I' know they aren't round... Red footed Tortoises

[brewmaster15]

Been a few years now since I updated on these guys..Its hard to believe that I have had them now 13 years ( hatchlings in 2007). If you think Discus are tough to breed, try waiting on Tortoises that can live more than 50 years. Breeding has been sporadic, I only had one male in the group so a few years ago got a second young male, He is only about 5 now I think, but I am hopeful that he will start breeding soon.. When I first got him the other male responded with alot of head bobbing and breeding attempts with the girls...then it tapered off.

This year I updated their outside pen which is 20X30 Feet. We used to take them in every night and bring them outside the next day when they were smaller. Now that they are really large we made an enclosure in the pen that they go into at night on their own. We just need to lock the door when they are in to keep the critters out, then we open the door in the am and they come "charging out" at a tortoise pace for breakfast. The enclosure has a heat lamp for chilly nights. I am thinking that we should be able to keep these guys outside until Sept .. They are much happier with the summer cottage than being inside in the cooler months here. I also built a small wooden bin next to the enclosure and filled it with compost and leaves, hopefully they will use that to lay eggs,

Time will tell.


For now, its just really cool having these guys..

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Al

[peewee1]

Most interesting, Al. But I have three questions. Why is the turtle house so tall for such short dwellers? How do they manage to open and close that door? And how do they use that small white toilet located on the right of the first picture?

[brewmaster15]

Most interesting, Al. But I have three questions. Why is the turtle house so tall for such short dwellers? How do they manage to open and close that door? And how do they use that small white toilet located on the right of the first picture?

Lol..

Why is the turtle house so tall for such short dwellers?

Because I am not small...and I need to be able to reach in and clean it,

How do they manage to open and close that door?

They can't, We do a head count every night and close them in, securing the door. They are really good about going in for the night as soon as it starts getting dark they head for shelter. Then in the am we let them out by opening the door and they come marching out.

And how do they use that small white toilet located on the right of the first picture?

ahh.. Thats actually not a toilet, but to keep them from using their water dish as a toilet.Thats an old cat water dish that we fill up with drinking water. They can reach in to drink. They also have some water dishes but 9/10 times if they can sit in it, it becomes a toilet.

al

[brewmaster15]

Came down to the tortoise pen and found eggs.. probably wont hatch but its a step in the right direction. Time to incubate and pray.
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Al

[brewmaster15]

Been a year or so since I updated this thread.. Our tortoises are still with us here. If you think discus are a commitment.. Red footed Tortoises will definitely challenge you. These guys will probably out live me.

Just moved outside for the summer..

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This summer I plan on building them a year round enclosure outside.. That was the plan though. We will have to see how it works out.

[gimaal]

Wow! Love this!

[danotaylor]

Very cool Al. Were the eggs from Feb 2023 infertile or did they succumb to cold weather exposure? This may be a peculiar question, but since they inhabit a fixed space, does their excrement get smelly? Peace brutha mate!

[Second Hand Pat]

They sure have grown Al. When are they sexually mature? The reason I ask is with the gopher tortoises here (they are wild BTW) they have a pretty strong sex drive. I have watched half grown males chase Little Red (only female I know of on the property) all the way to her borrow. If the Red Footed are similar you may need more than one enclosure.

How will you keep them warm in the winter months and BTW, great outside enclosure
Pat

[brewmaster15]

Very cool Al. Were the eggs from Feb 2023 infertile or did they succumb to cold weather exposure? This may be a peculiar question, but since they inhabit a fixed space, does their excrement get smelly? Peace brutha mate!

Danny they were not fertile.. I probably came across them too late. As for the smell its really not bad... when they are indoors their enclosure has a bark mulch thats pretty absorbant. Outside the nature breaks it down fast. These are largely vegetarians and as such they dont stink like us carnivores/obnivores.

[brewmaster15]

They sure have grown Al. When are they sexually mature? The reason I ask is with the gopher tortoises here (they are wild BTW) they have a pretty strong sex drive. I have watched half grown males chase Little Red (only female I know of on the property) all the way to her borrow. If the Red Footed are similar you may need more than one enclosure.

How will you keep them warm in the winter months and BTW, great outside enclosure
Pat

They are sexually mature now Pat. We have 2 males and 5 females. Of the two males The older male has a very strong sex drive . But he only focuses on the two larger females. Its funny because you dont think of turtles as vocal but he does vocalize.. freaked me out first time I heard them.

The idea is to convert one of sheds thats currently a chicken coop. Its nice because its got an completely fenced in Run. Their current turtle pen is nice but we have to put them away for the night or risk raccoons,possums ,fox ,and Coyotes.These tortoises are unable to pull in their heads and legs tightly to their shell unlike our native box turtles. The shed currently has power for heat..so That will get beefed up and be monitored by wifi. I will also nmake use of a battery backup system thats solar since i have everything already. The idea is to move my snakes and tortoises out there. The snakes will take a little engineering as I want them to cool down in the winter so I have to figure out how to keep them cool but not too cold.. probably some kind of cold air return from the outside for their enclosure. This project could take awhile.

[Second Hand Pat]

They are sexually mature now Pat. We have 2 males and 5 females. Of the two males The older male has a very strong sex drive . But he only focuses on the two larger females. Its funny because you dont think of turtles as vocal but he does vocalize.. freaked me out first time I heard them.

The idea is to convert one of sheds thats currently a chicken coop. Its nice because its got an completely fenced in Run. Their current turtle pen is nice but we have to put them away for the night or risk raccoons,possums ,fox ,and Coyotes.These tortoises are unable to pull in their heads and legs tightly to their shell unlike our native box turtles. The shed currently has power for heat..so That will get beefed up and be monitored by wifi. I will also nmake use of a battery backup system thats solar since i have everything already. The idea is to move my snakes and tortoises out there. The snakes will take a little engineering as I want them to cool down in the winter so I have to figure out how to keep them cool but not too cold.. probably some kind of cold air return from the outside for their enclosure. This project could take awhile.

Sounds like an interest project Al, especially the need for warmth but not too much lol. How do you determine gender on the tortoises Al? same as Gophers? Definitely something you will need to closely monitor in the winter months. Guessing you are making room for more tanks

Pat

[brewmaster15]

Pat the males have a more narrow waist and concave bottom shell. .. females are more round and flat bottom. The same should hold true for your gopher tortoises.

I did move things around a bit here tank wise but the main reason is the tortoises really need more room and the snakes live longer if they cooldown for the winter. They also breed better. Its hard to give 7 tortoises and 9 snakes what they need inside.

[Second Hand Pat]

Pat the males have a more narrow waist and concave bottom shell. .. females are more round and flat bottom. The same should hold true for your gopher tortoises.

I did move things around a bit here tank wise but the main reason is the tortoises really need more room and the snakes live longer if they cooldown for the winter. They also breed better. Its hard to give 7 tortoises and 9 snakes what they need inside.

Al, it's the same with gophers except for the more narrow waist.
Pat

[jeep]

Those guys are really cool!