Starting from day one (and ideally before you bring your tortoise home to stay) you should already be ready to provide your redfoot with absolutely everything they need to be healthy and happy in a captive setting with you.
The specific products you will need will depend on age of your redfoot as well as the type of habitat setup you select.
For example, in many climates, hatchling tortoises need to live indoors for the first year or so of their life. Hatchlings can also make do with a smaller enclosure because they spend so much of that first year hiding – a wild behavior that life in captivity does not change.
With that being said, the product recommendations you will receive as a part of taking this course are just suggestions of the types of products that work well for redfoot tortoises. You may not need every single product you read about. And you will still need to take the help of your exotic veterinary expert as well as doing your research to determine how best to combine your lighting, heating, humidity, substrate and habitat products to achieve the best result for your individual redfoot’s care.
Here is a sample supplies list you can customize for your own redfoot setup.
Light (Full Spectrum UV A/B Lighting)
- Full-spectrum UVA/B bulb of appropriate strength for the age and size of your tortoise and the size and scope of your indoor enclosure.
- UVA/B measurement tool to monitor UV output.
- If using a mercury vapor bulb, no additional heat source is needed.
- If using another UVA/B bulb type, see next section for heat bulb or heat source ideas.
- If keeping your redfoot tortoise outdoors in an enclosure with ready access to natural sunlight – i.e. no solid roof that blocks the sun, then no UV lighting supplementation should be required.
Heat
- Ceramic heat bulb for spot heating.
- Reptile heat pad for under-habitat spot heating.
- Thermometer to place inside tank to monitor heating throughout enclosure.
- SAFETY NOTE: DO NOT GET a heat rock!! These can burn your tortoise AND cause fires.
Humidity
- Hygrometer to measure humidity level inside your redfoot’s enclosure.
- Mister bottle filled with plain water.
- Humidifier to add mist/steam to the enclosure.
- Moss, repti-carpet and substrate (see below) to hold in humidity.
- Humidity cave or hide where your redfoot can go for more humidity.
Substrate
- Bedding/substrate to line the bottom of your tortoise’s enclosure.
- Moss suitable for holding in humidity and for hiding
- Additional hiding area(s)
- Artificial or tortoise-safe real greenery for ambience and camouflage
- Water dish
- Food dish
Habitat
- Hatchling: plastic tub with solid (not see-through) sides
- Juvenile: plastic tub with solid (not see-through) sides
- Adult: outdoor secure enclosure is best (such as a repurposed rabbit hutch, large feed tub or customized tortoise table)
Diet
- Calcium with D3 powder (to sprinkle on food)
- Turtle Bone (calcium block or cuttle bone)
- Selection of fresh seasonal produce (greens, grasses, herbs, vegetables, fruits)
- Protein (fish, organ meats, cat food, dog food, Mazuri pellets, hard-boiled whole egg)
- Fresh water
Redfoot Tortoise Care 