Isopods and red foot tortoises

Red-foot tortoises (scientific name: chelonoidis carbonarius) are a popular choice of tortoise to keep as pets due to their docile temperament and relative ease to take care of.  

They originated from Northern South America and are known for their distinctive appearance. They have a dark coloured loaf shaped carapaces (top shell) with a lighter path in the middle of each scute (shell segment) and lighter coloured underbelly. They also have dark limbs dotted with brightly coloured scales, pale yellow and dark red. They are considered a medium sized tortoise with adults reaching up to 12 inches in length. Males tend to be larger than females. Unlike conventional cute and furry pets, red-foot's have a lifespan of up to 50 years so a dedicated commitment is required from any wanna be tortoise owner.

These stunning tortoises tend to be quite shy, they like to hide and burrow. They prefer not to be handled but when doing so are pretty easy-going. Despite not having teeth, their breaks are strong and they can bite. While bites are rare and usually unintentional, they can hurt. As a rule, after handling you should practice good hand washing hygiene to prevent spreading salmonella. The salmonella bacteria lives in the intestinal tract of most reptiles and it can cause illness in humans.

Unlike some other breeds of tortoise, the red-footed tortoise is relatively active during the day. They spend a lot of time digging and foraging therefore deep substrate to give them as much enrichment as possible is required. If they have eaten a big meal, they can be known to become less active to enable them to rest and digest their food.

Red-foot's do require an enclosed vivarium set up rather than a typical open air tortoise table. A 4 feet by 8 feet (the bigger the better of course) escape proof vivarium is perfect. Red-foot's need high humidity, 50-70%, and enjoy a shallow water dish to cool off and drink from so it's best to make sure your tortoise can walk in and out of the dish easily.

As a cold blooded tortoise, red-foots need to regulate their temperature to keep their body temperatures at an optimum level. The ideal temperature should be between 28 - 32 degrees celsius. Red-foot tortoises do not hibernate but may slow down in the colder months. 

A UVB light source is also required with D3 (10%) to help red-foots absorb calcium which is crucial for bone strength and overall growth.

Red-foot tortoises are omnivores and have a varied diet in comparison to other tortoises. Leafy greens, fruits, and other vegetables make up their main diet with a small amount of protein. It is best to feed an amount of food that they will eat within a 15-30 minute timeframe or equal to the size of their shell and be sure to remove any leftovers to prevent it from rotting. Red-foot's require daily feeding and prefer the same feeding schedule each day. Be sure to dust all food with calcium and vitamin D3 supplements at least three times a week to ensure all their nutritional health needs are being met.

The main daily chores a red-foot tortoise owner will need to do is daily feeding, water bowl changes and cleaning up food waste and excrement. Why not add a little extra help into the tortoise enclosure with a clean up crew such as a springtail or isopod colony? Both are great at eating any leftover food or excrement that you don't manage to clean up fully and they are a good way to ensure the substrate is free from harmful bacteria and mold.

Isopods also add an interesting aesthetic to the overall vivarium ecosystem with many different species to choose from to suit your vivarium set up. However, be mindful that not all isopods are created equally and you will need to ensure you do your research when it comes to the needs of a particular isopod species as some do not like high humidity environments for example. They also range in cost, sizes and behaviours to some degree. 

Red foot tortoises and isopods have a harmonious relationship with isopods not bothering the tortoise at all. Occasionally an isopod may fall prey to the tortoise but generally isopods are too quick for red-foots to eat. In any event, isopods offer a great source of protein so eating one or two is a healthy source of nutrition for your beloved tortoise.