Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i am looking to get a redfoot or two, but want to know some things first. i know that they are tropical and need more humidity than sulcatas and leopards, but how much more? I have kept tropical reptiles such as anoles, tree frogs, and dart frogs, Is it similar to them? What are some setups that work well? Also, what kind of diet should they be on? i have read that they require more animal protein. does anybody have any comments on that? what works, what doesn't? any help is appreciated. thanks.

They do like it more humid than the desert types. About how you would keep an anole should be good. The high humidity you keep the dart frogs may be a bit much for them.

They are mostly vegetarian, but do eat protein as well, which is typical of forest dwellers who eat plants growing on mineral- deficient soil. They like green leafy plants, vegies like squash and grated carrots as well as fruit. For protein, you could give them crickets or mealworns if they will eat them. Some will, some won't. Leftover chicken or turkey, stuff like that. Just give the protein foods to them once in a while. A couple of times a week or so. Most of the folks on this board will tell you to give them Mazuri tortoise food, but that is up to you. If I was inclined to give a tortoise Mazuri, it would be a redfoot because they can handle the protein, unlike a desert type tortoises.

thanks for the great response. do you think that when they get bigger, they would be alright outside? i live near san jose, ca, so it gets very hot and dry during the summer, and cold during the winter. How could i keep them in a tropical setting all year long? should i just keep them inside all year? what kind of setup would you recomend? thanks.

Keeping them outside year round is a good idea as long as the tempurature range is between 60 on the cool side and 90 on the high side and the humidity doesn't go lower than 40%. Until they are roughly 6-7 inches in length they should be kept in a environment with humidity of 65-80%. In the wild until they reach that size they keep themselves hidden most of the day and in doing so are in a naturally humid environment. Also, at that size the numnber of predators is reduced to primarily big cats so they wander out into drier areas and can handle the reduced (around 50%) humidity. Keeping it higher when they are younger will also help keep them from pyramiding, along with a proper diet. In the wild fruit makes up 40-70% of their diet and I have had very good luck with a 50% fruit, 40% greens, 10% Mazuri or low fat cat food diet. Make sure the diet keeps the calcium to phosphorus ratio around 4 or 5-1. Either supplement with calcium carbonate powder or use Walkabout Farms Forest Tortoise mix. I use both. Fruits like Papaya and figs, greens like opuntia cactus, turnip, collard greens and dandelion greens are the best. They are a very hardy and personable tortoise that will live longer than you if you get the husbandry correct.

Good Luck

These are dynamite pets. One thing that you might note is that they are much more drought tolerant that most people believe. The key, as with any tortoise, is to use a humid microhabitat. Depending on which form or RF you get will also determine the guys hardyness. Some of the 'cherryhead' redfoots that are available are very cool/drought tolerant and there are other forms that are not. The problem with the SF area is the cool damp conditions. This will usually kill a RF if you are not careful.
Here is a good resource with a bunch of good links
http://spongebob.ncsa.uiuc.edu/mike/redfoot/resources.htm
Keep in mind that there is tons of info on the web. I'd suggest you go through as much as you can and pick out the stuff that works for you.
Ed