Redfoot issues.

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Pesky Fly

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I have a small redfoot tortoise. I have had him for 5 moths now. He is getting all the right foods, fresh veggies and fruits, as well as a tort. food. I feed him in his cage and give him a platter (Large plate) full of veggies, fruits, and tort. food. It stays good for 3 days and then I replace it with a new platter. I keep his cage as humid as I can (70% or so) by misting and adding water twice a day. He has a heat lamp that keeps the hot side at 80F to 90F. I take him out for a soak once a week but he has access to water 24/7. His tank has a humid hide and live plants (not harmful). Now for my problem, he has not been eating well for a week or so. He eats, but only eats his tort. food and really has no interest in it. Also his shell is showing signs of raised edges, or pyramiding (Add Evil Music) He is other wise healthy, he moves, clear eyes, active, pooping, ETC. I think his lack of apappetites caused by lack of stimulation, A.K.A- He is bored. I am buying a "Friend" for him in a week of so. A yellow or red foot around his size. But I would like to have some ideas why his shell is pyramiding. I think it may be his diet and an taking steps to address it. Is there anything else you can think of, or if you saw something odd in my routine please tell me! Oh, and I rub his shell with a "Special" turtle shell cream' weekly to keep it healthy.

One last question, his shell appears to be growing wrong. It is growing in a more downward direction than a flared. He also has a small ridge where his shell begins to slope down. I would add a pic. but it does not show any of his issues. I cant seem to get the right angle to show them, if I get one soon I will add it.

Please help Turds....
 

egyptiandan

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Hi,
Are you supplementing with a calcium supplement? What are your night time temperatures? Are you feeding any live food or animal protein?
You need to have a 6 month quarantine period before you can add a new animal to your Redfoots enclosure. So that won't help.
We need to know a bit more about your set-up (pictures would be great) to tell whats going on.
Also Redfoots don't like bright lights, so a ceramic heat emitter might be a better choice than your bulb.

Danny
 

Isa

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Hello
You should stop rubbing his shell with the cream, those stuff are not really good for the tortoise shells. I wash the shell of my tortoise once in a while with a sponge and water. Do you have any pics of your little one :D
 

Yvonne G

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Pesky Fly said:
I feed him in his cage and give him a platter (Large plate) full of veggies, fruits, and tort. food. It stays good for 3 days and then I replace it with a new platter.

You should be providing fresh food either every day or every other day. If the tortoise isn't finishing what you give him in one feeding, you are giving him too much. Feed him only what he will eat at one time, and place the food station on the opposite end of the habitat from the sleeping place, so he has to walk and exercise. If he takes a few bites then goes away, after a bit put him back in front of the food. Continue to do this until he has eaten what you have placed there for him, but don't give him too much. Try to imagine what the food looks like all crushed up and only give him what looks like would fit in his stomach. Sometimes they get overwhelmed by the amount of food and give up.

Yvonne
 

Pesky Fly

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Ok, his Night time temp never falls below 70F. I use the supplement when I feed him cat food (2 to 3 times a month). I don't use a quartine with my tort. as I buy from one supplier and he is great. He is in a 20 gal. long tank with a mixed bedding. He has moss in his hide. I will add pic's hang on.....
 

Yvonne G

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Pesky Fly said:
. He is in a 20 gal. long tank with a mixed bedding.

A 20 gallon long aquarium/vivarium is barely big enough for one BABY tortoise. If you plan to add another tortoise you will need to get a bigger habitat.

Yvonne
 

Pesky Fly

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I will be getting a larger tank for the new guy and him. A 30 or 40 gal. long if I can find one. He really does not move around his tank a lot, he digs a hole in the ground and sits in it and thats about it. I feed every 3 days as, he will not eat every day, I have tried feeding every day then everyother day, but he has little intrest in it. I am getting the images now, I will have them in a sec.

Here is the link to the images, there are a lot. The one I feel shows the bump on his rump is DSC00333. Sorry for the titles I just wanted to get them on there. BY THE WAY- Anything that starts in tort. is old so it is not worth looking at.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29035709@N08/?saved=1
 

Kristina

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A 30 or 40 gallon long aquarium is not suitable for two tortoises. Aquariums period are not suitable for tortoises.

Your best bet would be a 50 gallon Rubbermaid christmas tree storage box. Right now is a great time to get one on sale, I saw them at a local store for $15.99 and I am getting another one this weekend for emergencies.

That is still really pushing it for two torts.

Not moving is NOT a good sign. Just because he doesn't move much, it doesn't mean you can skimp on housing, it means you need to figure out why he isn't eating or moving and fix it. I recommend doing this before getting another tortoise.


Kristina
 

Pesky Fly

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I have fixed the "NO AQUARIUMS" issue by placing paper around the cage and using a "Flap" of paper on one side so I can close it or open it. It now works just like a rubbermaid but looks a whole lot better. I did not "Skimp" on housing I went by what the breeder and people on this site told me. They informed me that a 20 gal. long is enough room for a hatchling to yearling tort, but would soon be too small. He (the tort) gets lots of time outside his home, so it is fine for now. To the best of my knowledge a 40 gal. LONG Aquarium *with my improvements* is suitable for 2 small redfoots. I have come to accept that I will need a larger cage as they grow. This is not an issue. A wooden one will be built when that time comes, but for the moment due to my circumstances an Aquarium is perfered over a rubbermaid. As for the "not moving" part, I think I know what is wrong (Thanks to redfoots.com). I am making MAJOR improvements in his environment and care. Including but not limited to, instaling an automatic water sprayer (OMG have you seen the price of the things!!!-XD), whole new diet (Waves "Good Bye" to my money), and a new layout of his cage (Oww my back). I think this will solve my problems. I agree on the "new tort", and will hold off on him until I fix Turds's issues....this may take a while.

-Thanks Everyone



~Pesky~
 

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Hi Pesky,

That is a beautiful redfoot you have!!!

Actually I like the older 'tort' pics because it's darker! And I suspect the "ambient" humidity is low also. My main concern is the feeding. The pics show almost 'rapid' growth.. or a growth 'spirt' [ the white between the scutes ].

Saying that you have "all the right" anything and still having issues isn't helping us help you. That would be like me saying I know how to maintain a Greek tortoise and know what is right ----- NOT!!! Torts from totally different HEMISPHERES. If I were to keep Greeks I would ask for pics from a breeder that has at least 3-4 year old hatchlings raised by their caresheet - F2 hatchlings w/pics of their parents would be ideal. And I would follow their caresheet to the "T"!

Caring for redfoot tortoises is not difficult.. just different than virtually every other tortoise in the world. And caring for them is the same as any tort,etc. Like baking a cake.. if you expect a "perfect" cake you have to follow the proven recipe.. precisely.

It's good to hear that you've followed our caresheet on Redfoots.com. I'm putting together even more docs of results.. http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-5476.html

Any Q?'s at all.. be sure to ask.

Be sure and keep us posted...

NERD
 

Kristina

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Pesky Fly said:
I have fixed the "NO AQUARIUMS" issue by placing paper around the cage and using a "Flap" of paper on one side so I can close it or open it. It now works just like a rubbermaid but looks a whole lot better.


~Pesky~

The visability is not the only issue with glass aquariums, though. The glass holds way more heat than other materials, and that cuts down on air flow, and prevents a proper temperature gradient. It may look better, but it is not better for the tortoise.

Kristina
 

Jacqui

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Pesky, have you checked out the beautiful aquarium home that TerryO has for her little redfoot, Pio (or is it Poi? I am so bad with names. :rolleyes:). It shows how you can indeed make a wonderful home for a redfoot out of an aquarium. Course if you moved up to a 40 gal breeder tank now, it would be a lot easier.
 

Madkins007

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1. The diet needs work. It should polish off a pile of food about the size of its head every day. Leaving food in the tank adds to the smells, draws flies, and allows the tortoise to ingest molds and so on. Fresh food in proper portions, please.

2. Poor appetite is a bad sign. I wonder what the real temps are on ground level- it somehow looks and sounds a bit cool to me- but it might also be too hot or dry- which is why thermometers and humidity gauges are such a good idea.

3. Power misting systems are really cool, but you can do good humidity a lot cheaper than that. You should be able to get a 'warm mist vaporizer' (NOT an ultrasonic unit) and use some simple flexible tubing to direct the mist into the habitat, and run it off a simple timer for under $30. There are several other options as well. (Note- ANY unit that pressurizes water and all ultrasonic units tend to cool the water down by several degrees- sometimes this is not a big deal, sometimes it makes for very clammy habitats.)

4. Like Terry pointed out, the white lines between scutes does indicate some rapid growth- probably die mostly to the large servings. Someone earlier had posted that their tortoise was not eating, and it turned out he was massively overfeeding it, and not noticing the rather small amounts it did eat. Please practice portion control.

5. I am not as worried about the aquarium as some people, as long as there is plenty of fresh air and a visual barrier for the tortoise. Sure they loose heat quickly, but the thin plastic of most tubs is not a lot better. Tubs do not allow gentle bottom warmth from heat pads, but glass does not allow you to drill air holes, etc. Glass is also heavier and more expensive, but allows you to present the tortoise more beautifully.

6. The whole 'bigger and bigger' tanks bits can get expensive quickly. I think it makes more sense to have a habitat for young'uns and another for 'big'uns' without a bunch of houses in the middle. These guys REALLY do not like change.
 
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