Introduction

They originate from the Northern shores of the Mediterranean & spread northwards into central Europe in arid, rocky hills & scrubland. European tortoises are protected by EU & global law. Only captive bred ones should be bought & they must be sold with an Article 10 Exemption Certificate which should be kept for their lifetime. They are the ideal tortoise for the first time keeper being fairly hardy & doing well in our climate with a little extra care & attention at certain times of the year. They are quite sociable & easy to handle. Their lifespan is 70 years or more.

Housing & Bedding

Hatchlings & young tortoises can be housed indoors in a Terrarium or an open topped container; on warm days they appreciate access to a sunny outside pen. Hatchlings housed inside are best kept on newspaper, bark chips or beech chips that are easily change when soiled. They also require some form of hide, which can be as simple as a handful of hay, for burrowing into to help them feel secure. Adults, kept outside in a secure wooden pen, should have access to full sun with retreat areas to give shade & security. They should be brought inside in winter & hibernated in a box if appropriate. A mix of ground surfaces is appreciated by tortoises with a small paved area & an area of grass with shade & cover provided by low growing shrubs. An over night box filled with hay gives protection from rain & cold so should be easily accessed by your tortoise. A well thought out tortoise pen is an attractive addition to any garden

Heating

For hatchlings indoors, a backround temperature of about 70°F (21°C) with an overhead heat bulb 15-30cm above your tortoise, providing a basking spot of about 90°F (32°C) at one end of the housing is ideal. Ensure your tortoise can move away from the basking area & sit in a cooler area of the cage if it wishes. The basking lamp, such as Sunglo Daylight Basking Lamp, is necessary to mimic the heat of the sun & should be left on for 13 hours a day. Any electric heating device must be controlled by an appropriate thermostat and a thermometer at each end of the Terrarium to monitor the warm & cool area is advisable. Adults, housed outside, require no additional heating if the pen gets full sun for all or part of the day. You could, however, use a sheet of glass over part of the pen to maximise the heat of the sun. Remember that they must also have an area of shade to retreat into as required.

Lighting

Tortoises need UVA & UVB light for healthy shell & bone growth. Outside they will get this naturally from the sun but for tortoises housed inside a fluorescent UVB source, such as Repti-Glo 5.0 is essential. These must be replaced every year, even though they appear fine all fluorescent bulbs lose their UV radiation within a year. The daylight basking lamp should also be used as above.

Humidity

Humidity should be avoided because a damp habitat can increase the risk of breathing problems. Water spillages should be mopped up & the housing well ventilated, with no draughts.

Water

A shallow dish of water must be available at all times for your tortoise to drink from & bathe in as it wishes. The dish must be carefully selected to avoid frequent spillages, which would increase the humidity. It is also important to make sure the tortoise can get in a& out of the dish easily. An Exo-Terra water dish is ideal. A tortoise will enjoy being given an occasional 10 minute bath in tepid water.

Diet & Feeding

Tortoises are herbivores & should not be fed any meat product or derivative. Ideally you should pick fresh food, that has not been treated with any chemical, daily from your garden. Dandelions leaves flowers & stalks are a staple food but you should also offer plantain, clover, convolvulus & honey suckle. Cabbage, kale, cucumber, courgette, watercress & occasionally tomatoes & kiwis etc. will also be taken by you tortoise. Please check before offering plants that they are not poisonous! All food should be washed in cold water to make certain there is no chemical residue. Calcium carbonate (limestone flour) & a good vitamin/ mineral supplement should be added to food items.

Hibernation

Tortoises will hibernate for several months over winter (longer as they get older). Their heart rate & breathing drop considerably at this time. It is vital that tortoises are only allowed to hibernate if they are completely healthy & have enough body reserves to last the winter or they will die. There are recognised length: weight ratios to help work this out. Ideally they should be checked by a vet or reptile expert before deciding to hibernate them. They should be hibernated in an insulated wooden box, kept at about 5°C with a max/min thermometer to check the temperature. It must never reach freezing. It is vital to get detailed information about how to hibernate them & what to do when they wake up, to avoid serious health problems.