mediterranean and desert tortoises
Introduction
There are many species of tortoise which can be found in Europe or Africa which are adapted to live in the dry desert type environments found there. This section is a broad guideline for the type of habitat you will need to provide for them.
Accomodation
There are proprietary tortoise starter sets available for purchase, such as the Habistat Tortoise Table with accompanying Accessory Set which are a great way to start your tortoise keeping hobby. They provide the key requirements for these species by having a large area for wandering, an open top to allow for ventilation and a bracket to fit the light fitting for essential UVB, UVA and heat. These starter sets are perfect for smaller species like Hermann's Tortoises and for young specimens of other species such as Leopard Tortoises.
If you have a larger species, as it grows you will want to provide a larger area. Hobbyists recommend taking a flatpack bookcase, removing the shelves and lying flat as an ideal homemade tortoise table. This provides a large area to roam. I would advise lining with plastic before you fill with substrate, to protect the thin base. I don't recommend a large habitat like this for baby tortoises, as it allows them to wander too far from the heat source.
You need to provide multiple hiding spots around the enclosure so the tortoise can cool off and feel safe. Bark, plant pots and other items are great for this.
Substrate
The best substrate to use and the cheapest by far, is a sterilised Topsoil, which can be bought from garden centres. This allows for natural burrowing and foraging behaviour and can pass straight through the tortoise if ingested. Newspaper, beech chippings, sawdust or straw do not allow for a natural environment and can get stuck in eyes or nostrils.
Heat and Light
A large part of your tortoise is its shell. It may suprise you to learn that the shell is made of fused ribs, in other words the shell is the tortoises ribcage! Therefore the tortoise has to grow a lot of bone and needs the tools to do so. The tortoise needs to be able to turn the calcium in its diet into bone, to do this it use vitamin d3 - which is primarily found in sunlight. Most tortoises come from warm sunny places, so sunshine is found in abundance. In captivity we need to provide it artifically.
The part of sunlight which provides vitamin d3 is called short wave ultraviolet, or UVB. There are a range of UVB bulbs available to buy. There are long T5 or T8 tube flourescent bulbs, a smaller compact type flourescent bulb with an E27 screw fitting or there are all-in-one Mercury Vapour Bulbs such as the Arcadia D3+ bulb range. UVB does not travel through glass, so putting your tortoise by the window is simply not enough, we must provide these bulbs. Without UVB the tortoise will develop metabolic bone disease and die.
If you choose not to use a mercury vapour bulb, then you will need a additional heat lamp as well as the UVB tube.
An appropriate fitting, such as an Arcadia Clamp Lamp, should be suspended vertically above one end of your tortoise enclosure to enable the tortoise to regulate it's temperature and choose where to bask. This will contain your mercury vapour bulb, or heat lamp if you choose a two-light system. Adjust the height of the bulb so that the temperature at the ground is 32 - 35 degrees celsius.
The light should remain on for between 10 and 12 hours a day to replicate daytime. I recommend using a 24 hour timer plug to automate this process for you.
Water
Despite their dry habitat, tortoises still need water and humidity. A water dish should be provided which is deep enough for the tortoise to climb in and bathe, but not so deep as it can't get out. Too deep a water dish is a drowning risk. You can use shop bought water bowls, or I like to use terracotta plant pot saucers. These also provide grip for your tortoises feet.
Fresh food will increase water consumption and a daily misting with a water sprayer on hot days will also help.
Baby tortoises should be bathed by their keeper daily, for 20 minutes, using a tub filled with warm water deep enough to cover the tortoises head if it retracts, but shallow enough that the tortoise can stretch its neck out to breathe. The water should be warm to the hand, but not hot.
Adult tortoises can be bathed weekly.
Tortoises will defecate in the water! This is normal, so remember to change the water in your tortoises bowl daily.
Diet
In the wild, these types of tortoises live in arid environments where the ground is nutrtionally poor. As a result their food is nutritionally poor, and the tortoises have evolved perfectly to deal with this. They will graze and consume a fair amount of leafy plant matter and strip all of the nutrients out. It is important to remember to replicate this in captivity. We feed or tortoises a variety of fresh picked weeds, plants and flowers where seasonally available. I recommend you download the "Tortoise Table" App which will tell you which plants are safe to feed and which are not.
I do not recommend commercially bought food. Fresh is always best! In the winter you can supplement their diet with "Mixed Salad Leaves" which is a salad mix available in most supermarkets which doesn't contain spinach or iceberg lettuce (both harmful to tortoises in large quantities).
The large African species such as African Spurred (Sulcata) or Leopard Tortoises will also graze on grasses and hay.
DO NOT feed vegetables or fruit, these are far too high in sugars, vitamins and minerals and is the equivalent of tortoises eating cake all day.
Sprinkle picked food with a high quality Reptile Vitamin powder every other day and mke sure there is always a piece of cuttlebone for the tortoise to gnaw on, this will provide calcium and keep the beak trim.
Serving the turtles food on a rough dish or piece of slate is another great way to keep their beak in good shape.
The Great Outdoors!
We all know that Great Aunt or Grandfather who has kept his tortoise in the garden for 60 years. There are some definite health benefits to keeping tortoises outside, natural sunlight is the obvious one. You can create an enclosure outside for your tortoise, make it large enough for roaming and make sure it is escape proof. Provide plenty of hiding areas to provide refuge from the summer sun and a water dish. You can plant it with safe plants to be grazed on.
Tortoises can dig, so make sure it has a bottom or the sides go deep into the ground. They can also climb, so add an overhang to the walls. Be wary of rats, cats and foxes as well as your pet dog. All can stress, attack and kill your tortoise.
Tortoises aren't wild in the UK for a reason, we are too cool for them most of the year. If it starts to go cool then they will try to hibernate. If this happens then bring them inside into an indoor habitat, unless you choose to hibernate your tortoise.
NOT ALL SPECIES can hibernate, Sulcatas and Leopard Tortoises do not. DO NOT ATTEMPT IT, they will die.
Mediterranean species such as Hermanns, Marginated and Horsfields can hibernate. Research this thoroughly before you attempt it. I don't intend to discuss it here. You DO NOT HAVE TO hibermate your tortoise. There are definite pros and cons to both methods of overwintering.
Example Tortoise Table Setup
Tropical tortoises
Introduction
The tropical rainforests of the world are also home to our shelled friends and they are evolved differently to thrive in that climate and environment. This section is a broad guideline for the type of habitat you will need to provide for them. Individual care sheets are provided.
Accomodation
Tropical tortoises such as Red-Footed Tortoises live in a warm humid environment in the wild and replicating this can be a challenge. A tortoise table will not keep the humidity levels high enough so a terrarium is required. I use the Habistat glass terrariums as wooden ones will rot. The sides are blacked out to reduce stress and the top is ventilated with mesh to allow airflow. Always make sure you provide the largest terratium you can afford.
You need to provide multiple hiding spots around the enclosure so the tortoise can cool off and feel safe. Bark, plant pots and other items are great for this.
Substrate
The substrate is the best place to hold the moisture and keep humidity high. I use a mixture of coconut coir and sphagnum moss which I keep damp with daily mistings. You will need to keep an eye out for mould, make sure you replace any spoiled substrate promptly.
Heat and Light
A large part of your tortoise is its shell. It may suprise you to learn that the shell is made of fused ribs, in other words the shell is the tortoises ribcage! Therefore the tortoise has to grow a lot of bone and needs the tools to do so. The tortoise needs to be able to turn the calcium in its diet into bone, to do this it use vitamin d3 - which is primarily found in sunlight. In the forest there is less sunlight, but some still does make it to the forest floor. In captivity we need to provide it artifically.
The part of sunlight which provides vitamin d3 is called short wave ultraviolet, or UVB. There are a range of UVB bulbs available to buy. There are long T5 or T8 tube flourescent bulbs, a smaller compact type flourescent bulb with an E27 screw fitting or there are all-in-one Mercury Vapour Bulbs such as the Arcadia D3+ bulb range. UVB does not travel through glass, so putting your tortoise by the window is simply not enough, we must provide these bulbs. Without UVB the tortoise will develop metabolic bone disease and die.
If you choose not to use a mercury vapour bulb, then you will need a additional heat lamp as well as the UVB tube.
An appropriate fitting, such as an Arcadia Clamp Lamp, should be suspended vertically above one end of your tortoise enclosure to enable the tortoise to regulate it's temperature and choose where to bask. This will contain your mercury vapour bulb, or heat lamp if you choose a two-light system. Adjust the height of the bulb so that the temperature at the ground is 32 - 35 degrees celsius.
The light should remain on for between 10 and 12 hours a day to replicate daytime. I recommend using a 24 hour timer plug to automate this process for you.
Be warned, terrariums hold the heat better than Tortoise Tables, so reduce the wattage of any mecury vapour bulbs appropriately for warm species. Some species, such as Burmese Brown Mountain Tortoises, actually prefer things a little cooler. You may find your house is warm enough and only a flourescent tube is required.
A seperate heat bulb and thermostat will regulate the temperature for you.
Water
Tropical tortoises need water and humidity and most will like a good soak. A water dish should be provided which is deep enough for the tortoise to climb in and bathe, but not so deep as it can't get out. Too deep a water dish is a drowning risk. You can use shop bought water bowls, or I like to use roller paint trays for their deep section and grooved ramp which provide grip for your tortoises feet.
A daily misting with a water sprayer will keep humidity high.
Baby tortoises should be bathed by their keeper daily, for 20 minutes, using a tub filled with warm water deep enough to cover the tortoises head if it retracts, but shallow enough that the tortoise can stretch its neck out to breathe. The water should be warm to the hand, but not hot.
Adult tortoises can be bathed weekly.
Tortoises will defecate in the water! This is normal, so remember to change the water in your tortoises bowl daily.
Diet
In the wild, these type of tortoises live in lush rainforests, full of fruit and life. They will graze and consume a fair amount of leafy plant matter and strip all of the nutrients out. It is important to remember to replicate this in captivity. We feed our tortoises a variety of fresh picked weeds, plants and flowers where seasonally available as the bulk of their diet. I recommend you download the "Tortoise Table" App which will tell you which plants are safe to feed and which are not. We then add fruit such as mango, berries, banana etc. and very occasionally, once a month or so we feed protein such as pinkies or my own dinner-ball mix (the recipe is on Facebook!)
I do not recommend commercially bought food. Fresh is always best! In the winter you can supplement their diet with "Mixed Salad Leaves" which is a salad mix available in most supermarkets which doesn't contain spinach or iceberg lettuce (both harmful to tortoises in large quantities).
Sprinkle picked food with a high quality Reptile Vitamin powder every other day and mke sure there is always a piece of cuttlebone for the tortoise to gnaw on, this will provide calcium and keep the beak trim.
Serving the turtles food on a rough dish or piece of slate is another great way to keep their beak in good shape.
The Great Outdoors!
Although from warm tropical countires, durring the hottest part of the summer you can allow these tortoises some time outside. There are some definite health benefits to taking tortoises outside, natural sunlight is the obvious one. When you create an enclosure outside for your tortoise, make it large enough for roaming and make sure it is escape proof. Provide plenty of hiding areas to provide refuge from the summer sun and a water dish. You can plant it with safe plants to be grazed on.
Tortoises can dig, so make sure it has a bottom or the sides go deep into the ground. They can also climb, so add an overhang to the walls. Be wary of rats, cats and foxes as well as your pet dog. All can stress, attack and kill your tortoise.
Do not let your tortoise get too cold, they will likely catch a respiratory infection which can be fatal.
Example Tropical Tortoise Setup
