Red-footed Tortoise

The scientific name for this tortoise is "Chelonoidis carbonaria." The chelondoidis refers to the genus of turtles that are found in South America and near Ecuador. References for the term carbonaria show a couple of different Latin meanings. One says charcoal, which may refer to the coloring of the animal, or it may have nothing to do with the name. The other is a reference to forests, which is likely to be correct because that is mostly where these animals are found. They get their common name from the red scales on their legs and feet.

They are indigenous to southern Central America and northern parts of South America. They can also be found in the Caribbean, but they taken there - they didn't originate there. They were also taken to islands in the West Indies where they now live normally in the wild. These animals take to the edges of forests and grasslands.

As mentioned, they have unique red markings, particularly on their legs and feet. They usually have markings on their face as well, which may be orange or yellow, or a combination of those. They will typically grow to be around 10-14 inches in length, but some may grow a couple of inches longer. It is not uncommon for adults to weigh 20 pounds or more. Adults have a unique concaved shell - right in the middle, it caves in a little bit. If you were to look at the animal from a top view, you would notice that the shape resembles that of an hourglass.

A very long time. The will live for up to 50 years, so be prepared to take care of your new exotic pet for possibly the rest of your life.

Yes, red-footed tortoises will shed. It is not a big deal like it is for some other animals such as a snake. In fact, you may not really notice the pet is shedding. You might see bits and pieces of dry skin on its head and legs. It will also shed very thin layers of its shell - again, barely noticeable. The animal will do fine on its own and needs not help from you.

Yes, and it's not hard to guess what it is - the shell. That is where they play hide-and-seek to get away from predators. It is very hard for a predator to get to the tortoise when it is tucked inside of its shell.

They are not very active. They will spend time inside their shell, and they will spend time eating; however, some owners say that while their exotics are shy, they are actually somewhat active out of curiosity.

Housing

You need to have an enclosure large enough for your pet to move around and get a little exercise when it feels like doing so. For newborns and youngsters, provide an enclosure that is a couple feet wide and about three feet long. Provide a larger one for an adult - about four feet wide by six feet long - some owners recommend 4X8.

This housing will need to have a warm area and a cooler area. This allows the pet to situate itself where it needs to so it can get its body to the right temperature. A basking area is also need that gets even hotter than the warm end.

Have a large water dish that you can sink down into the substrate. This will provide drinking water and soaking water for the animal.

It is usually recommend to not house them in a tank or aquarium. They need a different kind of housing than other exotic pets. It is common to house them in what is called a tortoise table. This is what one looks like:

That is from an article by Vickie Hale from her article that shows how to make a tortoise table

Some people put smaller ones in large plastic tubs. See the video in the next section to see how those are set up. If you feel you would rather use a tank, watch the video under the first one to see how to set that up.

Some owners house their tortoises outdoors. This is fine as long as the temperature doesn't fall below 60 degrees F. Put a hide in the housing that protects the reptile from inclement weather. Place the housing in an area that gets a good combination of sun and shade. If you live in an area that is normally dry, be sure to mist the housing well every day or turn on lawn sprinklers to get moisture into the enclosure. It is good to have an area in the enclosure that is like a mud puddle. You red foot will enjoy that and it will keep it healthy.

Substrate

The best thing to use for flooring is sand mixed with cypress mulch, peat moss, chemical and fertilizer-free potting soil, or sphagnum moss. These substances help to retain necessary moisture and humidity in the housing. You can also purchase commercially prepared substrate.

Furnishings

Put some items in the enclosure that provide hiding spots for the tortoise. This can be some real or artificial plants. Real ones provide more humidity. You can also make or purchase a covered box for it to go into. Keep moss inside of it to retain moisture. Some pieces of wood are good, too.

Temperature

Keep one area of the housing in the mid to the high 80s F. Keep the cooler end in the low to mid 70s. It can drop to the mid to high 50s at night, as long as the other end remains warm. Create a basking area on the one end (goes from cool, to warm, to basking) that stays around 90 degrees. You can provide that with a basking lamp purchased at a pet store. For the other temperatures, you can use reptile heat pads or heat lamps. Just make sure the lamps are not too close to your camper-shelled buddy.

Humidity

Humidity is more important to a red-footed tortoise than most other kinds. This may be because of the damp, humid forests where they originated. Check the enclosure every day to make sure it is humid. You can mist the substrate and even mist the pet. You don't need to keep the flooring soaked, just moist. Again, you can have one area that is more damp, and maybe even slushy, but not the whole enclosure.

Lighting

It's up for grabs as to whether your exotic pet needs UVB lighting. Experts do not agree on this issue. If you choose to provide it, you can use a low-level UVB/heat combination lamp. Provide a natural day/night cycle by keeping the room of the housing dark for 10-12 hours. If you want to view your pet at night, use a fluorescent light or an infrared lamp.

Feeding

Vegetation is what your exotic pet will eat. These items include fruits, vegetables and flowers. Feed them foods that are calcium rich, such as greens - particularly dandelion greens, endive, escarole and kale. Some greens block calcium absorption, so avoid feeding the pet collard greens, spinach and turnip greens.

Good flowers to feed it include dandelions, hibiscus and nasturtium. Fruit such as kiwi, mango, melon, papayas, peaches, plums, pineapple and strawberries should make up about 25 percent of the diet.

Once in a while, these animals may decide they don't want to eat. If this happens, don't worry about - it will eventually decide to eat again as long as it is healthy.

Feed newborns daily, youngsters three or four times per week, and adults twice per week. It's a good idea to dust their food with a calcium supplement at least a couple times per week.

You can read more about caring for these reptiles by going here: Red-footed Tortoise Fact Sheet

My new store is at:

Jabberwock Reptiles
959 Main St.
Winchester MA
781-729-0135
http://JabberwockReptiles.com