RED-FOOT TORTOISE CARE 101
Did someone say tortoise?
-W-A-R-N-I-N-G- Keeping a Red-foot Tortoise is very difficult. Each requires constant attention. Here is a crash course in taking care of one of these beautiful creatures.
Red-foots require constant care and are a lifelong commitment. They can live up to 50 years and may grow up to 14 inches (45 centimetres) long. A smaller species known as the Cherry-head grows up to twelve inches long.
Adult with juvenile (Consider the size difference)
A Red-foot requires a glass terrarium. It should be large enough to move comfortably around in (about 55 gallons for a juvenile) with a screen top for ventilation. Be sure to spot clean it daily for tortoise droppings. A hiding spot is required (tortoises like to hide and feel safe) and usually consists of a hollow log. A substrate (bedding) should consist of a three inch lawyer of either cypress bark or coconut fiber. Red foots love to burrow. Red foots require shallow water (no higher than the tail) to drink and soak in. Juveniles should be soaked daily for about ten minutes to avoid dehydration and adults can be soaked every five days. Water should be distilled or treated with a reptile conditioner and changed daily. Food should consist of 80% dark leafy greens that are high in calcium content including kale and collard, as well as vegetables. Spinach and lettuce may leech calcium and should be avoided. Fruits including melons, bananas, grapes and apples should be added to the diet twice a week. Meal worms or crickets (freeze dried or live) must be given about once every two to three weeks. Food should be dusted with a calcium/vitamin supplement once every two days and a multivitamin supplement every three days.
Lighting, Heat and Humidity:
Both a white basking heat light and a UVB/UVA light must be provided. The heat light should not be too hot or intense. The UVB bulb should be for tropical and not for desert reptiles as indicated on the packaging. Red-foots are from South America and receive indirect sunlight. Heat should be maintained between 80 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit with a cool area in the terrarium. Temperatures may go no lower than 70 degrees Fahrenheit at night. A night bulb may be used to maintain heat but is unnecessary otherwise as tortoises are day creatures. Humidity should be maintained between 70% and 80%. Reptile misters and foggers may help to add humidity but are often unreliable, expensive and break easily. They may also cause water to pool in the terrarium. Drippers are inadequate. Waterfalls are known to grow bacteria. An affordable air pump controlled reptile humidifier known as the Tropic Aire can be found if you search carefully (air pump sold separately). Humidity can be increased with sphagnum moss. Reptile hide boxes (plastic moisture chambers) may be constructed for extra humidity. Live tropical plants will help to increase humidity.
A healthy red foot should follow you with its eyes when you go to touch it. Head and shoulders should be held off of the ground. The eyes should be clear, the nostrils should be clean and the tail vent should also be clean.
Watch your tortoise carefully for runny droppings, lack of appetite, weight loss, eye discharge, shell problems such as discoloration or pyramid shapes and wheezing noises.
1. Dr. Wright, veterinarian, Red-foot Tortoise care guide:
http://www.wbeph.com/reptiles/tortoise/dr-wrights-quick-guide-to-redfoot-tortoise-care/
2. Petco Cherry-head Red-foot Tortoise care guide:
http://www.petco.com/caresheets/turtles/Tortoise_CherryHead_Redfoot.pdf
3. Petsmart Red-foot Tortoise care guide:
http://www.mypetsmart.com/care-guides/reptile/red-foot-tortoise/setup-steps.shtml
