Tortoises are wonderful, long-lived companions, but they're frequently kept in enclosures that are far too small and poorly equipped. A glass tank is almost never suitable. This guide covers proper indoor and outdoor housing to keep a tortoise healthy for the decades it will live.
Why Not a Glass Tank?
Tortoises don't understand glass; they see through it and pace endlessly trying to walk past the barrier, which causes chronic stress. Glass tanks also trap stale air and humidity. The standard indoor solution is an open-topped tortoise table.
Indoor Housing: The Tortoise Table
- Use an open-topped wooden table or large enclosure; bigger is always better, and the minimum should be generous
- Provide a deep substrate (such as a topsoil and sand mix) that allows digging
- Set up a basking lamp at one end over a flat basking stone, with a cooler end opposite
- Install correct, strong UVB across the basking area
- Add a hide, a shallow water dish big enough to soak in, and edible plants for grazing
💡 Pro tip: UVB is non-negotiable for tortoises. Without it they can't process calcium and will develop a deformed, pyramided shell and metabolic bone disease.
Heating and Lighting
- Basking spot temperature suited to your species (commonly around 32–35°C for Mediterranean tortoises)
- A cooler end so the tortoise can thermoregulate
- Replace UVB bulbs every 6–12 months
- Maintain a consistent day/night cycle and switch heat off at night (room temperature is usually fine)
Outdoor Housing
In suitable weather, time outdoors in natural sunlight is fantastic for tortoises; real sun provides the best UVB of all.
- Build a secure, predator-proof pen with walls the tortoise cannot climb or see through, and a dig-proof base
- Provide both sunny and shaded areas so it can cool down
- Include a hide and a shallow water dish
- Plant or offer edible grazing plants
- Never leave a tortoise outdoors unsupervised in cold, wet, or very hot weather
Common Mistakes
- Using a glass tank or an enclosure that's far too small
- Skipping UVB or letting an old bulb run past its useful life
- Feeding fruit or high-protein foods (causes shell deformities)
- No shaded retreat outdoors, risking overheating
- Not researching the specific species' needs; they vary widely
Find UVB lighting, basking lamps, substrate, and reptile supplies in our Reptile range.
