Diet
The Horsfield and Mediterranean species diet should be made up of leafy greens and flowers.
Weeds are actually their natural and ideal diet, so most people will be able to feed their tortoise for free all year long. You can also buy weed seeds to plant if you don’t have many growing naturally or want more variety.
They can also eat some pretty non-weed plants that many people already have in their gardens or can buy from a garden center. If you buy a plant from a garden center, take off as much of its dirt as you can, plant it in the ground or in plain topsoil, then wait six months before feeding it to your tortoise. Those six months will give the plant time to get any chemicals or fertilizers that may harm your tortoise out of its system. Similarly, do not feed your tortoise flowers from a florist as they are usually full of chemicals.
In an emergency, you can find some food for them at the supermarket. Look for Florette Crispy, endive, dandelion greens, lamb’s lettuce, escarole, frisee, romaine, or radicchio. Stuff from the store isn’t as good as fresh weeds from your yard/garden, but it’s ok for short-term emergencies.
When in doubt, The Tortoise Table is an excellent resource for finding out what your tortoise can and can’t eat. If you know the name of a plant and want to know if your tortoise can have it, type it into the Tortoise Table. It will tell you if they can have it, what parts of it they can have, and how much of it they can have. If you do not know the name of the plant, you can also search plants by flower color. You can also search a list of weeds and houseplants. Just be aware that The Tortoise Table is for all tortoise species, so not everything on it applies to every species. For Horsfields and Mediterranean species, you will want to avoid all fruits and vegetables as well as pellet foods from the pet shop.
It is a good idea to put your tortoise’s food on a bit of slate as that will help to keep his beak from getting too long. The food should also be lightly dusted with Calci-Dust or limestone flour 5 days a week and with Nutrobal or Nekton MSA 2 days a week.
The Indoor Enclosure
Many people keep their tortoises in glass vivariums, but that is not recommended for Horsfields or Med species.
Vivariums are usually too small, too hot, and too humid. Enclosures for adults should be at least 6 feet by 3 feet. The bigger, the better. They need it hot under their basking lamp during the day, but they also need a cool spot. Vivariums make it difficult to have a spot that is cool enough for them. Horsfields and Med species may benefit from a humid hide, which you can make by putting a glass or terracotta pot on its side and filling it with moss. But they do not benefit from the overall humidity that most vivariums create.
Horsfields and Med species don’t usually do well with enclosures that they can see out of. When a tortoise can see out of his enclosure, he will want to explore. When he wants to explore, he will try to walk through the glass. This often leads to him repeatedly bumping into the glass and getting confused and stressed.
A large and well-ventilated enclosure with sides he cannot see out of is best. Most of the pre-built ones are too small, so you may need to make your own. Some people even use a large bookcase or wardrobe by removing the shelves, laying it on its back, and lining it with something waterproof (like a pond liner).
A water dish should always be in the enclosure, even if you never see them drink from it. The dish should be shallow, wide enough for your tortoise to completely climb into, and cleaned out and refilled daily.
Substrate
There is a lot of sand in the soil where these species come from. But, in artificial conditions, sand has been linked to some health issues, so it’s usually best avoided indoors. Topsoil or topsoil mixed with coco coir is best. Get it from your yard or a garden center. Make sure it is plain sterilized topsoil with no fertilizers or compost. Avoid things like Tortoise Life that pet shops sell. They may look like topsoil, but they’re not. They have little white bits in them, which tortoises like to eat and which can cause blockages.
Lighting/Temperature
Tortoises need heat, light, and UV during the day. You can use one bulb that does it all or you can use separate bulbs for heat and UV. Make sure your UV bulb gives off UVB, not just UVA.
The temperature under the basking lamp should be about 31C/88F. There should also be a cool spot of about 20C/68F.
Turn the lights off at night. As long as your tortoise doesn’t get below about 13C for an adult or 15C for a hatchling, then he will not need additional nighttime heat. If it does get colder than that in his enclosure, then you will want something like a ceramic heat emitter (CHE) that gives off heat but no light and can be hooked up to a thermostat. Avoid red colored bulbs and coil shaped bulbs.
Heat bulbs can be raised or lowered as needed. Check the manufacturer’s recommendations on the box, check the temperature under the bulb, and make sure the bulb is at least 30cm/12 inches above the tortoise’s shell.
Outdoor Enclosure
An outdoor enclosure with at least 10 feet by 10 feet of total space is very important for a tortoise. The enclosure should have solid walls that your tortoise can’t see through. Tortoises are good diggers, so putting down pavers with small gaps for drainage, then putting topsoil over that is a great way to prevent your tortoise from digging down too far. Also make sure that he cannot climb the walls and get out. A shed or greenhouse with heat is a great addition to an outdoor enclosure and means that your tortoise can stay out even more. A mesh covering over the top will help keep other animals out.
Soaking
Hatchlings should be soaked every day for about 20 minutes. The water should be warm and should come up to about where their top shell meets their bottom shell. If you get an adult tortoise, soak him every day for the first couple weeks that you have him. After that, adults should be soaked two to three times a week.
Keeping Multiple Tortoises
A lot of people want to get their tortoise a friend. They assume he can’t possibly be happy on his own. But most tortoises are solitary, and they can even be aggressively territorial. As a result, they don’t usually do well in pairs. They are usually much happier on their own or in groups with no more than one male and with multiple females. Every new tortoise coming into the group should be kept completely separate for at least one year of quarantine before meeting any of the other tortoises. Never let tortoises of different species meet.
Illnesses/Health Concerns
Respiratory infections can get very serious very fast. So it’s wise to schedule a vet appointment if your tortoise is sneezing or if you see snot/bubbles from his nose.
Parasites are very common in tortoises. So it’s wise to get a worm count done regularly. Do not worm your tortoise unless he tests positive for worms, and do not try to worm him without contacting a vet to get the correct dose of the correct treatment.
Tortoises have bacteria in their digestive tract. Different types of tortoises have different types of bacteria. Introducing two different types of tortoises can also introduce them to different types of bacteria, can make them sick and is therefore not recommended.
Tortoises should never be allowed to meet other pets, especially dogs. Dogs often chew on tortoises, so dog related injuries and deaths are very common.
Your tortoise should also not be allowed to roam the house freely. Not only will he not get the heat and UV that he needs while roaming the house, he will be vulnerable to dogs, to cats, to getting stepped on, dust, hair, chemical floor cleaners, etc.
Hibernation
(Not all tortoises are hibernating species, so double check first! The following only applies to hibernating species)
In captivity, some tortoise keepers hibernate their tortoises and some do not. But we still don’t know what the long-term effects of never hibernating them is. So if your tortoise is a good weight, is healthy, and has been with you for at least one year, then hibernation is recommended.
Hibernation temperatures should be between 3C/37F and 7C/44F. Between 4C/39F and 5C/41F is ideal for most species; Horsfields like it a bit cooler around 3C/37F.
The fridge method of hibernation is the safest. With a refrigerator, you can keep your tortoise at a safe and steady temperature. You can also be sure that he is safe from other animals (rats have been known to chew on and severely injure hibernating tortoises that are not in refrigerators).
It is recommended that you use a refrigerator that does not have a freezer and that you set the refrigerator up at least a few weeks in advance to monitor it and keep an eye on the temperatures. If there is a lot of empty space in the refrigerator, fill it with bottles of water (but don’t fill it to the point that you restrict airflow). This will help stabilize the temperature. Also be aware that most fridges are meant to be kept indoors and at room temperature. If you keep them somewhere very cold (like a shed or garage), they may not be able to keep a stable temperature.
You will need to wind your tortoise down before putting him in the fridge. Tortoises naturally slow down and eat less before hibernation, and the wind down period is basically just you helping to make that process goes as perfectly as possible.
The weekly wind down guide below is for an adult tortoise. If you have a juvenile, do all the same steps but do them over 5 days rather than over a week. If you have a hatchling under 35 gram, hibernation is not recommended.
Week 1: Stop feeding your tortoise. That may sound cruel, but it’s actually extremely important to have your tortoise’s digestive tract cleared out before hibernation. Soak him daily to help clear out his digestive tract. Keep him warm and keep his lights on for 12 hours a day as usual. This is also a good time to start setting up and monitoring your hibernation refrigerator if you haven’t already.
Week 2: Continue to not feed him. Continue to soak him every day or two. Cut his lights down to 8 hours a day. If he is still pooping regularly this week, then repeat this process a little longer.
Week 3: Continue to not feed your tortoise. Keep soaking him. Once he has stopped pooping regularly, decrease his heat and light down to 4 hours a day.
Week 4: Continue to not feed. Turn off the lights and heat. Keep your tortoise in a cool room, around 10C/50F degrees. Towards the end of the week, give your tortoise a bath and dry him off. If he does not poop, then continue on with no heat, lights, or food in the 10C/50F degree room. After a couple of days, put him in his hibernation box. A plastic box with air holes, some topsoil, and enough room for your tortoise to turn around is ideal. If you have multiple tortoises, use multiple boxes. Now he’s ready to go in the refrigerator. If he did poop during his last bath, then give him a few more days before putting him in his box.
During hibernation, open the refrigerator door every day to get some fresh air in there. Take your tortoise out every week to check him. Make sure his eyes and nose look clear. Make sure he’s not losing too much weight (a tortoise should not lose more than 10% of their body weight during hibernation, and any loss should be gradual). Make sure there is no swelling or other unusual signs. Make sure he moves a bit when touched. Make sure he has not lost too much fluid by urinating.
If all looks well, quickly put him back in the fridge. Continue to open the fridge daily, and let your tortoise stay in there for up to 18 weeks.
If all does not look well, wake him up.
When you’re ready to wake him up, take him out of the fridge, but keep him in his box. Do not put him near light or heat. Instead, let him warm up gradually. Juvenile tortoises usually warm up and are ready to come out of their box after about 10 minutes. Adults take about an hour.
If your tortoise hibernated all winter with no problem, then when you take your tortoise out of his box, place him near, but not directly under, his heat lamp. Let him walk directly under it if and when he is ready to. This will be less shocking to his body, and it will also let you know that is walking normally and will therefore be able to get away from the heat when he is ready to as well. Once he has warmed up, give him a warm 20 minute bath. Bathe him twice a day for the first few days after waking up.
Food can then be offered. If your tortoise has not eaten within one week of waking him, take him to the vet.
If you will not be hibernating your tortoise, then feed him, bathe him, and keep his lights on as usual (on all day, off all night) throughout the winter.
