So my wife brought home a red foot tortoise.

[Kevin223]

Well the title says it all i should have known better than to think that she wouldn't bring anything home from yesterdays reptile convention, she means well but lives in the moment, I know quite a bit about turtles and reptiles, growing up on a river in Florida its hard not to jump in and catch all sorts of critters, but i dont know that much about tortoises. from what ive been gathering on the internet, they are somewhat easy to care for. easier than some of my other pets anyway. but im going to have to build her a cage and im looking for tips on. heating sources. how much is too much heat?, substrates? seems like coco husk shredding s will do.
my other question is about the tortoise itself though shes highly active, doesn't like being in her current cage though ive made it as comfortable as i can at the moment, she keeps trying to escape over the walls, ive been feeling bad about her futile escape attempts and i take her out to let her roam around the room, for the most part she comes back to my foot fumbles her way up and just sits there, i wouldn't think they would be terribly social but, she likes being close to people for some reason, that appears to be contrary from what ive read so far some sites say minimize handling they dont like it and it stresses them out so im just a bit confused on what to do with that. to let her cuddle up against me or not?
so basically any info you guys have learned from personal experience with tortoises would be greatly appreciated.

 

[crimson_lotus]

Hello and welcome! Red Foots are fairly easy to take care of once you set them up. They require high temp, high humidity environments and frequent soaks weekly. How large is the tortoise, and what is he/she being kept in now?

Here is a great site with information on how to care for them:

http://www.tortoiselibrary.com/species-information-2/chelonoidis/

For substrate I use coco coir as it retains water well and keeps the humidity up. I would highly recommend a closed chamber as you will need the humidity and temperatures to stay in the enclosure. Depending on your location, it would be best to have an outdoor set-up, at least for some parts of the year when it is warm enough.

They typically need about 80 degree temperatures and 80-90% humidity. Any lower temperatures in a high humidity environment will make them sick, so you really have to monitor them. Greens take up a large amount of their diet (70%), but they also need smaller fruit and protein sources as well, but less frequently.

As for your taking your tortoise outside of their enclosure, I would not recommend it. They are basically interested in eating anything and everything they see as a potential food source, whether it be a paper clip on your rug, a piece of food you accidentally dropped on the ground, a wire, etc. It can get pretty dangerous for them.

I used to let my tortoise wander around until I noticed that all she ever did was search for a hiding place. I realized she was actually terrified in being let out, so I stopped. I also realized it's freezing on the floor, which was probably very uncomfortable for her. From personal experience, I would advise against letting your tortoise roam around your house. Ultimately if the tortoise does not have enough space to roam around, a larger enclosure is the best thing you could do for them.

 

[TortsNTurtles]

Welcome!

 

[leigti]

Welcome to the forum. Pictures pictures! We love pictures around here. Maybe your tortoise seems more social because it was handled a lot as a baby. I think that would definitely make a difference. Plus people are warm so maybe she is trying to stay warm.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Seeking warmth would be my guess.
Check out the enclosures sections and the sections on redfoots on the site. for enclosures it's always bigger is better, they need a lot of room. If you take over the area of half the living room your wife can hardly complain, can she?!
Coca coir is a good substrate.
Good luck and welcome to the forum, don't hesitate if you have any questions, but photos always help the guys and girls give the best advice

 

[tortdad]

Welcome

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Kevin, and welcome to the Forum

As was said above, there's a wealth of redfooted tortoise info a the Tortoise Library

 

[christinaland128]

welcome from Dr. Bubbles!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

You're from Florida? Are you currently in Florida? If so, I may have some items/ideas to help you out.

 

[Chenderson]

Good luck with your redfoot! Did your wife get anything else at the convention such as substrate, food pellets, heating, vivarium? or just the tort? It may be worth posting everything you currently have, so people can give you advice for quick changes. e.g. Food pellets are generally advised against, and can be addictive.

 

[bouaboua]

Hello and Welcome to the forum! ! ! !

 

[Jacqui]

lol give your wife a high five for me! Sounds like another tortoise person is in the making.