Equip The Terrarium For Tortoises

When it comes to keeping tortoises, most experts advise keeping the reptiles in an outdoor enclosure rather than in a terrarium. This is mainly due to the fact that the turtles grow correspondingly large and therefore require a lot of space. Nevertheless, it is possible to keep them in a terrarium that is large enough. However, it is important to equip the terrarium in such a way that it is kept in a species-appropriate manner and your tortoise can live a healthy and happy life. In this article, you will learn what is important when keeping tortoises in a terrarium and what should not be missing in terms of equipment.

The problems of keeping in the terrarium

When keeping turtles in the terrarium, there are a number of problems that you will encounter. You can find out what these are below:

• Sunlight cannot be simulated 100 percent by the lamps used. This can cause your turtle to get sick. For this reason, it is important to always ensure good quality when selecting the technology in order to replace the sunlight as best as possible.
• Terrariums are often very susceptible to mold growth. This is mainly because the turtles need high humidity and a lot of warmth to stay healthy, which of course are the perfect conditions for bacteria to form. For this reason, regular and very thorough cleaning is particularly important.
• It is not easy to create several climatic conditions within one basin. In order to allow both hot and bright as well as cooler and darker corners, the terrarium must be particularly large, which of course also means that there must be enough space available.
• Since the terrariums are set up indoors, it is often very difficult to lower the temperatures at night or to meet the requirements for wintering. However, the wintering of the animals is very important for a long and healthy life.

The right terrarium size for tortoises

The size of the terrarium plays an extremely important role. When buying, it is important to make sure that it is big enough to cover the need for space. Experts recommend 8 times 4 times the armor length as a pure base area. For an adult Greek tortoise, this means that the terrarium should be at least 2.6 m² in size. It must be said here that these are the minimum dimensions. Ultimately, the larger the terrarium for your tortoise, the better.

If you keep a sexually mature male in the terrarium or in the enclosure, the space per animal must be increased to 4-5 m². When keeping in groups, it is imperative to ensure that you keep more females than males, with a two-to-one ratio being recommended. However, if you want to breed tortoises, you should refrain from keeping them in a terrarium.

The material from the terrarium

Since terrariums for tortoises are quite large, you should refrain from buying a small model first and then expanding. That would only make sense if you have an older pool that is currently not in use. Many therefore build their own terrariums or buy a large version directly, which is also sufficient for an adult tortoise. Whether the terrarium should be made of wood or all glass is not important for the animals themselves. What counts here is your own taste and financial resources. However, it is important that the terrarium is at least partially open at the top. In this way, you can ensure better regulation of the climate in the terrarium.

The equipment of the terrarium

In addition to the right size of the terrarium, it is of course also very important to ensure optimal equipment. With this it is possible to ensure that the tortoises are kept as species-appropriate as possible. A terrarium must be equipped with several items to really ensure healthy basic equipment. You can find out what should not be missing under any circumstances below:

Matching bulbs

When kept in a terrarium, the fresh and pure sunlight is of course missing. The needs of the turtles can be satisfied by using suitable light sources. However, some things can go wrong in the selection or in the application.

Turtles are among the animals that need a lot of light and warmth. Many keepers make the mistake again and again and keep the poor animals too dark or too cool. Animals that live in the wild follow the sun. For this reason, it is important that the heat also comes from a light source and not from a special heating mat or stone. It is also important to make sure that it is always warm enough in the terrarium. The comfort temperature of Greek tortoises, for example, is 35 degrees. At this temperature, the reptiles feel most comfortable, the organs work properly and the turtles are also the most agile.

Lamps that imitate the UV-A and UV-B rays of the sun are particularly important. Furthermore, the climate of the natural habitats must be imitated as best as possible. In plain language, this means that you have to be careful to optimally simulate the seasons and the times of the day. Bad weather periods are also part of this and should not be missed. So it must not be 35 degrees in the terrarium every day. Especially at night, the temperature has to drop significantly and the lighting conditions themselves have to be adjusted so that it should be dark at night, of course. In spring and autumn, the temperatures must also be lower than in summer. It is advisable to use the temperatures in the natural environment of the tortoises as a guide.

Therefore, many turtle keepers use a daylight lamp for the light intensity, which, however, does not emit any heat. This is taken over by a Spotlight UV radiator, which reaches approx. 25-28 degrees. This product is therefore ideal for spring, autumn, and cooler days. For the summer, in addition to an additional UV lamp, a model with a higher wattage, such as 50 watts, should be used.

It is also important that the heat is only particularly strong under the respective lamp. There must also be cooler places in the terrarium so that the animals can withdraw if necessary.

The substrate for the turtle terrarium

The substrate should be based on the natural habitats of the turtles. This means that peat or unfertilized soil are the most suitable. This substrate should be sprinkled about 15 cm high. In this way, you can offer your animals the opportunity to bury themselves if they wish. It is important that the soil is moistened at regular intervals so that the humidity can be kept high and optimally regulated. The humidity must be high to prevent the animals from forming humps. Sand, on the other hand, is too easily ingested with the animals’ food and should therefore not be used. Some animals have had fatal constipation from ingesting too much sand, which can be avoided by using soil or peat.

Plant the terrarium

The terrarium for the turtles should of course also be beautifully planted. Here you should not primarily consider the appearance, but the needs of your turtles. Experts advise using tasty forage plants such as aloe, pansies or oregano. Shrubs for hiding should also not be missing. Conifers, for example, are particularly suitable for this.

However, it is important that you wash the plants properly before planting. The fertilized soil must also be completely removed so that there are no health hazards. For example, many turtle keepers even air the plants for a few weeks to ensure that there is not too much fertilizer left in the plant itself.

Devices for checking the values ​​in the terrarium

Of course, it is also important to check the values ​​in the terrarium. This mainly affects the temperature. Here it is advantageous to choose a thermostat that can be used to measure at two different points in the terrarium. So once a measurement in the warmest area and once in the coldest area. In this way, you can ensure that the temperature is always perfect and intervene if something is not right.

What else belongs in a terrarium?

In addition to the furnishing products already mentioned, other items also belong in your tortoise’s new home.

So that you can provide your turtle with fresh water every day, a flat and stable drinking bowl is best. However, this should be big enough for your tortoise to be able to take a bath from time to time. For the feed, many keepers use a simple and large stone slab. This makes it possible to keep the soil away from the feed.

In addition to the individual plants, it is also recommended that stones and cork bark are used in the terrarium. With these, you can enable the turtles to climb. The animals also like caves. Since tortoises also like to sunbathe, it’s a good idea to place a bark of cork or a rock under the heat lamp, making sure they aren’t too close to the lamp.

Of course, you can also decorate the terrarium according to your taste. Don’t forget your tortoise’s needs. So it is important that the decoration is also an advantage for your turtle, such as offering a hiding place.

What should be considered when keeping a turtle in the terrarium?

As already mentioned, keeping turtles in a terrarium is not necessarily easy. For this reason, there are some criteria that you urgently need to meet so that your animals can feel comfortable and a long and healthy life awaits them.

In the following you will find out what needs to be considered when keeping terrariums:

• Put fresh water in it every day;
• Remove feces and urine daily to keep the terrarium nice and clean;
• Make sure you have a variety of food, here you can find out more about species-appropriate nutrition for tortoises in our article;
• During the day you need to light and heat with a heat lamp;
• Regulate the temperatures according to the time of day, season, etc;
• At night, the temperature must be lowered;
• Regularly remove the top layer of substrate and replace it with new substrate;
• Completely replace the substrate at least every 6 months;
• Regularly moisten the substrate slightly.

What mistakes are often made?

When keeping tortoises in a terrarium, mistakes are often made that can have fatal consequences for the animals. You can find out which errors are the most common in the following:

• The animals are often kept too dark. They need a lot of light, so a lamp in the terrarium is usually not enough. In addition to the bright spots in the terrarium, you should also set up darker corners so that your tortoise can withdraw if necessary.
• The UV radiation is often too low. This leads to the softening of the animal’s bones and carapace. The UV light of the sun can be replaced by using special UV lamps. However, it is important to replace them at regular intervals, as the intensity decreases over time.
• Many turtles are kept too cool. Since the animals cannot regulate their body temperature themselves, they are dependent on heat from outside. This is the only way that the organs of the animals can function properly.
• Some animals are kept too hot. This occurs mainly in the colder seasons, such as between hibernation. For the health and development of the turtles, however, it is very important to simulate the seasons optimally and also to introduce rainy days.
• Too dry posture is also a common mistake. If the humidity in the terrarium is too low, this can lead to hump formation in the animals. To prevent this problem, the humidity must be at least 70 percent. It helps if you regularly moisten the substrate.

Conclusion

Keeping turtles in a terrarium only makes sense if it is not only big enough but also has a technically flawless cover. The furnishing should also not be rushed over the knee but should be planned from the substrate to the drinking bowl to the last stone. The turtles can only feel completely comfortable and enjoy their new home to the full if you really set up a terrarium that is close to nature for your animals. If all factors harmonize perfectly with each other, you will notice what wonderful animals they are and experience many exciting hours together.