Hello 
I really hope that you find my posts just a little bit helpful and you became even more of a fan of this exotic pet that you already were. I wrote about pet tortoises in general and their diet. Today I’d like to write something about pet tortoises’ environment.
Once again, environment of pet tortoise differs from one species to another. You can keep your pet tortoise indoor or outdoor. But I suggest, that, if it’s possible, you try and provide your pet an indoor and outdoor settlement. That will make her one happy and healthy tortoise!
If you will keep your pet tortoise indoor, you have to provide her a vivarium. You have to make sure it’s big and warm enough for your tortoise. You know, there’s a lot of different species of tortoises and they are different sizes. So your vivarium has to be big enough. Tortoises (as any animal) need space to move. If you don’t have the option to put your pet tortoise outside, you try and provide as happy and big environment as you can inside. Inside vivarium you have to have UVA/UVB lamp to make your pet warm. This is essential for their health. Also they need a space for sleeping and hiding. And of course you have to feed them. If pet tortoise is living outside, she can browse for food herself. But if she’s living in a vivarium you’re the only source of her food. So that’s why make sure you feed her with everything that she needs – it has to be a diverse diet.
Tortoises that are inside all the time, can become depressed and develop a calcium deficiency. So be careful. But don’t get me wrong – you have to be careful of certain things no matter where you keep your pet tortoise. Inside and outside has it’s pros’s and con’s.
If you decide to keep your pet tortoise outside, be careful of other animals. Tortoises are slow animals, and yes, they do have a powerful shell, but that doesn’t mean that they’re invincible! So make sure you have a secure, predator proof pen. And another thing to be careful about: some tortoises are burrower, so they can dig and will free themselves. So keep an eye on them all the time, or make sure they cannot escape (bury your fences in the ground). What kind of protection you’ll have is all up to you. It depends a lot on where you live, how big is your garden or lawn etc. I think it’s better if tortoises are outside, but be careful. It has to be warm enough – day and night. So before you build a shelter for your pet tortoise in an outside environment, make sure it’s warm enough for your kind of tortoise. If you live in a climate where it’s warm at day and cold at night, no problem. Just bring your pet tortoise in for the night. Although, if you have a big tortoise it can be a bit of a challenge to built her an indoor housing.
Tortoises can also be a great climber, so you might need a roofed pen. And make sure there are no dangers in the pen – no poisonous plants, just shallow water and no sharp, small, inedible objects. They can try and climb certain objects and than they tip onto their back, which is not good. And even if they’ re outside they need some kind of shelter, to hide and be warm (if you have a big tortoise, you might actually need a doghouse ).
I know it seems like there’s a lot of work and thing to consider, but once you know which specie you’ll have and where you’ll keep her, it’s half the work done. Remember: they need warmth, enough space, diverse food, shelter and protection from predators. Just educate yourself and you and you’re pet tortoise will be best friends
For the end, I’d just like to advise you or just show you for an example what kinda housing you can buy for them. I have one of those and it’s brilliant. It’s easy to build and my tortoise is having a blast.
And for our UK friends:
Take care
Zoo Med Tortoise Play Pen
