Care Sheets

Ease of Care: Beginner
• Adult Size: Hermann Tortoise up to 25cm
“ “ Spur-Thighed Tortoise up to 30cm
“ “ Marginated Tortoise up to 35cm
“ “ Horsfield Tortoise up to 25cm
• Life Span: Up to 80 years+
• Diet: Mixed Greens, salads and Dry Tortoise Pellets
• Temperament: Friendly
• Background Temp: 25C-28C.
• HOT Spot: 30C-35C

• Housing: Tortoise Table or Tortoise Vivarium
“ Outdoor Enclosure
• Heating: Heat Lamp
• Lighting: UVB Lighting
• Substrate: Your retailer will advise you
• Water: Shallow Water Dish
. Hide
. Dry Tortoise Pellets
. Multivitamin/Calcium powder
Your retailer will advise on brands of the above which are suitable

• Always select fresh mixed greens and salads
• Stimulate your tortoise’s senses by offering a variety of foods with different colours and smells.
• Try using a cuttle fish bone to increase calcium intake and help to keep the beak trim.
• Try soaking your tortoise in lukewarm water a couple of times a week to help it defecate.

Make sure you fully understand the basic needs of a tortoise regarding temperature and housing. The UK weather and temperature tend to fluctuate and are not stable enough for you to maintain your tortoise outside throughout the summer. At all ages they need both suitable indoor and outdoor enclosures.

The three above species are naturally found in Southern Europe close to the Mediterranean region, where summers are long, hot and mostly dry, and where temperatures can reach 100F+.

Tortoises are reptiles and require heat which they regulate by moving in and out of the sun during the day. Night temperatures are often much lower (around 60F - 70F). A tortoise can maintain a higher body temperature in the wild at night by digging into the soil which has been heated by the sun during the day. Apart from the importance of the temperature, tortoises can be exposed to high levels of ultraviolet light (UVA and UVB) from sunrays which also plays an important role in the health of the tortoise. UVA and UVB help increase appetite, activity and induce reproductive behaviour. It also helps the tortoise produce its own D3 vitamin, which helps absorb and distribute the correct levels of calcium in its body which it needs to maintain healthy growth.

The difference between the weather in the UK and Southern Europe is massive. In the UK, we have on average 1000+ hours of sunshine per year, whereas in Southern Europe there are 2,500-3000+ hours per year. It is quite clear that there is a massive shortfall of sunshine producing both heat and UV (essential to the survival of tortoises) in the UK.

In their natural environment, winters are much shorter and summers much longer than ours. This means that tortoises can be awake and active from the beginning of March until late November, enjoying 9 months of good weather. In the UK, the two most problematic periods of the year are spring and autumn. This is due to unpredictable weather producing fluctuating temperatures; one day it could be warn and sunny and the next day could be raining, frost or even snow. In fact, our weather only starts to settle mid to late May, extending to mid September before night temperature start to drop pushing them back into hibernation. This would only give a tortoise approx 3.5 months of good weather which is considerably less than the 9-month period in their natural habitat. You can now understand that tortoises left outside all summer and hibernating for an unnatural long period of time tend to become ill or die within the first few years. This is why it is so important to have both outdoor and heated indoor enclosures to house them in periods of unstable weather and to increase their summer months.

Hatchlings up to two or three years old (under 10cm - the most popular size), which are the most often purchased and kept as pets, should be kept indoors in an enclosure with a suitable heater connected to a thermostat to maintain an ambient day temperature of 78F-82F, and a basking area creating a hotspot up to 90F. It is important to position the basking lamp at one end of the enclosure so the tortoise can regulate its own body temperature by moving to and from the basking lamp.
Young tortoises can be put outside, but only on warm sunny days and in a safe secure enclosure. Don’t forget that they will need a box to hide in if the sun is too hot, and they must go back in their indoor enclosure at night to avoid the cold wet morning dew which can be very harmful.

Lighting is best provided by a full-spectrum light producing UVA and UVB which should be on for 14 hours a day and off for 10 hours at night to create regular summertime day\night effect.

Another very important issue regarding growth and shell formation: Most hatchling tortoises in captivity are raised in very dry conditions under hot spot lamps and without the possibility of digging into moist soil. Tortoises in the wild bury themselves in lightly moist soil around bushes and small trees during the hot midday sun and at night to sleep. This means approximately 15 out of 24 hours being burred in lightly moist soil. As a result, wild tortoises have perfectly formed smooth shells, whereas many captive bred and raised hatchlings have a pyramiding affect to the carapace (domed part of the shell), which has long been thought to be related to high protein in their diet.

In fact the pyramiding is a direct result of hatchling not being able to find lightly moist soil to dig into and not being able to spend long hours absorbing the moisture through the shell. Within your enclosure at the cool end, you should provide a plastic box with a lid and a hole in the side with moist moss or sand and soil mix to allow them to get into and bury themselves. It is also very important not to allow the rest of the enclosure to become wet as moisture should be contained to the box creating a microclimate. The rest of the enclosure should be kept warm and dry.

Although commonly known as garden tortoises, they are not suitable to be left outside day and night without some form of protection. Tortoises from approx 10cm+ can live outside during the summer months only when the weather is good. A well-ventilated greenhouse or cold frame for plants with easy access to an outside pen are perfect. They provide protection from the rain and wind and create Mediterranean temperatures even on the slightest sunny day.

The outdoor enclosure should have shaded and covered areas for protection from sudden changes of weather and should be covered with netting to protect the tortoise from predators. It's very important to have shaded areas both inside and outside where the tortoise can hide during the day if the temperature is too hot and also to sleep during the night. Fresh water should be made available by sinking a shallow tray into the ground to give easy access, as many tortoises like to bath as well as drink.

Water plays a major part in a tortoises diet as well as food itself. Tortoises can get the majority of fluid from the food they eat and from absorbing moisture when being burried in moist soil, thus reducing the amount of water they need to drink. Diet, their organism and the conditions in which they are kept will influence how much water needs to be made available at all times.

Water left in a dish in a warm enclosure can become fouled by the tortoise and become a breeding ground for bacteria as they love to bath in warm water and foul in it. For health reasons, it is best to provide a shallow dish of fresh water daily as a bath, by placing the tortoise into the water for five minutes or so. This will give them enough time to drink if they wish before they foul it. It can then be removed to prevent any harmful bacteria from building up during the day.

Food should be offered once a day in the morning, and removed an hour later to avoid unpleasant smells as food will start to deteriorate in the heated enclosure. Regardless of the type of food offered, you should supplement the diet daily with a multivitamin/calcium powder which is sprinkled onto the food. This will help bone growth and general good health and prevent common illnesses.

It is essential to provide a mixture in a tortoise's diet and never let a tortoise consume large quantities of any one food item. Some food items are better than others but only when eaten in moderation. No single food item should be fed as it will cause a serious problem. There are also many dried tortoise diets on the market which have been used for many years now with excellent results.

Any reputable pet shop should be able to provide answers on how often the Mediterranean Tortoise is being fed and what foods it enjoys to eat most.

5-point animal health check:
1. Make sure that the animal is alert and responsive. Tortoises will naturally withdraw into their shells when handled, but they should eventually come back out and be aware of their surroundings.
2. The mouth should be clear of any thick mucus. There should be no bubbling from the nostrils or wheezing, rattling sounds which could signal a respiratory infection.
3. The Tortoise should be able to easily open its eyes, which should be bright, clean and clear.
4. The Mediterranean Tortoise should have a clean and crack-free shell.
5. It should be of good weight; avoid if it feels unnaturally light.

Any tortoise offered for sale which requires an Article 10 Certificate will be microchipped and should therefore have specimen specific paperwork available. This must be given to the customer at the time of the transaction. If there is no paperwork available for the tortoise do not purchase. Once the tortoise has been purchased, this paperwork should be kept in a safe place until required.
The exception is with the Horsfield Tortoises which does not require microchipping or a certificate issued by APHA. In this case, a certificate of Legal Acquisistion will be issued instead by Zoological International.