Red Foot Tortoise…..(Chelonoidis Carbonaria) is a tortoise native to South America and has been introduced to many islands in the caribbean. The Red Foot gets its name from the red and orange scales that can be seen on its head and tail as well as its limbs, this species of tortoise is usually popular as a pet. The Red Foot usually grow between 10 to 14 inches in carapace length, males larger than females both in length and weight but its the female who is wider and taller, a male Red Foot can easily weigh up to twenty pounds upwards with the females weighing a little less. The lifespan of a Red Foot Tortoise is around forty to fifty years. As Red Foots mature both male and female develop a unique waist like body constriction which is much more developed in the male species and the mature male also have longer and wider tails than the females.
Red Foot Tortoises need an indoor habitat that gives it plenty of room to move around and explore and get its excercise and needs one which will allow the correct temperatures and moisture levels that are required, Red Foots need an ideal temperature of between 80 and 90 f. Red Foots need around twelve hours of light per day, which is best not filtered through glass, if this is not available then the habitat needs to be lit. The Red Foots habitat should have hiding places, shaded areas and a sunken water dish, hardwood mulches without aromatic resins are probably the best substrate for this species of tortoise due to the fact that they can hold moisture but have a dry surface, wood shavings are not recommended as these can lead to fungal growth.
The diet for a Red Foot should contain, greens, fruits vegetables flowers and a small amount of animal protein, for example, dandelion greens, turnip greens, rocket lettuce, for the edible flowers, examples are dandelions and hibiscus, good fruits to offer are melons, strawberries, pineapples and peaches but fruit should only form about 1/4th of the weekly diet. When you first get your Red Foot you may find that it goes for a period of time without eating, this is down to its environmental change and as soon as the tortoise feels comfortable with its surroundings it will start to eat again.
