Redfoot help

[Elliot redfoot]

Hi everyone,
It's a bit of a long story but I want to give you as much detail as possible , a friend of mine was getting a tortoise and came back with two, I offered to have the other one, she said it was a redfoot and I needed a table top (with light) so I build her a child's sandpit size enclosure , (we have had her since before Christmas) .
She barely comes out, eats a little every few days and seems miserable, I research and find out what she really needs so I cover half her home in purspex and add moss but I can only keep the humidity at 50 ish, so I have now built her a viv with a sensor to keep the temp at around 90 and the humidity is around 70 she has a bowl to bathe in and a seperate one to drink, I have a grape vine growing in there(she can't reach it) as I read this would help with the humidity.
She still doesn't seem happy, she had bad pyramiding but that's a bit better now.(is that due to lack of humidity ?)
She seems fit and well.
She doesn't really eat anything leafy although I have offered her everything she can have, she has eaten boiled egg, chicken, a dead vole she found in the garden and fruit.
So she does eat but just every few days and hides the rest of the time.
I've tried to make everything just right for her but she is so introverted , is that just her ? I'm all out of ideas !

 

[Elliot redfoot]

Can I upload images from my phone?, if so how ?

 

[pfara]

Check out: http://www.tortoiselibrary.com/

Tortoises usually hate change and it takes quite a while for them to get comfortable in their new surroundings. You may just have a very shy redfoot if you have provided the ideal environment and have given him/her time to acclimate.

And welcome to the forum! Keep asking questions. And when you are able to figure out how to post pictures, post many! We love pics

 

[Elliot redfoot]

Well I guess I've been changing her environment all the time I've had her so I'll assume as you didn't correct anything in my post that I've now got it about right and can leave her to settle in, should I just leave her completely to herself till she is ready ?

 

[pfara]

I'd need to know more about your setup. Pictures would help a lot if you figure it out. The enclosure ambient temps should be closer to the mid 80s with a basking spot around 92 or so. Humidity is okay around 70% but over 80% is better until you know he/she is well hydrated. The foods should be less rich; the bulk should be dark leafy greens, weeds, flowers and less fruit and protein.

How large is the viv? How bright is it in there? Did you provide plenty of spots to hide in?

 

[Elliot redfoot]

ok so here are the pics of her new condo, the heat lamp is set on a sensor and you can see the thermometers placement on the back wall and its stable at about 85 ,(I am assuming that far away its about right?) I have offered her every leafy thing she's allowed and she had only had one bite of each then left it, she will on occasion eat a whole dandelion leaf but tried the flowers once and again wont touch them. she has eaten boiled egg on a couple of occasions and a piece of chicken, she has cuttle fish in there and has once eaten that.
I put all sorts of different foods and mostly I throw them away untouched, its like she is eating the barest minimum, I did put two different types of pellet food and a bowl of mealworms just in case that's what she had been used to but again she tried them only once then wouldn't touch them.
if you asked me of the 30 odd different foods I have put in there, what was her favourite, I wouldn't be able to tell you.

she is currently hiding deep under the moss on the right of the viv as you face it, I had to dig her out to get the photo.
when I take her out and put her in a warm bath she will stay in it for a bit then usually eat a tiny bit then she goes back and hides, I tried just leaving her to her own devices but she didn't come out at all ( I smoothed the floor so I would see footprints) for three days.

I currently have the daylight strip on for six hours a day as I read that some don't like too much light and as she is buried for most of the time I didn't think it necessary to have it on for 12 but if you think I should I will change it, its on a timer (comes on at 6.30am)

hope this helps you to steer me in the right direction, and my thanks for your help

Rachel and Mrs Elliot

 

[pfara]

The setup looks good. Honestly I'd just leave her be for a while and let her get accustomed to her enclosure. For the first 8 months that I had my reds, they never really came out of hiding and their food was hardly touched. The only way I knew they were doing fine was their monthly weigh/length check-ups. They had steady growth each month and so I never really worried. They're almost a year and a half now and they're so much more active (I actually see all 4 from time to time daily) and food noticeably disappears. My advice is give it time

 

[Elliot redfoot]

Thanks for that, I can stop fretting now
Rachel

 

[Krabby]

Hi Rachel, I love your set-up. Welcome to the forum. I also have a RF-am a newer owner; this site is wonderful for
all questions.

 

[gingerbee]

Welcome !! I think if I were you I'd leave the light on 12hours. Take her out and soak in warm water for 20 minutes a day. She looks really good and your enclosure is nice!! That's not a coil bulb is it? If so replace asap. It causes eye problems. Someone with more experience will be along soon to help more!! Enjoy your tort!!!