Hey Bob.. While there are no "official" supspecies.. there are some variations across the locales in both color and size. That said, some adults are around 10" long, others grow to around 16 or 17". The males are considerably larger then the females.



As for age, no one really knows.. there are some WC redfoots in captivity right now that are thought to be close to the century mark.. but most people tend to think 50 years for this species.





As for care, the only hard thing w/ torts is they need alot of space. For redfoots, as adults, it is recommended to have an outdoor pin if possible for at least part of the year.. and inside have a pin atleast 4'x6' per tortoise.



For the little guys (like in the pics) I keep them in a baby pool - I have one inside for them, and then a large wooden box outside (10'x10') for them to roam in.



They will dig a bit.. so you need the pin to either have a bottom, or extend below the surface.



As for temps and humidity.. they share the same habitat as the brb's do. They like it soggy, humid and warm. I keep a basking spot for them at around 85-88.. and keep the ambient air temp in the high 70's. I have two humid hide boxes, one is about 85 degrees.. the other stays about 75-78.. they are almost always in the warmer of the two though. Humid hides are very very important for them - much like brb's, you really cannot get them to wet or humid.



Food.. they love their fruits and veggies. I feed the mazuri tort diet 3-5 times a week (just randomly) along with fruits and veggies. The rest of the time, I give just greens and maybe a little fruit.



They can have any of the leafy greens (dandelion, mustard, collard, clover, endive etc). But stay away from spinache and lettuces.

They love their fruits.. strawberries, mango, watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes, apples, papaya, occassionaly some banana.. Stay away from tomato (if you call it a fruit, if not, move this to the next group), also avoid citrus fruits (oranges, lemons etc).

They will also eat alot of veggies - corn, carrots, squash, zuccini, etc.. )



They have a ton of personality.. one was following me around the yard this afternoon. They will come when you call them.. and don't mind being handled and will even allow you to pet them. Once they get older, they enjoy having their throats and chins rubbed (makes em drool like crazy).



As for light.. they are like most other torts. I have a UVB light on them and a heat lamp for temps. There is a huge arguement in the tort world on if the UVB is required.. but one thing is for sure, it won't hurt.. so I figured why not.. it is also benificial to let them get outside in the sun if you can..



Other then that.. being from swampy, humid forrest, and edge/transition areas.. they like water.. so keep a large shallow water bowl for them to get in. For the smaller ones, I use a 14" serving platter (plastic one from GFC) and the larger ones you can use the biggest drip pans for flower pots, or something similar. Mine soak from time to time.. but I will put them in the water bowl and mist them heavily during the times that the humidity is lower in the room I keep them in.



Because they eat several times a week, they are a bit more maintanence then snakes, but they aren't bad. I feed mine fresh fruit and greens, along with spot cleaning and changing the water bowl out and making sure the hides are damp.. all together, maybe 5 minutes a day required.



>>How big do they get?

>>Like all my pets I would keep them until the good Lord takes them from me so how how long is their life span?

>>Where do they live?

>>any other special requirements like lights or something?

>>

>>Bob
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