The Fish Room
Red Foot Tortoise Care
CHOOSING YOUR RED FOOT TORTOISE
The Red-Footed Tortoise is native to South America and is known for its bright yellow, orange, and red markings.
They are curious, outgoing, and courageous!
This tortoise makes an excellent pet because of their unique personalities and ease of care.
However, if you do decide to adopt this pet, you are making a lifelong commitment. They can live for 50 to 90 years in captivity and require very large outdoor pens.
COMMON HEALTH PROBLEMS
Red-footed tortoises can be prone to respiratory infections if they are kept in cool or wet enclosures. This is evident if the tortoise has a bubbly nose or raspy breathing or makes a gurgling sound as it breathes. In the early stages, it can sometimes be corrected by raising temperatures and lowering humidity for a week or two, but if it gets to the point of bubbling or foaming at the mouth or nose, a vet should be consulted.
HOUSING
50-gallon plastic or glass tanks are recommended for hatchlings and juveniles. Once your tortoise starts to approach their adult size (after six years) it will need much more room to roam. A 30 to 40 square feet indoor or outdoor pen should be constructed.
Rocks and driftwood should be included for tortoises to climb over.
Live nontoxic plants can also be included but should be potted because they will destroy them otherwise.
These tortoises do best in outside pens with a wire roof and walls 2 feet tall that go at least six inches below ground.
The walls of the enclosure need to be sturdy otherwise they will escape.
Tank Type: outdoor pen.
Tank Size: 6ft x 6ft minimum.
Lighting: UVB required.
Substrate: cypress mulch
Their nighttime temperature should be between 70 and 75 degrees. Never let the temperature drop below 70°F because they will be at risk of hypothermia.
Red-Footed Tortoises need humidity between 50% and 70%. If a moist dig box is provided, they can regulate their own humidity. Another good way to increase humidity is to include various mosses.
Because these tortoises like to dig, a sphagnum moss, cypress bark, or orchid bark substrate is a good balance of burrow-ability and humidity retention.
Naturalistic substrates are preferred as absorb moisture very well.
LIGHTING
If your tortoise is kept in an outdoor enclosure, they will obtain UVB from the sun. If they are kept indoors, you must provide a 10% fluorescent UVB lightbulb. The lightbulb should be between 24 inches away from the enclosure and changed yearly.
Tortoises need exposure to UVB light to process calcium.
The daytime enclosure temperature should be between 80 and 85 degrees, and they will also need a designated basking spot over 90 degrees.
A basking bulb should be used for the basking spot.
If the temperature drops below 80°F in the daytime use a ceramic heater. Be careful not to use anything your tortoise can burn themselves on.
*PLEASE DO EXTENSIVE RESEARCH PRIOR TO OWNING A RED FOOT TORTOISE
FEEDING
They usually graze on greens every day but only need animal protein once a week. Lean meat or cat food can be used for animal protein but should only be fed in one-ounce servings weekly. If you are unable to find cat food you can use boiled chicken, earthworms, slugs, or snails.
Red-Footed Tortoises forage for their meals and will often stuff themselves before taking an extended rest.
A good rule to follow when preparing their food is:
60% greens
30% fruits
10% vegetables
Generally, the number of greens you feed should equal their body-size.
Feed them daily at the same time each morning.
Each tortoise has a different appetite so you will need to adjust their diet based on how much they eat. To prevent obesity, remove any food left after one hour of eating.
They are not very picky eaters and eat a wide variety of foods.
The only supplement they need is a calcium powder sprinkled on their greens once or twice a week.
Finally, tortoises need a large shallow water dish or small pond for soaking and drinking. They tend to defecate while soaking, so it is important to change the water daily to prevent bacteria from building up.
They love tropical fruits such as bananas, mangos, and papayas, but you can also feed them apples, pears, pineapples, and plums.
Good vegetables to add to their diet include squash, pumpkin, and carrots.
The best greens for tortoises include turnip greens, collard greens, dandelion greens, kale, and cabbage.
Iceberg lettuce should be avoided as it has very little nutritional value.