Cherry Head Red Foot Named Lucy

Hey all!

New to the forums and have a question.

I have a Cherry head that is about 5 inches long. I really want the ultimate enclosure for Lucy, one that regulates temperature and humidity, is large enough for her even after fully grown, and that has eye appeal.

Money isn't unlimited, but I wouldn't want to spent over 500-700 bucks. Any suggestions or links to places that sell the "perfect setup?"

Hey, if she is gonna outlive me, she should have the best.

Mateo

If I were you, I'd go with Animal Plastics' T70 (8ft x 3ft x 2ft) in white, not black.

I'm thinking that would be big enough to house her comfortable her entire life. Cherry heads usually don't get as big as Redfoots, 10-12 inches usually. I think the T70 would give her plenty of room, and you could decorate it any way you wanted.

Also, depending on what part of Texas you're in, you might be able to house her outside for a good portion of the year. The big factor would be the humidity. I live in Arizona and plan on building an outdoor enclosure for my Redfoots when they get older, but I'll have to put up a misting system around it to keep their humidity at the right level since it is so dry around here.

Thanks Monkey! A couple of questions - Why the white over the black? What kind of holes would you have cut in the tops and why?

Great enclosures! Thanks for your help, you are most kind!

White is my personal preference. Black cages are just to dark for me. I like to be able to look in and see my critters. And I would want to decorate the cage as much as possible with potted plants and other things, since it would only be the one tort, and I think white would look better, and be brighter.

As far as holes cut in the top, I wouldn't. Cherry heads need fairly high humidity, which you may or may not have in the summer in TX, but if it gets dry in the winter, you would want as little air flow as possible to maintain humidity. Also, your tort will need UV, so you'll need a couple fluorescent fixtures. I would put them inside the enclosure to get the light source closer to the tort, and I think it would also look better that way.

For that cage, I'd install two 36" fluorescent fixtures and fit them with Repti glo 8.0 or 10.0 tubes. I think AP recommends two 24" fixtures, and will even supply them if you choose.

I was just looking at the pics of your tort playing in the grass, and a crazy idea occurred to me. Those size AP cages come with sliding doors, which means they've got about a 2-3" lip at the bottom. You might be able to put sod in the cage and get it to grow if one of the lights is a "full spectrum" bulb. I have no idea how you'd clean it, or mow it LOL, but it would look pretty cool!

Originally Posted by monkeywrench133

I was just looking at the pics of your tort playing in the grass, and a crazy idea occurred to me. Those size AP cages come with sliding doors, which means they've got about a 2-3" lip at the bottom. You might be able to put sod in the cage and get it to grow if one of the lights is a "full spectrum" bulb. I have no idea how you'd clean it, or mow it LOL, but it would look pretty cool!

Thanks Monkey!

I love the idea of sod! I may try it in half the enclosure to see what happens. Maybe you would need a little tiny mower!!