Redfoot and high humidity

[Robber]

Here she is:

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Pretty smooth indeed.

 

[Anyfoot]

Here she is:

Very nice. Do you ever soak him/her?

 

[Robber]

This is the best out of the 3 juveniles I have.

Here is peaches

She looks really good. I think the very high(90%+) humidity level is crucial. Although it is interesting that even when kept too dry, Redfoots do not generally seem to pyramid as badly as Leopards and Sulcatas.

 

[Robber]

Very nice. Do you ever soak him/her?

I have never really soaked 'her' too often beyond the first few weeks when I got her(she was around 100 grams)...her indoor enclosure stays very damp on one end, so it didn't seem too necessary. She has lots of time to dig into the mud outside, too(after the sprinkler runs for a while, the area behind that pot gets very wet).

 

[Pearly]

I'm also still doing a side experiment that's about impossible to prove.
I had a big issue with worms when I got the three Miami tortoises and had to treat all four tortoises from that particular pen. Then to be safe, the other three in another pen. (Round worms and pin worms treated with 3 rounds of Panacur.)
since then at about once every three to six months I toss a little D/E in with some Mazuri as a preventative thinking that it can do no harm...But does it do any good? the last random fecal test showed no eggs, worms, nothing.(I now inspect myself with a second hand high powered microscope)
I appreciate these conversations about Redfoot from members who are also learning as they go.

I know I'm going to sound like amoron now but... I what about DE? I have heard that some people do occasionally add it to food, others avoid it like a plague due to "potential harm on animal guts"... Can you explain about that "food grade" and if it is food grade then how is it supposed to help with worms/bugs? Or should I start the whole new thread on DE to get to the bottom of it?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I know I'm going to sound like amoron now but... I what about DE? I have heard that some people do occasionally add it to food, others avoid it like a plague due to "potential harm on animal guts"... Can you explain about that "food grade" and if it is food grade then how is it supposed to help with worms/bugs? Or should I start the whole new thread on DE to get to the bottom of it?

They are microscopic exoskeletons of dead aquatic creatures named diatoms. They are made of silica. They will cling to the bodies of some insects and rub through the outside of their bodies causing them to dry out and die. It is all pretty hard to imagine. The powder feels just like corn starch and is super fine in consistency. (So fine that it wont even irritate the eyes of larger animals.)
Getting wet causes it to clump. When it clumps, it wont grab onto insects. In the gut, it would be wet, but may work on contact anyway.
Some humans regularly consume it. It's also pretty commonly used in and on dogs.
It's use in food is nothing new. It's still pretty new to me.
And I can't honestly claim that it is working. Just that I have recorded NO eggs or worms of any type in any of my tortoises since I used Panacur to kill them and started with the D/A .
(I also did a one time additional Panacur treatment six months after the initial treatment)

 

[allegraf]

I love this forum! All the torts look good. My adults are varying, from extremely pyramided to baby butt smooth. My adults that are pyramided came that way, likewise the smooth ones were also gotten in that condition. I want to make sure my babies are also off to the best start possible.

 

[Octavious22]

Hey guys I also want to share some pics of my yearling Redfoots. Here are some pics:

 

[Octavious22]

This redfoot is 2 years old hatches April 22 2014

 

[Octavious22]

Hatched April 22 2014

 

[Octavious22]

pretty smooth shell I think

 

[Octavious22]

 

[Octavious22]

This is squirt hatched March 2014

 

[Octavious22]

She is been a slow grower

 

[Octavious22]

This is my lumpy redfoot this one is 18 months old

 

[Octavious22]

 

[Octavious22]

Soaking

 

[Octavious22]

The cherry heads are also smooth, I keep all my tortoises in their outdoor enclosures as much as possible, I only bring them in at night in the summer months and house them indoors in the winter months. I don't feed a lot protein maybe like twice a month I feed shrimp. And I do think that lack of exercise plays a role in pyramiding. I hope they continue to grow smooth though but who knows. I pray that they do lol

 

[Anyfoot]

This is my lumpy redfoot this one is 18 months old

What are you doing to combat this one from getting more lumpy?