A few Redfoot ?'s.....

[Linds]

So I FINALLY have my little tortoise! :D I have a few ?'s that I have been unable to find anywhere though. If anyone could shed some light it would be much appreciated :)

1- My tortoise seems to ingest a decent amount of peat moss (I have only caught him actually eating it alone on one occassion, though he ingests some whenever he eats because he drags his food into it -or vice versa..lol :p). What is the risk of impaction with thse guys on such a substrate? Will they digest the peat moss or will it build up and cause a problem?

2- Does their colouration change much with age? Ive noticed my tortoise has brighter red on his head and legs (when hes not covered in peat moss which is rare...lol) than any of the others I have seen in pics of other redfoots his age - alot of the others seem to be have a more yellow or orange hue to them.

3- How do you prevent the beak from getting overgrown? I cannot envision him wearing it down too much eating leafy greens, fruit, and stuff like that......

[Jaylyn]

Hi Lindsay!

He's gorgeous!!

I'm not sure what substrate you have him on ... I keep mine in a sweater box with a base of 40% playsand and 60% peat moss. I then cover this with 1-2" of green spaghnum moss (soak it and squeeze the excess water out) - the sand helps hold the heat and the mosses the moisture (as you know a high humidity is essential). I keep alot of potos and hibiscus in there too - which helps with humidity, but they also munch on it a bit (try to keep them fed with the good stuff- because these have a bad ca:ph ratio).

Most recommend feeding every other day (50-80% fruit, rest greens) to prevent pyramiding. I take mine out - give them a good soak in warm water then feed them out of the enclosure (it's almost impossible to pick out the food out of the moss). That way they usually poop either in the water or while eating - it can be hard to tell in the enclosure. As he approaches a year start to offer a little protein (Mazuri tortoise chow, rehydrated dry catfoood) every two week - this species does require the extra protein (not too much too prevent pyramiding).

The colour on his head and legs may fade a bit. What changes the most is the shell colour - it will lose the yellow pigment.

To prevent beak growth (I wouldn't worry too much now) - feed him on a peice of flat rock or slate - he'll wear it down as he feeds.

Anything I can help you with let me know!!

Congrats!
Jaylyn