14″ Giant female RedFoot tortoise ID#W4 the hurricane that destroyed Florida Incredible survivor story

Hugh Female Redfoot

ID#W4

$695.00

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The Andrew’s Redfoot Tortoise line began as storm survivors and became one of the toughest, most impressive Redfoot groups in South Florida. In 1992, Hurricane Andrew tore through Homestead and destroyed zoos and small collections across the area. In the weeks after the storm, several large Redfoot tortoises were found wandering the streets with no known owner. A local man named Wendell, not a reptile hobbyist but simply someone who didn’t want to see them run over, gathered the tortoises and placed them in his large fenced backyard. For years, those tortoises lived almost entirely on their own. The yard was overgrown with weeds, grass, and old buckets and trailers that became their shelter. With minimal human intervention, they survived Florida heat, heavy rains, cold snaps, and more hurricanes. The animals found their own food, laid their eggs, and every baby hatched naturally out of the ground in those outdoor conditions. Only the strongest thrived, and only those survivors bred. Over roughly forty years and about five or six generations, this small, unrelated group—originally from Bolivian Redfoot bloodlines—developed into a distinct, linebred morph. They are giant, heavy-bodied Redfoots with exceptionally smooth, rounded shells, massive legs, deep egg chambers, and a consistent “Andrew look” that repeats from animal to animal. Their size and build are closely related to other Bolivian-type giant Redfoots, including the historic Barbados giant Redfoot tortoises that also trace back to Bolivian roots, but this Andrew line has been shaped entirely by outdoor life and natural selection in Florida. As Wendell learned more about tortoises over the years, he improved their care, built proper compounds, and quietly became a prolific breeder. Many smaller Andrew-line offspring—nine to twelve inches—have been sold over the years, but the original giants and their direct breeding descendants remained on his property. After Wendell’s recent passing, his wish was that these animals go to keepers who truly understand and appreciate what this unique line represents.

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