Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey all,

This is our first winter with our redfoot, so this may be a really obvious question. Ndugu is apparently recovering from his respiratory problems, but his schedule has changed quite a bit since the cold weather kicked in. He now spends up to three days burrowed beneath a warm spot in his substrate, and then we usually wake him up to feed him. He eats like a horse, wanders around for a day or so, then goes back to sleep for another few days. Is this normal? Should we not bother waking him up? I only do it so I can be sure he eats and gets soaked once in awhile. I'm concerned that he won't receive enough UVB light if he spends most of his time under the surface. He has plenty of warm spots in his enclosure, so even though our apartment is cooler, he is still warm enough...

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

Our 3, 3 year olds have done the same thing you mention mid- December through late Janaury. They bury themselves in the substrate and go into a slow down period for about 4-6 weeks. They come out every 2-3 days and eat like pigs.

As long as yours is in good health, the temps are in a 70-90 range, humidity at 60-90% in the enclosure you should be fine. Make sure it has daily access to water. I'd only get concerned if it stops eating.

Ernie