Horsfield's Tortoise care sheet

Looking to get a Horsfield tortoise? A Horsfield or Russian tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii) is one of the most popular pet tortoise species, due to its outgoing nature. 

Because tortoises are naturally passive towards humans, they make an ideal pet for children with adult supervision, although they do not generally enjoy being handled. Additionally, they only grow to 6 – 8 inches in length, which makes them more manageable. Give a Horsfield's tortoise the right setup and diet, and you're guaranteed a great family pet.

They're active during the day and don't often hide away. Tortoises love to explore outside their enclosure and will happily spend a sunny summer's afternoon doing this. Please keep in mind that they should spend the majority of their time inside their enclosure.  

That said, there is a lot to consider to keep a healthy tortoise, as they do require certain equipment, food, heating and supplementation. As their needs are slightly different from Mediterranean tortoises, please consider this in terms of their care. 

Don’t worry, they are easy animals to please; just keep reading to find out how to take correct care of Horsfield’s tortoises.

Vivarium: Horsfield's tortoises require a wooden vivarium as their enclosure. This is because wood is an excellent insulator of heat. This makes it easier to control the crucial temperatures required inside the habitat. Additionally, the wooden vivarium should have good ventilation to allow airflow in and out of the enclosure.

The vivarium should be at least 860 mm (34") in length for a juvenile and 1150 mm (46") for an adult. The enclosure needs to be hot at one end but have enough distance for the temperature to drop at the cool end.

Tortoise table: Tables may be used for Horsfield's tortoises, but as they insulate no heat, they are only recommended for use in houses that are naturally warm. The table should be at least 900 mm (35") long.

Deciding between a tortoise vivarium or a tortoise table? There are various benefits to both, but tortoise tables don’t have insulation, and vivariums have limited ventilation, so keep that in mind. In general, vivariums are easier to control, which is why we recommend them.

During the day, Horsfield tortoises require a hot basking temperature. This is achieved by using clear spot bulbs at one end of the vivarium.

To accomplish the required basking temperature of 35ºC (95ºF), we use a basking bulb (100 watts in a 46" vivarium). The power of a basking bulb over a table is more dependent on room temperature. Basking bulbs should be on for 10 – 12 hours per day and must be controlled by a dimming thermostat.

For a tortoise table, we would use a mercury vapour lamp around 100 – 160 watts depending on the size of the table. The bulb is raised or lowered to achieve the correct temperature.

At night, tortoises require a drop in temperature and darkness. They can drop to room temperature, so all heating and lighting equipment should be turned off. Temperatures should be monitored daily using a thermometer.

Horsfield's tortoises actively bask in natural sunlight and, therefore, naturally receive a high dose of UVB from the sun. Their enclosure's UVB levels should reflect that. 

A fluorescent UVB tube should be used inside the vivarium with a reflector so no UVB is wasted. The tube should be at least Ferguson Zone 3 (10 – 12% UVB) for desert species. 

There are two different types of fluorescent tubes; T8 and T5. T5 tubes are the new technology and produce more light and UVB than T8 tubes. T5 UVB also travels much further from the tube.

Tortoises require UVB in order to synthesise vitamin D3 inside their skin. Vitamin D3 helps the tortoise absorb calcium, which is crucial for bone structure and growth. This is why reptiles can suffer from metabolic bone disease (MBD) or poor shell growth when not provided with adequate UVB.

Over tables, combined heat and UVB flood bulbs (mercury vapour) may be used.

Horsfield's tortoises should always be kept on a dry substrate so as not to increase the humidity inside their enclosure too much. We keep our tortoises either on beech woodchips or ProRep's Tortoise Life substrate.

Tortoises do not climb, but they do like to dig and burrow, especially in their natural habitat in Russia, Central Asia and the Mediterranean. So choose various pieces of natural wood or decoration to enable them to do this. Younger tortoises will appreciate a cave that they can take refuge in.

The tortoise's enclosure can be decorated with artificial plants for a more natural look. Desert plants look very effective. Trailing plants are very good at disguising electrical wires and equipment.

A Horsfield's tortoise's diet consists of vegetation. Good foods include dandelion, clover, honeysuckle, leafy salads, watercress, curly kale, Brussel tops, spring greens, coriander, parsley, rocket, carrot, parsnip, courgette and bell peppers. The bulk of the vegetation should be leafy greens.

The diet should also include fibrous plants like grasses and weeds. Good weeds include plantains, white nettle, corn poppy, chickweed, bindweeds, hawkbit, viola's, goat’s beard and nipplewort, etc. For times when fresh food is not available, or for variety, there is pre-made dried tortoise food available that most tortoises relish.

Additionally, tortoises should be given a shallow bath 2-3 times a week for 10 minutes. This will enable them to take on fresh water and stimulate them to empty their waste.

To provide tortoises with optimal nutrition and to keep them in the best of health, they will require diet supplementation in the form of calcium, vitamins and minerals. These are most commonly available as powders.

Calcium should be provided daily and dusted directly onto the tortoise's food. Vitamins may be added daily for young tortoises, but adults will only require them every other day.

If you keep a male and female together, they may breed. You do not need to do anything to encourage this; provided they are healthy and the conditions are good, it will usually happen naturally. You need to consider whether you want this to happen. What will you do with the babies if you incubate the eggs?

A gravid female should have access to a nesting box to lay her eggs. The box should be large enough that she can fully turn around inside it. We use a soil mix in there that is wet enough to clump, but no more. We have found that Spider Life substrate is ideal.

The eggs should be incubated in an incubator at 29ºC. We incubate our eggs in open boxes on a dry substrate (such as sand) with water in the incubator to provide humidity around the eggs. After approximately 60 days, the eggs will start to hatch. The first babies to emerge will encourage the rest of the eggs to hatch.

This is our 'How to hibernate your tortoise safely' video. If you decide you would like to hibernate your tortoise, it is important to do it right.

It is a complete guide that will show you how we advise to safely hibernate tortoises at Northampton Reptile Centre. It is based on our tortoise experience accumulated over our 20-year history and our collaboration with exotic vet Jeremy Wright. This is the guide that makes hibernation easy.

While we don’t often sell Horsfield’s tortoises, we do sell all the equipment and food they need. From ceramic heating and compact UVB bulbs to tortoise substrate and vivarium ornaments, we stock a variety of items that your tortoise may need. 

What’s more, we sell a variety of small species of reptiles and amphibians at Northampton Reptile Centre and Bell Plantation Garden Centre. This includes frogs, lizards, chameleons, snakes and turtles. 

Well, there you have it. That’s all you need to know about caring for Horsfield’s tortoises. Of course, if you are still left with any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. We have over 20 years of experience working with reptiles and amphibians, so we are eager to help you.