|
Indian/Sri Lankan Star Tortoise (G. elegans)
Burmese Star Tortoise
(G. platynota)
Other Starred Tortoises
Angulate Tortoise
(C. angulata)
Misc. Pages
Know a good tortoise housing link not listed here? Email me or post it on the comments bb.
|
Links - Tortoise Housing
indoors & outdoors
Sri Lankan Star tortoise
First, read the Star tortoise indoor housing, lighting & heating, substrates, hideboxes, outdoor housing, allergic keepers p.1 (more on substrates), and p.2 (enclosure materials etc.) pages.
These offsite links are NOT intended as an endorsement. They are included merely for the convenience of obtaining more information about tortoise housing.
Indoor housing
There are numerous ways to set up a tortoise enclosure. Below are links to some housing related pages I've found while surfing the web. These links do not support any specific set-up, but cover a variety of ideas. As always, read as many resources as possible. Then create an enclosure that's suitable for your tortoise species in your environment and conditions. Observe your tortoise in it, and adjust as needed!
Do note that many of the European tortoise set-ups are for various Mediterranean species (Greek, Hermann, Marginated) and Russian tortoises which may not need quite as high environmental temperatures as Star tortoises. Mediterranean and Russian tortoises, unlike Stars, tend to be diggers and climbers, too. They need an enclosure with burrowing substrate and escape-proof walls.
Adult, egg-laying females will also need a deep nesting area if they are kept indoors. See links below.
Indoor set-ups
- Basil - plastic reptile tub on a table (Redfoots need high humidity, so you'd need to modify the contents for a dry area species like the Star tortoise)
- Cavy Cages - easy DIY guinea pig cages made with Coroplast (corrugated plastic) and wire cubes, with photos and detailed building instructions, these cages can be modified for use with tortoises (just build the bottom box with higher walls, good climbers like Box Turtles may also need a cover to prevent escape)
- Cavy Spirit - more photos of open-top guinea pig cages made with corrugated plastic and wire cubes, can be modified for use with tortoises, e.g. a cage with a cheap folding table as the base
- Egyptian Tortoise - indoor tortoise pen for Egyptian tortoises made from a Waterland tub, by Fred Erwin Jr
- Happy-Turtles.de - indoor Leopard tortoise room (Raumterrarium), outdoor greenhouse (Gewächshaus), many photos, DEU
- Hatchling Haven - basic setup for a hatchling, by Darrell Senneke
- Hatchling Haven - setup for arid species, e.g. Indian Star, by Darrell Senneke
- Herppi.net - photos of a 3-story tortoise table with wire netting on the sides, FIN
- Info Tortuga - a wooden outdoor box on wheels, many photos, ESP
- Konnat - a wooden table with plexiglas front, with photos, FIN
- Pet Tortoise - instructions for building a very simple hatchling tortoise table, GBR
- Reptile Channel - Indoor Tortoise and Turtle Table Housing, includes minimum size recommendations (for tortoises the length of the indoor pen should be at least 6-7 times the carapace length and width 4-5 times), by Chuck Schaffer
- Reptiles1 - plastic tub setup for Leopard babies (Rabbit pellets are not recommended as a substrate anymore. In addition, many allergic people have problems with them because they smell and mildew.)
- RFUK - UK bb, indoor enclosure section, lots of pics
- Russian Tortoise - Rubbermaid pen for Russians which are diggers and climbers, unlike Stars (allergic people could not use the Timothy hay)
- Shelled Warriors - UK bb, indoor tortoise enclosure section, lots of photos
- Shelled Warriors - UK bb, step-by-step instructions with photos for building a 6.5 ft x 2.5 ft wooden tortoise table (If you keep it inside and are allergic to raw wood smell, you'll have to use low VOC varnish or paint to seal it. Good for water proofing, too.)
- Slowcoach - pen for Mediterranean tortoise hatchlings made from an underbed storage box, by Bob Elliot, UK
- Slowcoach - wooden tortoise table with legs for Mediterranean hatchlings, by Bob Elliot, GBR
- Sulcata Station - wooden tortoise table (people with allergies could not use hay)
- Tortoise Forum - bb, a large 4 ft x 8 ft wooden tortoise table with partially see-through walls (large 'windows'), you could modify the table so that only the front wall is see-through
- Tortoise Forum - bb, reptile room full of 3-story tortoise tables, many photos
- Tortoise Forum - bb, a 3-level tortoise table with removable tubs
- Tortoise Forum - bb, building a 3-story tortoise table, pics
- Tortoise Forum - bb, example of a tortoise table made with cubes and corrugated plastic (see Cavy Cages and Cavy Spirit links above)
- Tortoise Trust - Basic housing for hatchlings
- Tortoise Trust - Constructing a Simple Open-topped Tortoise Enclosure, by Sue Brooks (This wooden tortoise table uses small plastic tubs inside the table. Ideal if you like to keep live plants in an indoor tortoise habitat. Just switch between flats of plants as needed.)
- Tortoise Trust - UK bb, another wooden tortoise box with smaller, substrate-filled plastic boxes inside
- Tortoise Yard - wooden tortoise table with legs and see-through front panel, by Vicki Hale
- Tortoise Yard - indoor pen for hatchling Leopard tortoises
Indoor nesting
Indoor substrates
- African Tortoise - substrates
- DIY Network - Tortoise Care Tips video, by Ian Recchio of L.A. Zoo (some information in this 2001 video is outdated, e.g. do not use rabbit pellets or pine chips as substrate)
- Herp Care Collection - Substrates for Reptiles, by Melissa Kaplan, updated Apr 2007
- Herp Care Collection - Substrates for Reptiles: Caveat Emptor, by Melissa Kaplan, updated Apr 2007
- Russian Tortoise - substrates, by Joe Heinen
- Tortoise Trust - Understanding vivarium substrates, by A.C. Highfield
- Tortoise Trust - Understanding microclimates in captivity, by A.C. Highfield
- VA Reptile Rescue - How to choose substrate for your herptile, by Bonnie Keller
- WCT - Turtle and Tortoise Substrates, by Chris Tabaka DVM, 2003
Indoor lighting & heating
- ATP - Guide to UV-B Lighting, by Richard Lunsford, 2005
- Herp Care Collection - Lighting and heating for reptiles, by Melissa Kaplan, Apr 2007
- Reptile Channel - Reptile Lighting Information; by Frances M. Baines, MA, VetMB, MRCVS, Jun 2009
- Reptile UV Info - use of Ultra Violet Radiation (UVA and UVB)
- Solartech - Solarmeter 6.2
- Tortoise Trust - Understanding reptile lighting systems, by A.C. Highfield, Aug 2008
- UV Guide UK - Special Report:
A problem with some of the new high UVB output
fluorescent compact lamps and tubes
- UV Guide UK - Using the Solarmeter 6.2 UVB meter
- UVB Meter Owners - yahoo discussion group, testing UVB sources for reptiles with Solarmeter 6.2
Indoor fire safety
Outdoor enclosures
- AZ Game & Fish Dept - instructions for building above and below ground burrows for captive desert tortoises
- Egyptian Tortoise - folding, protected outdoor pen on wheels
- Graeca Home - large outdoor greenhouse setup for cold climates; text in German but with many photos; see also the construction photo page
- Michael`s Schildkrötenseite - landscaped outdoor pen with a greenhouse and netting cover; text in German but with many photos
- Reptile Channel - How to Build a Basic Outdoor Tortoise Pen, by Chuck Schaffer
- RFUK - UK bb, pics of outdoor enclosures
- Shelled Warriors - UK bb, lots of photos of outdoor enclosures
- Slowcoach - heated outdoor tortoise shed by Bob Elliot, UK
- Tortoise Forum - US bb, housing a 100 lb sulcata, pics
- Tortoise Forum - US bb, a very simple outdoor enclosure for a small tortoise made from a plastic kiddie pool
- Tortoise Forum - US bb, wooden pen for an outdoor balcony
- Tortoise Group - above ground burrow
- Tortoise Group - burrows for hatchlings and juveniles
- Tortoise Trust - Designing high quality outdoor habitats for tortoises, by A.C. & Nadine Highfield
- Tortoise Trust - UK bb, example of how ready-made sandboxes or raised garden kits can be used as a pen
- Tortoise Trust - UK bb, a wooden enclosure with a wire mesh lid
- Tortoise Trust - UK bb, a walk-in tortoise enclosure, totally screened in
- Turtle Tails - secure outdoor enclosure for babies
- Turtle Times - bb message, step-by-step photos of building a shallow Box turtle or tortoise pond
- Turtle Town - building an outdoor garden for Box Turtles
- World Chelonian Trust - A Secure Habitat, by Darrell Senneke
Natural habitats
- BBC - Turtles prefer the 'city life', by Jody Bourton, Oct 2009; Excerpt: "...scientists have found a turtle that does better in a suburban habitat than it does in nature reserves."
- Tortoise Trust - UK bb, humidity and pyramiding discussion, incl. observations of humidity in natural habitats in Spain, by Highfield, Feb 2010
- Tortoise Trust - UK bb, field data on humid microclimates (average humidity: air <30%, in grass 33-35%, in soil 55%), Greek tortoises in Spain, by Highfield, Apr 2010
- Tortoise Trust - UK bb, habitat photos with temperature and humidity (<22% in hides) readings, Spain, by Highfield, by Highfield, Jun 2010
- Tortoise Trust - UK bb, April to July habitat changes (from green & luscious to dry & barren), Spain, Jul 2010
- Tortoise Trust - UK bb, habitat photos after rain (tortoises were active even during the night), Spain, Aug 2010
Outdoor safety - tortoise thefts
- CBS - [Stolen] Tortured Tortoise Returns Home After Rehab, Aug 2007
- PeoplePets - Tortoise Heist! Stolen Turtle Is Returned to Rightful Owner, Aug 2009, UK
- Telegraph - Lock up your tortoises – and watch them with CCTV, by Rebecca Lefort, May 2010, GBR
- WPTZ - Man Seeks Stolen Tortoise Tortoise Taken From Secluded Shed, by Ashley Johnson, Apr 2010
Disease prevention
Misc.
- Drs Foster & Smith - articles on feeding, basic care, and common health problems
- Tlady's - How to measure your tortoise, straight carapace length (SCL)
- Tortoise Group - treatment of drowning in tortoises
- Tortoise Trust - 7 rules for successful tortoise keeping, by Chris Tabaka DVM
Please, report any broken links. Thanks. :O)
|
