You can help us ensure that our critters have the best life possible by sponsoring an animal ambassadors today!

Sofia, a red-footed tortoise, is one of Thing That Creep’s popular animal ambassadors. On any given day she can be found receiving gentle pets to her shell and munching treats given to her by delighted students throughout the Bay Area. But Sofia is a representative of a species vulnerable to extinction. Red-footed tortoises are commonly seen in the United States as pets. They are popular for their medium size (large but not MASSIVE for a tortoise) and demeanor, but over capture of wild adults and eggs for the pet trade, as well as hunting by humans, puts these animals at risk.

Red-footed tortoises are currently protected and require a permit to be exported from their home countries in South America, but the danger to this species remains. If you’re looking to get a pet tortoise, be sure they are captive bred so as to not put additional pressure on wild populations.

Sofia came to Things That Creep in 2020 when her owner could no longer care for her. Sofia eats a salad the size of her body each day!

Red-footed tortoise FAST FACTS:

Red-footed tortoises are omnivorous, eating a wide variety of plants, grasses, and fungi, in addition to invertebrates and even carrion.
These tortoises range in northern South America in a wide variety of habitats from wet forests to grasslands and the savanna along the Amazon.
It is common for tortoises of this species to reach ages of over 50 years!
Red-footed tortoises do not brumate (slow down or sleep in the winter) due to their warm natural habitat, but they may aestivate (or slow down similar to hibernating) in the hot, dry summer months.
Living in warmer climates, these tortoises seek out shelters, such as tree falls, that help them to thermoregulate. These shelters often floor and the tortoises rest in the water and mud with their nostrils above the water to remain cool. Shelters are also often communal, with as many tortoises fitting into a space as possible.
Red-footed tortoises leave scent trails for other tortoises to find and follow, leading to their shelters. They have also been observed feeding in communal groups.

Sofia: Sponsor An Animal Ambassador

Sofia the Red-footed tortoise

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