The Red Food tortoise has become a popular pet in recent years. If you are considering purchasing one as a pet, you will need to get as much information as possible about these animals before you buy one. Where you keep them and how you feed them will determine how long they live.
The Red Food tortoise thrives in a warm, moist environment. If you don’t live in a climate where it stays pretty moist and around 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (23 to 26 degrees Celsius), you should probably try to find a different type of tortoise that is more suited to your climate. Because there are so many types of tortoise to choose from, this shouldn’t be a problem at all.
These tortoises will reach 12 to 14 inches (30 to 35 centimeters) as adults and will therefore need a large outdoor enclosure once they reach about 2 years of age. Be sure that there is nothing in their enclosure that can hurt him, including various chemicals, animals, and unsafe plants. It is important that he has access to a shallow water bowl which he can soak in, and plenty of places to hide. You will also need to provide a tortoise house which can be completely enclosed for nights and rainfalls.
Some of the plants that the Red Foot tortoise eats in the wild which you should try to plant in your pet’s enclosure are flowering maples, yarrow, aloe, cow parsley, tall oat grass, bell peppers, thistle, cucumber, Bermuda grass, orchard grass, wild carrot, hibiscus, hollyhock, prickly pear, dandelion, and clover. It’s important for your tortoise to have a wide variety of plants available, just as he would in the wild.
Although there are many commercial tortoise pellets available, it is best to feed them a natural diet because pellets are made to cover all tortoise diets, so there will be deficiencies for the Red Foot tortoise. In addition to plants, the Red Food tortoise will also feed on insects when they come across them, so don’t be alarmed if you see your pet catching bugs.
Personality-wise, these tortoises are friendly and curious, and tend to be easygoing. So long as they are comfortable with you and feel safe in their environment, they will be stress free and could easily live for 50 years, or more. The Red Foot tortoise is fairly easy to care for, and will make a great pet for the prepared beginner or the experienced owner.
