The RedFoot Tortoise

Helping educate current and potential owners of Redfoot tortoises on their husbandry, so they can have a healthy, active tortoise and the tortoise can express its normal behavior and live a long, healthy life.

About Me

Connect

twitterfacebookgplusyoutubepinterest

Powered by Genesis

Your Redfoot Tortoise Pens and Diet Is Probably Wrong

July 31, 2013 by Ernie J 10 Comments

When it comes to the Redfoot tortoise one of the biggest mistakes people have come to believe is they live in open savannah areas in the wild. Most of this comes from a few observations by well known and reputable scientists.

I’m going to turn this thinking on its head by pointing out some basic, but critically important topographic and geologic Redfoot tortoise facts, that will help you create the right indoor and outdoor enclosures and diet so your Redfoot tortoise lives a long, healthy life.

I’m going to use my adult Redfoot’s and where their parents (mine are captive bred) are from as the example. The origin country of my adults is Guyana, a country on the northeastern coast of South America.

The Topography of The Redfoot Tortoise Native Environment

The overall topography of Guyana, as you can see from this graphic, is roughly 85% dense Tropical forest.

Guyana_Vegatation MapSavannah areas make up about 10-15% of the country.

So, with 85% of the country of Guyana covered in dense tropical forest where do you think 85% or more of all the wild Redfoot tortoises in Guyana live?

You got it – in dense tropical forest.
It’s much easier to observe those few tortoises who wander out into the 10-15% of the open areas looking for food than to find the multitude who stay in the dense forest, where getting around for people is more difficult and dangerous.

If you look at the topography of all the countries where the Redfoot tortoise is a native species, they all have 70+% of the country covered in dense tropical forest. Guyana is not an outlier.

Another important fact to consider is the narrow temperature band in all these countries where a 70-90 degree range over the year is typical, with a humidity range virtually the same at 70-90%.

These countries have two seasons – wet and dry.

Another important, and obvious, but overlooked fact is the color of the Redfoot carapace. It’s navy, dark brown or almost black. So, with a narrow temperature range and a very dark carapace what need would the Redfoot tortoise have to bask in the sun like a Russian or Greek?

The dark carapace would warm them up very quickly (because dark colors absorb heat) as well as overheat them just as quickly in bright sunshine.

All of the arid species of tortoises who live in areas with very little ground cover, lots of sunshine, and a wide temperature range have lighter colored carapaces. It’s because light colors reflect heat.

Redfoot tortoises live their entire life where the need to warm up to a “normal operating temperature” isn’t necessary because it doesn’t get cool enough to lower their internal temperature where it would impede normal operation.

These are Forest tortoises, like there close relative the Yellowfoot (who spend their entire life in the forest), not arid area tortoises.

Now, understanding this has implications to the housing you need to provide for your Redfoot tortoise, as well as their diet.

First, for indoor and outdoor Redfoot tortoise enclosures setting up a pen like one a Russian, Greek, or Hermann’s would thrive in (open, lots of sunshine, and a hide) is not what these tortoises need and is all too often what I see in YouTube videos and on Facebook pages.

In that type of setup keeping the temperature between 70 and 90 degrees let alone the humidity between 70 and 90% is extremely difficult unless you soak it down 5-6 times a day.

Your Redfoot enclosures, be they indoor or outdoor, should mimic their natural habitat and have 70-75% of the pen area covered in plants. Plastic ones work best for indoor pens because they don’t get eaten and you can find plenty of them at your local Goodwill for pennies on the dollar.

Here’s an excellent example of an outdoor enclosure for 1 year to 6 year old Redfoot’s.  It’s from a customer of ours in the greater San Antonio, Texas area.

Redfoot Tortoise Enclosure

One or two simple 20-40 watt LED bulb that puts out no heat and will last for years, along with one or two 100 watt heat emitters is perfect for a 4 foot by 8 foot indoor Redfoot enclosure.

The heat emitters help simulate the warmth of the forest were temperatures only fluctuate 5-10 degrees year round.

Cover the top of the pen with Plexiglas sheets supported by wood beams and you have a simple way to not only keep the temperature 70-90 degrees year round, but by misting once a day also keep the humidity at 60-80% as well.

That’s been my exact set-up for my now adult Redfoot’s for many years.

For outdoor pens large hosta plants work well for cover as most Redfoot’s won’t eat the leaves, even though they’re perfectly fine as a food item. Hibiscus plants are another perfect cover item in outdoor pens if you live in an area where they can live outside year round. Their leaves and flowers are also a fantastic tortoise food item.

The Redfoot Diet and the Geology of Their Native Habitat

A critical piece to understanding the diet of the Redfoot vs. Russian’s, Greek’s and Hermann’s is the underlying geologic structure of the Mediterranean (the natural environment of Russian’s, Greek’s and Hermann’s) which is a gigantic limestone bed. In all the areas where arid species of tortoises are native, limestone is the major mineral of the underlayment. This results in native plant species (the major dietary component of arid torts) having a very high calcium content and why tortoises in those areas developed and thrived in the first place.

Contrast that with the underlying geologic structure of southern Central America and northern South America, (the native range of the Redfoot tortoise), which has only small, discontinuous pockets of limestone in the underlayment.

Since the plant species and fruit trees of this area don’t have any significant calcium concentration, how do Redfoot’s get calcium?

They get it through their consumption of animal protein and mammal feces. Redfoot’s are omnivorous. They fill roughly the same ecological niche as the Eastern Box turtle of this country, so their respective diets have very similar components- insects, carrion, fruit, mushrooms, etc.

The Redfoot tortoise gets its calcium by consuming carrion, insects, and mammal feces. All three of those items have both calcium and vitamin D3. D3 is the mechanism that allows calcium to be processed by the body. They don’t process via sunshine on the skin, which is the mechanism used by arid tortoise species – and humans.

I have never had a UVB bulb for my now 12+ year old captive bred adult Redfoot’s and they are perfectly healthy with solid shells, have only the smallest bit of stacking, and have produced over 25 healthy, perfectly normal hatchlings the last three years.

You can see them below.

Female
Female Redfoot Tortoise

 

 

 

 

 

Male

Male Redfoot Tortoise

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If what I’ve laid out above wasn’t true, they wouldn’t be as healthy as they are and certainly couldn’t produce healthy, normal hatchlings.

You can see all of the 2011 and 2012 hatchlings on the Currently Available page.

So, when you consider getting a Redfoot or have one and think the enclosure you have is the right one, consider the above and do your tortoise and yourself a favor by mimicking their natural environment and diet and enjoy a healthy, long term pet.

Filed Under: Redfoot Care Tagged With: Redfoot Tortoise

Young Redfoot Tortoises Video Of The RIGHT Pen

June 18, 2013 by Ernie J 1 Comment

I see far too many people who’ve recently acquired a hatchling or yearling Redfoot tortoise with a pen or enclosure more suited to a Russian or Greek than Redfoot tortoises.

Redfoot tortoises come from a completely different natural environment than arid tort species and if that natural environment isn’t replicated successfully your Redfoot will end up with any number of health problems – and your wallet will be much lighter.

In the wild Redfoot Tortoises are forest dwellers and until they reach 6 inches in size they hide in the forest floor and spend very little time in open areas. At 6 inches they’ve outgrown all but one of their major predators – the Jaguar.

In captivity, until they reach 3 inches or so, you’re not going to have a very interactive tortoise. Until they reach 3-4 inches they have a very strong need for safety and safety to them means hiding under leaves or any material that completely covers them.

The pen or enclosure for a 3 month to 3 year old Redfoot should be dimly lit, warm, damp, and with 70% of the surface of the pen covered with plastic plants, an easily accessible water bowl, and materials that provide numerous hiding places.

One 40 watt bulb is fine for a 3 foot by 5 foot enclosed pen – and that’s exactly what I’ve used or years with no issue what so ever. Add in 2, 60-100 watt heat emitter bulbs and you’ll easily have a consistent 75-90 degree temperature year round.

A substrate of top soil with the surface covered in sphagnum moss, plastic plants, and various sight breaks sprayed down twice a day (or if you setup a misting system to automatically run 4-5 times a day) and you’ll have consistent 75-90% humidity.

That temperature and humidity range is what your Redfoot needs to be healthy and grow at a normal rate.

Redfoot tortoises don’t require a UVB bulb, which is a must for arid species. Their ability to process calcium comes from their omnivorous diet where they consume carrion, beetles, worms, and slugs, not from the vitamin D3 reaction with calcium that UVB rays does for arid species.

Butterworms are an excellent protein source for young Redfoot’s because they are high in calcium along with protein. You can purchase Butterworms from Carolina Pet Supply.

Below are some pictures of our hatchling to 2 year old enclosure. It’s 3 x 5 feet in size and enclosed with clear plexiglass.

Small ½ inch holes on the end pieces provide the necessary airflow through the pen.

The light is a 40 watt LED that puts out no heat. They’re $10 at Home Depot and will last for years.

FWIW, there are 19, 6 month to 2 year old Redfoot’s in this habitat right now. Can you find them all? 🙂

Redfoot Tortoises Indoor Habitat-1

Indoor Redfoot Tortoise Enclosure-2

Indoor Redfoot Habitat-3

Filed Under: Redfoot Care Tagged With: Redfoot Tortoise

Redfoot Tortoise Hatchling Care Tutorial

March 6, 2013 by Ernie J 1 Comment

Redfoot tortoise hatchling care, and by this I mean up to an age of 3-4 months, isn’t consistent across the web.

My wife and I created a basic tutorial on what you should be doing on an every other day basis for your new Redfoot(s).

This video assumes you already have the proper enclosure or habitat for your hatchling setup and know what you should be feeding them – the 60% fruit – 40% greens diet at this age.   No low fat cat food until they’re 6 months old.

Feel free to leave any comments along with any other ideas on videos you’d like to see on these wonderful torts.

You can find my other videos here:

Redfoot Tortoise

Filed Under: Redfoot Care Tagged With: Redfoot Tortoise

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3

Search the Site

Redfoot Tortoise Information

  • Currently Available Redfoot's
  • Redfoot Breeding
  • Redfoot Care
  • Redfoot Diet
  • Tortoises In The News
  • Uncategorized

Recent Posts

  • Available 2018 F2 Redfoot’s
  • Extinct Redfoot Relative Found!
  • Redfoot Tortoises Are Smarter Than You Think
  • Redfoot and Yellowfoot Tortoise Video Care and Husbandry Course
  • Redfoot Tortoise Diet – Cactus Pads