How do I take better care of my red footed tortoise?

Question

I want to bathe my tortoise but I don't know how... The diet I give him is Strawberries, Romaine lettuce, and some times grapes.

His land scape (excluding house and bush) is about 2x4 or 2x5, And the reason it's small is because of the patio we made... it used to be a lot bigger.

I think the housing my dad made him isn't comfortable for him. His house is more like a garage I have to close when it's night. The other one is a wide burrow I made, but it could be harmful of wild animals.

We used to have a kind of play ground when my tortoise had friends (got stolen by other animals, escaped, died, etc.) It's not there anymore, it's used for a barrier for squirrels not eating our garden. The playground thing was like a bridge that looks like this ,•|''''''|•, the | are walls and that was used for my tortoises to sleep in...

Can some one help me with this problem?

Answer 1

We have a Greek tortoise.  We tried several different houses for him and found that a small (3 ft diameter) kiddie pool works great.  We have this located inside and use a mixture of Bed-a-beast and sand.  We put a water dish in there, a log and hay for him to sleep in.  We also plant some greens in there, usually he doesn't eat them, though, just tramples them.

We got a bigger kiddie pool for outside and take him out once it warms up a bit.  We made a cover for it using chicken wire so he's safe from any of the animals that would get into our backyard.

As for food, we feed him different kinds of lettuce.  He also LOVES aloe and dandelion flowers (just make sure you don't fertilize the grass if you get them out of lawn).  We feed him every morning.  He is a very healthy and happy tortoise.

Our tort does not like baths, but gets one every other day or every 3 days at most.  We have a special dish pan and put just a half inch or so of warm water in there and put him in.  We try to leave him in there for about 10-15 minutes.  This apparently helps him stay hydrated.  Sometimes we'll trickle a bit of the water over his shell.  At times, he seems to enjoy this, other times he hates it!

Answer 2

I can't help you with your space restrictions/limitations, but a tortoise's shell is a good form of calcium to a lot of wild animals, and you need to screen his enclosure to protect him if he's being kept outdoors.

It also doesn't sound like his diet has enough variety to provide proper health/growth.  Torts in general have the same basic dietary needs based on age.  

Here are some links to get you started:

http://www.tortoisetrust.org/care/care.h...

http://www.chelonia.org/care.htm

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs...

I'll post some other links below you can check out on torts in general, so you can be sure you're providing for his dietary/housing needs correctly.

Good luck with your housing problem, and I'm sure other posters will have some suggestions for you.

An informed owner is a happy one with a healthy and content pet.

I hope this has been helpful.

Answer 3

Romain lettuce is awful.  Stop feeding it.  Its crunchy water with no nutritional value. Grapes are ok for them, but shouldn't really be a staple.  First off, you need to make sure your tortoise has a heat lame and can stay warm, second, you'll need to make sure it gets regular sunlight or UVB exposure.  Third, here's a better idea of what to feed: collard greens, mustard greens, kale, dandelion greens, turnip green, spaghetti squash, acorn squash, summer squash, butternut squash, and hubbard squash all make a fine salad when mixed with each other.  Pick a couple you can easily and reliably get your hands on and mix them for your tortoises food, no romaine.  I don'[t know how big your tort. is, but a 2x4 is NOT big enough for an adult red foot.  Double the width and you'd be ok for a while, but 2ft is incredibly small.  Lastly, you don't need to bath your tort. that often.  Its really not necessary.  Make sure he has plenty of water, but other than that, I wouldn't worry about bathing him.