While tortoise species vary in their suitability as pets, one thing is clear: Russian tortoises (Testudo horsfieldii) are certainly contenders for the title of “best” pet tortoise.
Small, hardy, and amusing Russian tortoises make fantastic pets for the right owners. However, even though they’re often undemanding captives, these tortoises still require proper care and – above all else – a suitable habitat.
Read all you need to know to create an ideal Russian tortoise enclosure. I’ll lay out their space needs, provide tips for establishing a proper thermal environment, and help you decide whether you should maintain your tortoise indoors or outdoors.
Understanding Russian Tortoises
As when maintaining any animal, you must begin by understanding the basics of the species. This includes not only their biology but their natural habitat, too.
Russian Tortoises: Basic Biology
Hatching at a length of about 1 inch, Russian tortoises never get very large by tortoise standards. Most adults reach about 5 to 8 inches in length, though exceptional specimens may grow nearly 10 inches long. Females typically reach larger sizes than males.
Russian tortoises are technically omnivorous, as they will consume the odd insect or bit of carrion. However, broad-leafed plant matter — primarily weeds and grass — makes up the majority of their diet in the wild.
Russian tortoises dig long burrows in the wild, in which they’ll spend much of their time. These burrows serve as a refuge from predators, inclement weather, and temperature extremes. Russian tortoises generally brumate (the reptilian equivalent of hibernation) for three to five months, though they may occasionally remain inactive for as long as nine months.
Natural Habitat Overview
Russian tortoises are native to a large portion of southwest Asia, encompassing parts of Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and eastern China. This region is dominated by a vast grassy plain known as the West Asian Steppe (which is why these tortoises are sometimes called Asian steppe tortoises).
This region experiences brief, hot summers and long, bitterly cold winters. The overall relative humidity is low during all seasons, and rainfall is relatively rare.
Indoor vs. Outdoor Habitats
The first thing you’ll need to consider before setting up the ideal Russian tortoise habitat is whether you want to maintain your tortoise indoors or outdoors. Both approaches have their merits and drawbacks, which I’ve outlined below.
Note that many keepers find it easiest to embrace both approaches to ensure proper year-round care for their Russian tortoise. They keep their pets indoors during cold weather or inclement temperatures while allowing them to enjoy the benefits of outdoor life when conditions and circumstances allow.
Advantages and Challenges of Indoor Habitats
There are myriad advantages to establishing an indoor habitat for your Russian tortoise, which is why the majority of keepers choose this route.
The most notable benefit of indoor habitats for Russian tortoises is that you can completely control the temperature and humidity levels. Additionally, it’s easier to spend time observing and caring for your pet indoors, and you don’t have to worry about predators (except, potentially, other pets).
On the other hand, there are two key challenges that indoor habitats present: You’ll have to install full-spectrum lighting thanks to the lack of natural sunlight, and you probably won’t be able to offer as much space to your pet as you would outside.
Advantages and Challenges of Outdoor Habitats
In contrast to indoor habitats, outdoor tortoise accommodations usually do not require full-spectrum lighting (unless you live very far from the equator). This is a significant benefit, as the sun not only outperforms commercially manufactured full-spectrum lights, but it does so for free!
Additionally, in many cases, outdoor habitats allow you to forego heating devices, though you’ll have to provide shaded retreats so your pet can escape the sun. Outdoor enclosures also allow you to avoid pet-related odors in your home.
But as with indoor habitats, outdoor habitats also exhibit a number of challenges. Your tortoise will be exposed to inclement weather and temperature extremes, as well as predators. You’ll also need to prevent your pet from tunneling to freedom in an outdoor enclosure. This means ensuring that the enclosure walls penetrate at least 12 inches below ground level.
Types of Russian Tortoise Enclosures
Whether you decide to maintain your Russian tortoise indoors or outdoors, you’ll have to provide a suitable habitat. There are a few different options available, including the following:
- Tortoise tubs and tables: Commercially manufactured tortoise tubs and tables are quickly becoming the preferred choice of many keepers, thanks to their affordable pricing, convenient design, and accessibility. Most are designed for indoor use, but there are some designed for outdoor applications.
- Front-opening reptile cages: Designed for indoor use, these habitats work well, though the large glass doors may cause problems for tortoises, who will attempt to “dig” through the transparent material. These enclosures are often expensive, but they’re quite space-efficient for keepers with large collections.
- Improvised, container-style housing: Ranging from plastic storage containers to livestock tanks to children’s swimming pools, these options are generally affordable. However, you’ll almost always have to modify them to make them suitable for tortoise maintenance. Some of these designs will work outdoors, and most will work indoors.
- Custom-built enclosures: The only choice for many tortoise keepers who maintain large species, custom-built enclosures can also be a wise choice for those keeping smaller species, such as Russian tortoises. Custom enclosures are nice in that you can customize them to your space and circumstances, but you’ll obviously have to invest considerable time and effort to build them.
Essential Elements of a Russian Tortoise Habitat
Russian tortoises can make great pets, providing they are cared for and provided with the right environment. This includes things like providing a sufficient amount of space and utilizing a suitable substrate, as well as providing the proper temperatures, humidity level, and lighting.
Russian Tortoise Space Requirements
One of the most challenging aspects of tortoise husbandry is providing sufficient space; many tortoise species grow quite large and necessitate gigantic enclosures. Russian tortoises, however, have relatively modest space requirements thanks to their small size and moderate activity levels.
At a minimum, you’ll want to establish a habitat that provides at least 8 to 16 square feet of space for adults (young tortoises can remain in small enclosures for the first few years of their lives). If you like, you can keep two tortoises in an enclosure of this size, but you’ll want to increase the available space with every subsequent individual added.
Substrate Selection for Russian Tortoises
A variety of substrates can work well for Russian tortoises. The key is to select one that is reptile-safe, easy to clean, and unlikely to be consumed (either purposefully or accidentally). When possible, it is also strongly preferable to provide a substrate that will support a burrow.
A few of the most common things keepers choose include natural soil, a custom-blended mix of soils, various mulches (including, most notably, cypress mulch or orchid bark), or any number of commercially produced tortoise substrates. Newspaper is also acceptable for brief periods, though it shouldn’t be used over the long term.
Temperature and Humidity for Your Russian Tortoise Habitat
Satisfying your tortoise’s temperature requirements will require the use of some type of overhead heating device, such as a heat lamp or radiant heat panel (heating devices that provide heat from below the enclosure can also be used, but they should be considered supplemental). Lamps are generally more affordable, while radiant heat panels allow for more precise temperature control.
Whatever type of device you choose, you’ll want to establish a thermal gradient. In other words, you’ll want to provide a range of temperatures across the habitat by clustering all of the heating devices at one end of the habitat.
Directly under the heating devices, the temperatures should reach somewhere between 90- and 95 degrees Fahrenheit. At the other end of the habitat (the cool side), the temperatures should be in the mid-70s. Turn the heating devices off at night to allow the enclosure to cool. Ideally, enclosure temperatures should fall to the mid-60s Fahrenheit at night.
Always keep the enclosure relatively dry, although you’ll want to provide humid hiding places for your tortoise (more on this later).
Lighting Your Russian Tortoise Habitat
Russian tortoises require full-spectrum lighting that provides plenty of rays in the UVB portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. This is most easily accomplished by providing your tortoise with regular access to unfiltered sunlight – thereby illustrating one of the primary reasons outdoor maintenance is often recommended.
However, you can also install full-spectrum lighting for indoor tortoise habitats to satisfy their needs. You have three basic options for doing so: You can install either full-spectrum fluorescent tubes, use full-spectrum LED bulbs, or utilize mercury vapor bulbs designed for reptile use. The former two options don’t produce heat, while the latter does produce heat, thereby alleviating the need for separate heating devices.
No matter which kind of lighting device you select, you’ll need to install it no more than 12 inches above your tortoise’s primary basking spot. You’ll also want to replace the lights periodically, in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions – typically every 6 to 12 months.
Enrichment, Plants, & Décor
With the most fundamental components of your tortoise’s habitat established, you can now turn your attention to second-order requirements – in other words, the things inside the enclosure.
Minimally, you’ll need to provide your tortoise with one or (preferably) more hiding spots. These will allow him to feel secure and exhibit natural behaviors. Additionally, by adding some water below one of the hides, you’ll provide a small area with a high humidity level, which will help ensure proper hydration.
You can also add various visual barriers and small “obstacles” to provide mental enrichment (and combat stress in multi-tortoise enclosures). Examples include things like driftwood or branches, large stones, and various commercially produced decorations. Long lengths of plastic tubing that are wide enough to accommodate your pet’s body will mimic natural burrows and make another great option.
Just be sure that any items you include are safe, securely positioned, and unlikely to be eaten. This means that all plants included should be non-toxic and real – tortoises may consume artificial plants, which will lead to serious health problems.
Maintenance and Cleaning
Setting up your Russian tortoise enclosure is important, but don’t forget that you’ll have to maintain the habitat regularly to keep it clean and in good working order. Among other things, that means:
- Monitoring the temperatures in the enclosure each day. It’s important to test the enclosure temperatures frequently. A non-contact infrared thermometer is helpful for checking surface temperatures, while a digital indoor-outdoor thermometer is better for monitoring ambient temperatures.
- Inspect your tortoise carefully every few days. You’ll want to check your pet for things like injuries or signs of illness. Early detection provides the best chance of correcting health problems.
- Measure your tortoise’s size and growth regularly. Measure the shell length of young, growing tortoises on a weekly or monthly basis (adults don’t often grow much in length, so yearly measurements are adequate). Also, record your tortoise’s weight once per week for juveniles and once per month for adults.
- Clean your tortoise’s enclosure daily. In addition to other things, you’ll need to remove any feces, uneaten food, or shed skin found in the enclosure. You’ll also need to “break down” (disassemble) the enclosure completely once every few months. Be sure to scrub the walls with a pet-safe disinfectant and replace the substrate.
And though they aren’t really “habitat maintenance” in the strictest sense of the term, you’ll also have to accommodate your tortoise’s food and water needs. This means feeding your tortoise five to seven times per week and providing him with fresh, clean water each day (don’t simply refill the dish – be sure to wash it with hot, soapy water and then rinse it thoroughly first).
Citations
- Chicago Exotics Animal Hospital – Russian Tortoise Care
- RussianTortoise.org – The Russian Tortoise Care Sheet
