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The captain Reptilefreak23 Reptilefreak23 The captain |
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The captain View Profile |
Redfoot torts
cant wait! post your pics! |
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| 07/06/08 09:50am |
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Reptilefreak23 View Profile |
Message To: The captain In reference to Message Id: 1784313 Redfoot torts
(I use to have them, but then got over run with leopards and sulcatas) Do you know their care? if not here is a care sheet Sexingand Characteristics: In males the tail is always longer (can only tell when when tortoise is truly matured). Males also have a habit to fold there tails under their shells, where females usually will not. A females tail will often have a bulge at the base of it. This bulge quickly becomes a skinny tip. This aids them with egg-laying ability. In males there is no bulge or bump, and the size of the tip is not very much smaller than the size at the top. The tip of the males tail tends to be slightly rounded, however the females tail ends in more of a point. Females have a circular or semi-circular vent. Males vent tends to be a vertical slit. Males often have concave plastrons(bottom shell), but some females can also be slightly concave. If the plastron is very concave, the animal is more than likely male. If it is only slightly concave, it is hard to tell. The most obvious one, look for a penis. Look at the animals tail right after you soak them, or when they are urinating. If you see the tip of a pink penis the animal is 99.9% male. There has been cases of tortoises with a penis who have laid viable eggs. Lighting/heating: They require UVB 12 hour cycle and a basking spot of 95-100 degrease (F) with a cool damper side at 60-65 degrease (F). At night temps should remain around 70 degrease (F) with the help of a Under Tank Heater or night heat lamp (usually purplish blue). Humidity: Humidity should remain around 70-80 Substrate: A good substrate for these tortoises is a 50/50 mix of pot soil (no pesticides, magic grow etc...) and play sand with a light layer of tomothy hay over it. HOUSING RED-FOOTS INDOORS HOUSING RED-FOOTS INDOORS: The best form of indoor housing for small or medium sized red-foot Tortoises is a “tortoise table’ To all appearances it looks like a bookshelf unit or two turned onto its back. A good size for a hatchling is 2 feet by 3 feet as the tortoise grows the size of his habitat should increase. For an adult red-foot tortoise the indoor housing should be at least 6 feet by 4 feet at the bottom of its“tortoise table” holes can be cut to allow for the sinking of food , water and eventually nesting containers flush with the surface for easier animal access. Diet: Red Foot tortoises are omnivorous. Precise tastes and requirements may vary seasonally. Attempting to sustain a Red-foot tortoise on a diet of mixed grasses would not be advisable; this species is ill equipped to effectively metabolize large quantities of silica-rich grass. One consequence of the higher protein, higher purine content diet of Red-foot and Yellow-foot tortoises is that they must always have access to fresh drinking and soaking water, and must be provided with adequately humid enclosures or terrariums. Dehydration is a very serious hazard to any tortoise consuming higher protein and purine content foods (mushrooms, for example). It is no coincidence that all species with this class of dietary preference occur in high rainfall, high humidity ecosystems with regular access to free water. In practical terms, both species require high humidity maintenance. As with all tortoises, they also require a high ratio of calcium to phosphorus, additional trace elements and vitamin D3. Sprinkle the food every seven to ten days with Rep-Cal Calcium supplement or Miner-All. Use without vitamin d3 for outdoor specimens and with vitamin d3 for indoor specimens. Red-foot and Yellow-foot tortoises do not bask to the same extent as arid-habitat species, and therefore obtain much of their D3 needs in nature from the animal component of their diet. The Red-Footed Tortoise has excellent color vision. They need dark leafy greens such as dandelions, turnip greens, mustard greens, romaine lettuce, collard and beet greens. Toppings such as alfalfa hay, timothy grass, ryegrass and oats are good for fiber in the Red Foot’s diet. Their diet should be supplemented with protein such as crickets, worms, cooked egg and low calorie cat food or dog food and occasional portions of commercial tortoise foods. These should only be as supplements and not with every feeding. Limit the intake of meats to about once every week. Rinse all grocery store greens and fruits to remove pesticide residues. Mader’s ’Reptile Medicine and Surgery’ (1996), recommends 75% vegetables and greens, 20% fruit, and 5% high-protein-content foods. As with any turtle or tortoise variety is key. Feed your Red-Foot a mix of chopped greens such as romaine lettuce, dandelion, mustard and collard greens sprinkled with fibrous toppings such as alfalfa hay, timothy grass and oats. On every second to third feeding, along with the chopped greens and grasses add some chopped papaya, mango, prickly pair or similar fruits. Fruits are normally consumed in a very ripe state after they have fallen from the tree. Once every 7 days, along with the chopped greens and grasses, add small portions of protein such as chopped worms, crickets, chopped cooked egg or possibly even a commercial tortoise food. The greens, grasses and fruits mentioned above are just examples of a wide variety of foods that your Red-Foot can and will eat. You can substitute comparable foods in most cases. Some suggestions are mushrooms, sow thistle, summer squash, green beans, yams, hibiscus and dandelion flowers and leaves, plumbs, grapes and cantaloupe and berries such as blackberries, strawberries and mulberries. Do not feed bananas. Hatchling tortoises should be fed daily. A diet of chopped greens (kale, endive, mustard, dandelions, etc.) and (once a week) a commercial tortoise diet (15% to 18% protein) should be fed to the tortoises. They should be soaked in shallow lukewarm water every day. Do not keep them on sand. Slightly moist peat moss or moist coconut husk is an ideal substrate that will help elevate humidity. It must be changed regularly to prevent bacteria and mold build up. It is best not to feed the tortoises on the peat moss. They seem to be able to pass the peat moss safely however if eaten in small quantities. If your tortoise is kept warm, fed and watered regularly, and given adequate room it should live for years. Small tortoises can grow about 2 inches per year. If you need any other info, feel free to PM me Good Luck! |
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| 07/06/08 02:47pm |
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Reptilefreak23 View Profile |
Message To: Reptilefreak23 In reference to Message Id: 1784565 Redfoot torts
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| 07/06/08 03:30pm |
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The captain View Profile |
Message To: Reptilefreak23 In reference to Message Id: 1784618 Redfoot torts
i did a bit of research already, thanks! |
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| 07/06/08 04:33pm |
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