Housing Tortoises Indoors

Once you decide on owning a tortoise and before they arrive, you should set up a proper indoor habitat/enclosure. You’re looking for a controlled environment. This is easily accomplished with an aquarium, terrarium or any custom-built enclosure. The size of the species will determine what size enclosure you should need. For example, hatchlings can be housed in a thirty-gallon enclosure whereas an adult Russian should be housed in at least a 3ft by 5ft space. A controlled environment is needed so you can maintain constant temperatures and humidity levels. A thermometer/hygrometer or temperature gun should be purchased before the tortoise arrives as well.

As for the substrate or ground cover, you are looking for something that will retain moisture and also provide a firm footing for the tortoises to walk around on and gain strength. Here at A.T.C. we personally use Repti-bark mixed with Repti-soil. There is a lot of different mediums you can use. The substrate should be at least an inch thick within the enclosure. Freezing the substrate first will kill any bacteria, bugs or parasites that may already be living in the soil. On one end of the enclosure place a hide or a spot for them to sleep and feel safe under/in. Then on the opposite side place a shallow water dish in the substrate so the tortoise can walk in freely. Keep the water level shallow, so if the hatchling flips over in the water dish it will not drown. Also place a small flat tile in the center of the enclosure for a food plate. Feeding off of a food plate will help the tortoise not consume any substrate. Keep the light on the side of the enclosure where the water is located and place your heating bulb on the side where the tortoise’s home is. Turn on your lights, heaters and also fill up the water dish. Take a reading from your meter and see what the temperature and humidity levels are at for a full twenty-four hours before your tortoise arrives. Temperature levels should range from 88*-95*on the warm side and the opposite side of the enclosure should be room temp around 75*-80*. The tortoises will be able to walk around within the enclosure and control their body temps as they see fit. Humidity should be 50 to 80%. High humidity is perfect if proper temperature levels are maintained. In the evenings the tortoises can cool down, providing the following morning they are able to warm back up. Being cold-blooded animals, they need to be warm for their bodies to digest and function properly.

If you would like to make your set up look a little nicer just add some edible plants, a few sticks or rocks for them to exercise and crawl over. Keep a spray bottle handy to spray down the set up and tortoise when humidity levels drop. Change out the water dish daily as well as cleaning out the enclosure and food dish. Once your tortoise shows up, you’re ready to put them in their new home. Their food plate should be the most colorful thing in their enclosure with a wide variety of greens, flowers and leaves. Hydration is very important the first year of life for tortoises. Soaking them in a shallow dish of lukewarm water for 20 mins at a time is a great idea whenever possible if not once every few days. After the first year, a water dish is good on its own.

Day and night cycles are important for tortoises. Lights should be turn on in the enclosure when you wake up. Lights can be turned off in the evening before you go to bed or a couple of hours before that. Heating can be left on during the evening hours depending on house temperatures. Ideally you do not want them to go lower then 60 degrees. Keeping the tortoises housed two cold and too moist is how they get respiratory problems. When a tortoise is sick, they will have a runny nose, slow down in activity levels and might make a clicking/ wheezing sounds when breathing.