Meet Timmy the Tortoise who's quickly becoming one of our Favourite beasties!

(Not that we have favourites or anything)

Timmy enjoying some lettuce and red cabbage

Introduction

If you are looking for a pet that combines charm, personality, and a touch of exotic appeal, turns out a red foot tortoise might just be the perfect companion. These tortoises are known for their striking colours and gentle nature, making them a quiet favourite among reptile enthusiasts and first-time pet owners alike. Something we are only fully realising now that we have Timmy in our lives.

This post will introduce you to Timmy, explore what makes red foot tortoises special, and offer practical advice on caring for these fascinating creatures.

Timmy having a drink next to a bowl of mushrooms - one of his favourites

Who is he and where did he come from?

Timmy is an eight year old red foot tortoise who was surrendered to The Reptile Room just over a month ago by his loving family who could no longer care for him due to no fault of their own.

This feisty little man burst into our home and took no prisoners! Hes bossy, demanding and just adorable! It did not take long at all for our entire family (dog included) to fall in love with him; hes so cool, even when hes trying to rearrange my furniture at 10pm!

Timmy is not just a pretty shell. Red foot tortoises are known for their curious and gentle nature. They often interact with their environment and can recognise their owners over time - at eight years old he definitely knows is name and comes to me when I talk to him, which is why we have not changed his name. In his first week with us Timmy has been enjoying lots of time out of his enclosure exploring his new environment; slowly, sniffing around, and basking with our cats by the fire.

Setting Up the Perfect Home for Timmy

Timmy came with a 4ft x 1.5ft x 1.5ft vivarium - which might seem large but sadly was too small for his chunky butt. So we set about building him a new home.

Timmys old home was 4ft x1.5ft x 1.5ft

Creating a comfortable home for Timmy required attention to his needs, we had to consider:

• Enclosure Size

Timmy needs enough space to roam around without hitting the front and back panels with his shell so we decided on building a 4x3ft enclosure

• Temperature and Lighting

Red foot tortoises require a temperature gradient in their enclosure. The basking spot should be around 90°F (32°C), while the cooler side can be 75-80°F (24-27°C). UVB lighting is essential for Timmy’s shell and bone health, helping him synthesise vitamin D3. Fortunately his previous owners had included a 7% Arcadia UVB strip light with his old set up so we simply installed it into his new home. Now he had previously had a heat lamp which gave out light as-well as heat meaning that he was never in the dark, we switched this out for a ceramic heat emitter so that he can have darkness at night but still get the heat that he needs.

As well as heat from above we wanted Timmy to be able to get heat from below so I added lots of flat rocks directly underneath his CHE (ceramic heat emitter) these rocks absorb heat and give him somewhere to go when he wants to warm his belly.

• Humidity

Timmy thrives in moderate to high humidity, around 70%. Regular misting and a substrate that retains moisture, such as coconut coir or cypress mulch, help maintain this environment. Me being me - I went fully bioactive; tortoise safe plants (ones that are non toxic and can tolerate being bulldozed every now and then), lots of branches, leaf litter, a clean up crew to eat his poop so I don't have to clean it. sorted.

• Accessibility

Timmy struggled to get in and out of his old enclosure by himself - he could do it but it wasn't exactly easy (or graceful), so with this in mind we have made a hinging door that folds own into a ramp for ease of access,

So, without further ado, this is what we have created!

Timmys new vivarium, 4ft x 3ft x 3ft

Timmy's new home is actually our old pantry, before that it was a wardrobe for coats and boots. We painted it black, swapped out the doors for a hinged lid, added windows, a ramp door (with sand paper strips to file his nails as he walks in/out) and fitted an Arcadia UVB light across the middle and a ceramic heat emitter over his stones.

I'm quite proud of it; giant vivariums don't have to cost a small fortune, just keep your reptiles needs in mind and work around them. I think it looks great.