

[stuntdouble]

I use coco coir and I have to constantly mist it also, I know a few members use a zoo med repti fogger to help with humidity and I'm sure it helps keep the substrate moist. I was going to get on but all my torts are outside 24/7 right now because we have been having great weather. Might buy one when winter rolls around and the smaller ones are brought inside.

Yeah, I am also hesitant to take him outside yet due to the fact that I have been trying to handle him as little as possible so he can learn to be comfy. I cant wait to see him do his thing outside though for sure. I'm on the coast too so we get lucky to see 85-90 degrees. Should be moving to the valley shortly though so then he'll be outside alot then too. What level does your humidity level hang around?

 

[dmarcus]

It stay's mostly around the 75-80% range since I added the plexi glass cover, but I have seen it jump to 95-100% when I added water to substrate. When that happens I just remove the cover for a little while and all goes back to normal.

 

[albert]

I use glass lids on mine (80g glass tank). I had braces cut for the sides and center and siliconed strips of glass underneath to form a ledge to hold glass lids. The UV Megarays light is clamped to to the left brace and the light stays inside the tank with glass lids on top. It keeps the humidity in very well but it sometimes gets a little too hot (over 90 F in the shade) so I have to slide one of the lids off part ways at times. There is a large dish for him to soak in as well as a water dish. There is a spider plant to keep up the humidity and to munch on in between meals. Right now he really likes dandelion leaves and mushrooms as well as strawberries. I also use coconut fibre as a substrate and he keeps it moist by spilling his soaking dish. I also mist him a couple of times a day, just to make sure he is not getting too dry.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Mathew:

Welcome to the forum!!