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Taking Care of Pet Tortoises

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Taking Care of Pet Tortoises www.tortoisetrust.org Conservation | Captive breeding | Education | Research TortoiseTrust Taking Care of Pet Tortoises Tortoise Trust The Jill Martin Fund for Tortoise Welfare and BM Tortoise Conservation London www.jillmartintortoise.org WC1N 3XX Registered Charity No. 1123430 www.tortoisetrust.org Introduction Tortoises make very interesting pets, and by keeping them you may be inspired to learn more about their conservation and welfare. They are not, however, particularly easy or low-maintenance animals to keep outside of their natural climatic range. Many tortoises that are bought as pets by inexperienced keepers suffer avoidable health problems and premature mortality. Two of the most frequent problem areas are inadequate housing and diet. This short booklet has been produced by (Testudo marginata ). Although it is not a the Tortoise Trust and the Jill Martin Fund Mediterranean tortoise (it originates in Asia), the for Tortoise Welfare and Conservation to help Russian or Afghan tortoise ( Testudo horsfieldii ) you to avoid some of these common problems has virtually identical husbandry requirements A well-planted outdoor pen complete with and to help you keep your new pet healthy and and therefore the information presented here is mini-greenhouseto provide extra warmth. safe. still relevant. The Tortoise Trust is one of the most If you keep Leopard ( Geochelone pardalis ), respected tortoise organisations in the world, African Spurred tortoises ( Geochelone sulcata ), with three decades of achievement in the Redfoot ( Geochelone carbonaria ), Hingeback field of tortoise research. It has pioneered tortoises ( Kinixys species) or any other tropical many important husbandry and captive species you should consult our separate breeding techniques. The Jill Martin Fund for publications and online resources for guidance. Tortoise Welfare and Conservation is a UK- These tortoises have totally different dietary, Housing based educational charity dedicated to temperature, humidity and housing requirements. promoting the humane treatment and Unlike Mediterranean tortoises, these tropical conservation of tortoises, both in captivity and species do not hibernate over winter. Mediterranean tortoises kept in the UK and Northern Europe in the wild. will normally require a combination of outdoor and indoor We hope that this short introduction to The Tortoise Trust facilities. Indoor facilities alone are rarely adequate and should keeping tortoises as pets will make a positive The Jill Martin Fund for Tortoise Welfare contribution to the welfare of these amazing and and Conservation not be solely relied upon. Tortoises require far more space beautiful animals. We also encourage you to than most reptiles, and do not tend to do well if kept in classic consult the further reading and additional resources provided later, as these cover many of Published by The Tortoise Trust and the vivarium-style enclosures for extended periods. If you cannot the same topics featured here but in much Jill Martin Fund for Tortoise Welfare provide both indoor and outdoor facilities you should greater detail. and Conservation (Registered Charity number This particular guide is primarily directed at 1123430). reconsider keeping a tortoise as a pet. Inadequate housing is keepers of Mediterranean tortoises. This means not only inhumane, but will also result in serious health members of the Spur-thighed ( Testudo graeca and (c) 2008 The Tortoise Trust, Jill Martin Fund, A. C. and Testudo ibera ) group, the Hermann’s tortoise Nadine Highfield. Graphic design by Alastair Place. problems over time. Such problems can be prevented if the (Testudo hermanni) and the Marginated tortoise correct type of housing is provided at the outset. 2 TortoiseTrust Taking Care of Pet Tortoises TortoiseTrust Taking care of pet tortoises 3 Outdoor housing Mediterranean tortoises need a dry and well-drained area with both shade and full sunlight. Tortoises kept on heavy, wet soils or on damp grass are likely to develop respiratory and shell infections over time. A small pen on a lawn is completely inadequate. use contoured surfaces to aid basking and Instead, aim for a very secure enclosure that thermoregulation. In addition, contoured meets the animals need for: surfaces, especially if accompanied by strategically placed rocks and vegetation, are • Safety from attack by predators. Rats, foxes, of great help in allowing a tortoise to get dogs and even large birds can attack and kill onto its feet if it accidentally turns over. tortoises. Juveniles are at particular risk. On flat surfaces they will find that very Ensure no potential predator can ever gain difficult and stressful. It can even be access to your tortoise. Juvenile pens are dangerous if they become inverted in best covered by strong mesh. Attacks by pet full sunshine on a hot day, and death can dogs kill dozens of tortoises every year. Even occur from overheating rapidly in such normally well behaved dogs may suddenly cases. attack a tortoise without warning. It is best to allow no contact at all between dogs and • Secure perimeters to prevent tortoises tortoises. climbing or burrowing out, or predators burrowing in. Many tortoises are excellent • A dry, well-drained substrate that helps climbers, and others can dig deep burrows Outdoor pens for juvenile tortoises. prevent shell and respiratory infections. very quickly. Burying a strong wire mesh beneath the enclosure is highly advisable in • Large tortoises may be allowed to roam Rats, foxes, dogs and even large • Shade to prevent overheating in hot such cases. Take special care in corners, freely in a garden, but do make absolutely birds can attack and kill tortoises. weather. which are often implicated in escapes. All certain that all perimeters really are 100% Juveniles are at particular risk. perimeter walls should be at least twice as secure and that there are no toxic plants or Ensure no potential predator can • Shelter from rain and cold in bad weather. high as the largest tortoise is long, and it is garden chemicals in use that present a best if all perimeters are completely opaque hazard. ever gain access to your tortoise. • Sufficient space to permit normal behaviour and solid, as tortoises will spend hours trying and adequate exercise. All pens should to get through any barrier that they can see It is an excellent idea to provide a ‘tortoise offer a range of micro habitats including through. conservatory’ in all enclosures. One simple design daily thermoregulation cycle. This creates a kind shady plants, rocks, open basking areas resembles a small cloche or gardener’s cucumber of mini-greenhouse, and temperatures within and a good selection of edible vegetation. • Enclosures can be constructed of a variety of frame. Based on a strong, rot-proof wooden such a unit can easily be up to 10 Celsius Toxic plants should be excluded from materials. Concrete blocks, stone, brick or frame and featuring a tough polycarbonate warmer than temperatures outside. This can all tortoise enclosures. Ideally, these habitats treated timbers are all suitable. For smaller transparent roof, this type of unit can make a make a huge difference to feeding and overall will provide a variety of slopes and contours tortoises and juveniles, ready made items major difference to the overall health of any health. as tortoises should not be restricted to such as children’s sandpits can be easily Mediterranean tortoise. No artificial heat is needed, as even on wet flat surfaces exclusively. Tortoises like to adapted to provide very secure and attractive The tortoise can enter and leave this unit at and overcast days, this unit will be dry and much create ‘scrapes’ and burrows, and they also housing options. will, and it will quickly learn to use it in its warmer than exposed areas outside. 4 TortoiseTrust Taking care of pet tortoises TortoiseTrust Taking care of pet tortoises 5 By far the most satisfactory type of indoor housing for juveniles and small tortoises is wh at is known as the ‘tortoise table’ design. Indoor housing In Northern Europe, some form of indoor housing will invariably be required from time to time, even in summer. That said, whenever possible, outdoor habitats should be used as often as the weather permits. Poor quality and inappropriate indoor housing is a frequent cause of ill health and a major contributor to developmental disorders in juveniles. If the indoor housing fails to provide adequate really do not respond well (as mentioned space, or if temperature ranges and ventilation are previously) to barriers that they can see inadequate, tortoises will become highly stressed through. Given that there are far better options and far more likely to succumb to respiratory and available, we see no reason at all why this type other serious infections. It is therefore extremely of enclosure should be used with important that the accommodation employed Mediterranean tortoises. meets all the animal’s critical physiological and Tortoises kept in such units often display environmental needs. The least satisfactory form high levels of stress, are frequently lethargic, of housing for Mediterranean tortoises indoors in and have far higher rates of respiratory the opinion of the Tortoise Trust consists of and developmental problems than animals enclosed glass ‘fish-tank’ or reptile style vivaria as reared in more spacious and better ventilated used for snakes or lizards. enclosures. The main problems with such units are the By far the most satisfactory type of indoor high cost for the very limited floor space housing for juveniles and small tortoises is what Tortoise Table habitats provided, their weight and fragility, the typically is known as the ‘tortoise table’ design. This type as used and recommended by the Tortoise Trust poor ventilation and temperature gradients that of enclosure offers many important advantages can be achieved, and the fact that tortoises over traditional ‘tank style’ habitats: 6 TortoiseTrust Taking care of pet tortoises TortoiseTrust Taking care of pet tortoises 7 By allowing for adequate exercise the risk of respiratory and bone Substrates made of hemp, bark, commercial reptile sand or wood chips development problems is reduced.
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