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Wednesday, April 16th
April's meeting will focus on how to safely handle and present your reptile to the public. Please feel free to bring your own animal to show off.
Meetings start promptly at 8pm in the Alumni Room of Medaille College.
Annual Banquet
PLEASE NOTE: The annual banquet and recognition dinner will be rescheduled due to conflicts. The new date will likely be a Saturday in May, please contact a board member for more information.
Red Foot Tortoise Care Sheet and Information
Please click here for a printable PDF version.
Common Name: Red Foot Tortoise
Latin name: Geochelone carbonaria
Native to: Tropical South America
Size: Red foot tortoises reach 10 - 14 inches at maturity; males are larger than females of same age.
Life span: 40 - 50 years
General appearance: Carapace (top part of shell) is black with the center of each scute being yellow. The plastron (bottom part of the shell) is yellow. In mature males the rear of the plastron is concave. There are red scales on the head and legs.
Housing requirements:
Enclosure: Should be tropical, (high humidity). Space requirements should be at least two square feet per inch of shell length. A 4 in. youngster would need eight square feet. They need a shallow pan of water approximately 1/3 of their shell height to drink from and soak in. A source of UV light is recommended.
Temperature: Temperature during the day should be 85° - 90° F at one end of the enclosure and 70° - 75° F at the other. This can be accomplished with the use of a heat lamp or pad (waterproof).
Substrate: Newspaper, aspen, Cyprus are a few. (But not cedar or pine)
Diet: The red footed tortoise's diet consists of vegetables, fruit and some protein. Broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts should be fed sparingly. Protein could consist of earthworms, mealworms, crickets, etc. They should be fed 2 - 3 times a week, with their food being dusted with a D3 vitamin and calcium. A commercially prepared tortoise food is also a recommended source of food.
Maintenance: Changing the substrate and water when soiled is a must. Handlers are advised to wash their hands thoroughly after handling the red foot tortoise or reptile cage furnishings.
Other references or recommended reading:
Encyclopedia of Turtles: Dr. Peter C. H. Pritchard
Turtles of the World: Carl H. Earnst and Roger W. Barbour
Encyclopedia of Keeping and Breeding Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles: A. C. Highfield
Remember that in many places it is illegal to take wildlife out of the wild without the proper permits from local, state, or federal authorities. Please do not release any captive reptiles or amphibians into the wild as this will disrupt the natural order of our environment. See our amphibian and reptile adoptions page for more information on what to do with unwanted herps.
Help reptiles in need by donating to our Adoption Fund! Your donations will help feed and house reptiles waiting for adoption.