All tortoise….all the time!

Here is my new RF boy I picked up from the folks at Reptile Eats. He is 9″ SCL. I will weigh him later today.

Ive picked out a few names for him but havent decided on one.

So far….
Rico
Remi
Rocco
Rudy

The other two are Rayna and River.

Here are a few pics of the Redfoots setup when I got them in. Last night I moved the large female to a 6ft long, 70 gallon sheep stock tank by herself and the smaller one was moved into a 2×3 concrete mixing tub so I will post pics of them after I take some new ones this evening maybe. I have a new male coming in for the bigger girl so I wanted to get her a bigger setup ready for when he was ready to go in with her after a quarantine period. I also wanted to try and get a fecal sample from the smaller one since it doesnt seem to be gaining weight but eats like a horse.

This setup below is made up of a 50 gallon polystyrene sheep stock tank, the sheep tanks have much lower sides then regular cattle stock tanks do. I love the polystyrene, they are MUCH MUCH lighter than traditional metal or hard rubber stock tanks. Substrate consists of coco bedding with a cypress and sand base. The dark end of the tank is filled with long strand Sphagnum Moss, which can be found at most Home Depot, Lowe’s or local garden centers. I use the Mosser Lee brand. I wet down the entire substrate really good before the torts were ever placed in there. The moss is misted daily and once a week I check the substrate and add water if its getting too dry. On one end of the tank I put crushed oyster shell. I use this because if the tort consumes it while eating (food never stays on the terra cotta saucer used for feeding!) it will not harm them and actually has beneficial calcium. I see mine grazing on it occasionally even though there is a cuttlebone in the enclosure for them. I cover the opposite end of the tank away from the fluorescent lamp to give them a dark area. The fluorescent lamp is aimed at the opposite end so the light doesnt shine back into the dark end. They have a choice to be out in the light or back in their warm and humid hide area. They use every inch of the tank, constantly exploring. The torts are given a wide, shallow water bowl that they can easily walk in and out of. This water is changed daily because they do get it very messy. I will post pics of the new setups over the weekend. I must also mention that all of my torts are housed in my snake room, which is kept at an ambient room temp of 82-85 at all times, thus not requiring me to supplement the Redfoots heat with a ceramic heat emitter. If your room temps are below 80 you will need to supplement heat with a ceramic heat emitter or basking heat bulb.

I am starting to compile diets for all of the tortoise species that I keep so that I can publish them to help others. Here is a good Redfoot diet, remember they are omnivores and do require both plant and animal materials as part of a varied diet. Mix it up, dont feed the same thing day in and day out.

GREENS
The following greens are easily found in most local stores:

Romaine lettuce (occasional)
Red and green leaf lettuce (occasional)
Curly Endive
Escarole
Radicchio
Turnip greens
Mustard greens
Collard greens
Spring Mix
Cabbage (only occasionally)
Chicory

VEGETABLES

Zucchini
Winter squash
Pumpkin
Yellow squash
Carrots
Green Beans (only occasionally)

FRUIT

Strawberries
Cantaloupe
Plum
Pineapple
Blackberries
Blueberries
Cactus fruit (pads and fruit)
Papaya
Mango
Apples (remove seeds)
Bananas (only as a treat once or twice per month)

OTHER GOOD CHOICES (always make sure no systemic pesticides were used)

Hosta
Sedum
Mulberry leaves
Hen and Chicks
Ice Plants
Hibiscus (flowers and leaves)
Prickly pear flowers, fruit and pads (burn the spines off)
Dandelion
Cornflowers Plagiobothrys ssp
Forsythia (flowers and leaves)
Dayflower Commelina diffusa (flowers and leaves)
California Poppy
Plantain (not the banana type fruit….the weed plantago major)
Mallow (flowers and leaves)
Henbit
Rose (flowers and leaves)
Chrysanthemum flowers
Grape leaves

hawks bit

mulberry leaves and fruit

thistle

nasturtiums

wild rose flower and hips

MEAT OPTIONS
pinky mice
boiled chicken
shrimp
organ meat
boiled eggs

They will feed on various bugs when housed outdoors during the warm months as well.

Avoid Spinach, Bok Choy and Iceberg lettuce, Rhubard, beet greens.

I will be adding to this as I find more and more suitable foods for Redfoot Tortoises.