Tortoises

Considering getting a tortoise? Our experts are always on hand to help

Species Stocked

Horsfield's Tortoises

Mediterranean Spur-Thighed Tortoises

Hermann's Tortoises

Red Footed Tortoises

Leopards Tortoises

Sulcata Tortoises

The Horsfield's Tortoise is a lively tortoise that grows to a manageable size, and is therefore an ideal 'starter' tortoise. Spur-Thighs and Hermann's are CITES protected so they require DEFRA paperwork when purchased and sold, and can therefore be slightly more expensive. Red and Yellow Footed, Leopard and Sulcata tortoises do not hibernate, and grow much larger. In particular, the Leopard and Sulcata, once fully grown, require specialist housing in terms of enclosure size, UV and heating requirements and can therefore be costly to keep.

Keeping Tortoises

Tortoises require ventilated, secure housing such as a vivarium or tortoise table. They are ectothermic, in that they cannot regulate their own body temperature and must rely on the surrounding temperature to heat up their body. Warming up their body enables them to move and find food, digest that food and metabolise the nutrients effectively, keeping them healthy and enabling them to grow.

A heat source is required to provide this, and this is positioned at one end of the housing; a ceramic heater attached to a thermostat is best as it does not emit light, and can therefore be kept on overnight to prevent any dramatic temperature drops at night time. This also provides a 'thermogradient' in the housing, where there is a 'warmer' end with a basking spot directly underneath the heat source, and a 'cooler' end away from the heat source. If you provide sufficient hides throughout, your tortoise can move around at will to warm up or cool down, thereby regulating their own body temperature.

Tortoises also require a UV tube positioned 6-12" above floor level, to mimic the UV light of the sun. This enables your tortoise to produce vitamin D (much the same as humans do) which helps them to absorb calcium from their diet, helping them to grow and maintain a healthy skeletal system and shell. Without a suitable UV source, they can develop a potentially fatal condition called metabolic bone disease. UV light also dramatically affects feeding behaviour, maintains a healthy immune system and enables the tortoise to utilize their food properly.

UV tubes do not give out heat, and should be kept on for 12 hours to mimic a natural sleep-wake cycle, and switched off at night time. Although they continue to give out light, their UV output will drop to a negligable level after 9-12 months, when they should be changed. 

Hibernation

We provide a hibernation service for tortoises that are of a suitable age, size and weight to hibernate, and are healthy. Please call for further details or advice on how to hibernate your tortoise safely and correctly.

Beak and Nail Trimming

We provide a beak and nail trimming service for tortoises - please call the store and book an appointment with either Steve or Becky.  

NO TORTOISE SPECIES IS SUITABLE TO LIVE IN THE GARDEN (SEE 'GARDEN TORTOISE MYTH' BELOW)

Please note: We do not sell tortoises to  customers that do not have the correct set-up. If you buy the set-up from us, we know that you have the correct equipment to keep your new tortoise healthy. If you purchase your set-up elsewhere, you will need to provide evidence of your set-up and temperatures, and to purchase any additional equipment from us if necessary. If you find the exact same product elsewhere for cheaper or on-line, please speak to us as we will do our best to match the price where possible. 

For more information on caring for tortoises, please drop us a line at info@petaholicsltd.co.uk and we can send you a care sheet,

or call us and a member of our team will be able to help if you have any questions or concerns about your tortoise or your set-up.

The 'Garden Tortoise' Myth

Between 1946 and 1984, over 6 million tortoises were imported in to the UK, 20 million into Europe. They mainly lived in people's gardens and hibernated during our long winter months, with no care sheet provided for their husbandry and very little known about their needs. 80% of these tortoises died; the average life-span of the remaining few was about 3 years.

Why did this happen?

These imported tortoises required temperatures of around 85-95 F and between 2500-3500 hours per year of sunlight (UV light) in order to stimulate sufficient eating, digestion and metabolism of that food, as well as to absorb sufficient calcium from their diet to both grow and maintain a healthy skeletal and muscle system.

For those species that hibernate, their maximum hibernation in their native habitat would be 2-3 months.

The UK has an average of around 1403 hours of sunlight per year,  a temperature range of 64-77 F in the summer down to 42 F in the winter, and long, cold winters.

Our climate did not allow tortoises to eat and metabolise enough food or calcium so they lacked sufficient energy stores to see them through the long winter hibernation. Many became ill after awakening from the extended hibernation, suffering severe malnutrition with severely depressed immune systems, some blinded from frost or having lost limbs to hungry rats whilst asleep. 

If you keep your tortoise in the garden year-round and it is more than 20 years old, you are just VERY LUCKY! Your tortoise is unlikely to be in good health, despite appearances, and will not live its full and long life-span.