Redfoot owner, first time poster, long time reader

Sandhamwich

New Member
Joined
May 11, 2019
Messages
4
Location (City and/or State)
Richmond, ca
Hi tortoise people!
I'm suuze and I'm raising a red foot in the San Francisco Bay area, California.
I'm a first time tortoise owner.
I took over care of this red foot when my roommate bought it for his daughter and she went to live with her mother and he stopped caring for it.
I've been caring for "Mr. turtle" for a year now. I first found this site when trying to learn why little Mr was doing so poorly. I got heat, light, and proper humidity/substrate worked out by reading things here. Now I'm working on proper diet and I just learned that Mr is actually a Mrs!
I wanted to say hello and thank you for all the knowledge from this group! I think you all saved a life here.IMG_20190511_105641.jpg IMG_20190511_105604.jpg IMG_20190511_105613.jpg
 

jockma

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641
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Hello, I’m also in the Bay Area with my RF!

It looks like Mrs. Turtle might still be too small to definitively sex, so you may have “Mr. Turtle” back in a year or two. Thank you for giving her love and care when she needed it. :)
 

dmmj

The member formerly known as captain awesome
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Salutations
 

Bee62

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Hi and welcome.
Your tortoise and the enclosure are looking very dry. Please soak, soak, soak and keep humidity high in the enclosure ( 85 % ).
The water dish you have is a flipping / drowning hazard. Please get another terracotta plant saucer for your tortoise like you have for food.
 

katieandiggy

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Redfoots need high humidity, you need to soak your tortoise for 30 mins daily in warm water, your substrate needs to be damp too to get the humidity up to around 85+ also Redfoots like to hide amongst plants I would try and add some plants real or fake to your enclosure.
 

Relic

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I wouldn't immediately assume the enclosure is too dry. Examining the second picture I clearly see condensate on the enclosure wall below the surface of the substrate. And the enclosure wall above the substrate level looks to have a fog of condensation on it as well. The surface substrate appears dry, and that is what you want. Unless Suuze has an accurate hygrometer reading below 80%, I would only commend her for a job well done. I would, however, endeavor to get the light and heater closer to the lid to seal off the escaping warm and humid air. Maybe enlarge the holes to the size of the hoods and foil them in place. And some plants would be nice, too.
 

Blackdog1714

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The cypress is good at staying dry on the top. The fog inside looks like the humidity is spot on. Check out the tortoise table for safe to plants to put inside. Hope you are working on the outdoor enclosure they grow so fast! Good luck
 

Sandhamwich

New Member
Joined
May 11, 2019
Messages
4
Location (City and/or State)
Richmond, ca
The cypress is good at staying dry on the top. The fog inside looks like the humidity is spot on. Check out the tortoise table for safe to plants to put inside. Hope you are working on the outdoor enclosure they grow so fast! Good luck

Can you point me in the direction of the tortoise table? I don't know what you mean there. I'm an avid place collector so I probably have some plants around that would be great in there.
 

jsheffield

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Can you point me in the direction of the tortoise table? I don't know what you mean there. I'm an avid place collector so I probably have some plants around that would be great in there.

https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/

The ones I've used with most success in my enclosure are pothos, wandering Jew, mint, and spider plant, but there are many others that can work as well.

Jamie
 

Sandhamwich

New Member
Joined
May 11, 2019
Messages
4
Location (City and/or State)
Richmond, ca
https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/

The ones I've used with most success in my enclosure are pothos, wandering Jew, mint, and spider plant, but there are many others that can work as well.

Jamie
Thank you for pointing in the right direction! It's nice to see that some people are here to help and not just criticize. I've got a spider plant I will add to the tank and I just put an african violet in there tonight. I had 4 of them, so I can share the one. Little tort already started munching on it!

For those that are concerned, I have a hygrometer in my enclosure and it's usually between 70-90% humidity. I usually mist the tank every few days. I took the photos just before misting so you can really see the little duder. I'm currently working on getting a humidifier in there so I don't have to mist all the time.

As for the light and heater, I've found that closing off the space around them makes the tank way too hot. If I leave some space for ventilation it stays in the right temp range. I live in a generally warm moist area so not too much is needed to keep the right conditions.

I thank you all that commented with welcomes and those that gave constructive advice. I've started soaking Mr. Turtle more often. I was doing it once a week, but I upped it to every morning. He doesn't seem to like it much, but I suppose that's just too bad for him. LOL
 

Toddrickfl1

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Thank you for pointing in the right direction! It's nice to see that some people are here to help and not just criticize. I've got a spider plant I will add to the tank and I just put an african violet in there tonight. I had 4 of them, so I can share the one. Little tort already started munching on it!

For those that are concerned, I have a hygrometer in my enclosure and it's usually between 70-90% humidity. I usually mist the tank every few days. I took the photos just before misting so you can really see the little duder. I'm currently working on getting a humidifier in there so I don't have to mist all the time.

As for the light and heater, I've found that closing off the space around them makes the tank way too hot. If I leave some space for ventilation it stays in the right temp range. I live in a generally warm moist area so not too much is needed to keep the right conditions.

I thank you all that commented with welcomes and those that gave constructive advice. I've started soaking Mr. Turtle more often. I was doing it once a week, but I upped it to every morning. He doesn't seem to like it much, but I suppose that's just too bad for him. LOL
You can purchase a thermostat that your heater plugs into that will keep it at the temperature you set it at.
 

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