01-11-2007, 03:33 PM | #1 |
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UPDATE w/ new pix: Redfoot indoor habitat and behavior
Hi guys -- I've not posted for a while but I've been checking in. Hope all are well!
So I have a question re: Beasley, my 10 year old female redfoot (captive bred in FL -- I live in Tennessee). I'm experienced and know what I'm doing, but honestly, winter is always a problem for me. Beasley is outside in her awesome 10x30 foot pen from April - early Oct. and is quite happy, but getting the environment right in the winter is not easy. Sometimes I envy you guys w/ hibernators! I need to get new pix of her newly planted indoor pen, but here are the pre-planted ones: It's 4' x 6' and now has 4 nice plants (including one fern that is really nice and droopy, making a great hiding area). She has a little pool. There is a basking light over one of the 4 tubs (temps run 85-90F under the light), and a blue light on the other side (creating another small, warmer area (80F or so). I have a pressure sprayer and I spray the substrate (cypress mulch) 2X a day to keep the humidity up. I don't have a good hygrometer, but given the open top of the pen, it would be hard to keep it REALLY humid all the time. However, it is certainly more humid in spots (microclimates), esp. under the fern where the substrate is always moist from top down 6". Beasley can thermoregulate and choose more or less humid areas. But she's not very active. This is always my experience in the winter, and I feel as if no matter what I do, I can't provide a great environment. The new pen is SO nice, but she's still mostly hanging out in one corner. I get her up in the a.m. and give her a warm soaking, and then she usually eats pretty well, but goes back to her corner. Thoughts on how I can make things better so she'll be more active??? This just drives me crazy!! Oh, and although I usually use a UV (mercury vapor) lamp, I have not put it in this year - -just an incandescent bulb. This b/c I have read that the thinking is that RFs, being more forest dwellers, prefer less light and that the UV lamps may provide too much (and damage their eyes). In the past I have found that using the UV lamp seemed to increase Beasley's activity, so I'm thinking of putting it back in. Opinions??? Thanks! |
01-11-2007, 05:03 PM | #2 | |
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Could you pick up a piece of plexiglass sheeting to cover a good piece of the enclosure to increase humidity? It would definitely hold in the moisture and raise humidity if you could.
As for lighting, why not use one or two of the compact UVB lights out there designed for the forest dwellers? I know the ReptiGlo 5.0 is not as bright as their 10.0 that is designed for desert dwellers. You can get them pretty reasonably here at this site. http://estore.websitepros.com/1861310/Detail.bok?no=168 Quote:
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01-11-2007, 05:07 PM | #3 |
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hi Elizabeth, my red is very inactive at the moment even though temps and humidity are fine!! I am not sure, maybe it is a winter thing? or perhaps we both have very lazy torts
Just lately mine has started to stay in his house for most of the day and he suddenly comes active around 4-5pm has something to eat, crashes around for a couple of hours and then goes back to bed I was also a bit concerned, although he seems ok?? I have also started to turn off my UV a lot earlier, for the same reasons you stated, but this has not made a great deal of difference so it cant be that Anyone else??????
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01-11-2007, 05:15 PM | #4 |
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Take a thermometer and place it on the substrate and take some readings. Do this all around the cage. I'm guessing she is staying in the corner where the basking lamp is? You may need to add a ceramic heat emitter to warm up the area better. RF's don't bask, and you want to keep all the heat sources on one side of the cage to make a proper heat gradient. It also doesn't seem like she is getting any UVB?
If you are able to mount a 4' shoplight above I would recommend getting the ZooMed 48" Reptisun 10.0 bulbs. Search online, you should be able to get them for ~$15 a piece plus shipping, get 2. Pet stores charge $40 per bulb, so don't waste your money. If you can't mount a shoplight, ZooMed makes a CFL Reptisun 10.0 UVB bulb. I'd get 2 and you can put them in clamp lamps. For heat, I'd grab 2 of these: http://www.petsolutions.com/T-Rex-He...C40002053.aspx Mount them on the top left and bottom left corners. This should create a good heat gradient. Test with a thermometer at the substrate level and adjust as needed. Your substrate looks to be some kind of mulch (cypress?). Redfoots believe it or not will burrow and hide and it is important that they can. Try using a mix of 50/50 Coir (Bedabeast, Eco Earth compressed bricks) and Cypress. This will help keep the humidity levels up as well. It's hard to tell from the picture you posted but the water dish looks just big enough for the tortoise to fit in. Get a bigger dish. Humidity is nothing but the amount of water in the air. Having a bigger water dish will increase air humidity. Also you might want to consider forgetting about misting and instead just pour warm water as evenly as possible near the hot end. Then mix with your hands so the substrate is uniformly moist. Just don't over-saturate it, you want it to be moist not waterlogged. Then through the week check on the moisture and add more warm water as needed. |
01-11-2007, 05:26 PM | #5 | ||||
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And as I said, no, she's getting no UVB b/c there is a school of thought that redfoots don't need them. I think I said all this in my orig. post. In the past she has had a mercury vapor UVB lamp, but so far this year I have no added it (b/c of the school of thought previously mentioned). Part of what I am asking is who uses UVB w/ RFs and who does not? Quote:
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01-11-2007, 06:10 PM | #6 | ||||||
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Also the night temps are too low for a redfoot. They shouldn't be lower than 70F! Quote:
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01-11-2007, 06:49 PM | #7 | ||||||
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01-11-2007, 06:58 PM | #8 |
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I think this guy is a nut personally, but his RFs look good and he uses no UVB.
http://www.turtletary.com/redfootcare.htm I am not saying he's right -- I am asking what other RF keepers think about this. It makes some sense to me, and I am investigating. |
01-11-2007, 06:59 PM | #9 |
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sorry but through reading this i cant help thinking tour arguing against yourself, because your asking questions to be answered but arguing against them?????
and about the uv thing, all tortoises need uv for healthy shells, it should be placed on the side of the table, you can provide loads of couverage by plants and hides so they can get away from the uv light. but they still need it,
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01-11-2007, 07:01 PM | #10 |
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Tort71 - Redfoots dont bask?????? Mine does
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