Tortoise Cages
What You Need to Know About Tortoise Cages
Tortoise cages can be reptile cages, glass aquariums, small plastic swimming pools, or home-built structures. Before deciding on what you want to use as a tortoise cage, you need to figure out what size it should be.
Tortoises are active animals, contrary to popular belief. In their natural environment, they climb, forage, and dig. When considering the design of your tortoise’s home, you need to provide opportunities for your tortoise to engage in these same activities. In order to allow room for your active tortoise, you should allow your turtle to have about three square feet of space for each eight inches of length that your tortoise measures. If you’ve caught your tortoise in the wild, you may be better off leaving even a little more room. This is just a guide and the room requirements for each breed of tortoise is different. Be sure to check with a qualified breeder or pet store regarding the space requirements of your specific breed of tortoise.
Many people will house their pet tortoises in a plastic swimming pool indoors. The swimming / wading pool is inexpensive and easy to clean and setup, but it does take up a lot of floor space. Because it’s round, it doesn’t push into a corner. Homemade enclosures are also popular, but a few precautions need to be taken. Because a tortoise environment will be moist, and there will be tortoise waste in the area, the wood needs to be well sealed. The paint or sealant should be non-toxic in order to protect your pet. The corners on the enclosure also need to be sealed in order to prevent moisture leakage and damage.
Using a glass aquarium is common, but is not a good idea. Tortoises like to be able to burrow and hide. A glass aquarium doesn’t let them hide well and will cause your pet stress. If you cover the sides, at least three, with paper, the tortoise will be less likely to become ill due to stress. Reptile cages are available, but they are not ideal for a tortoise. Cages made of wire will hurt the tortoise and the mesh of the cage does not hold in enough heat. There are some reptile cages that are made of molded plastic that have many of the advantages of a plastic pool. The cages are more expensive, but they will be able to fit into a corner of a room
Regardless which enclosure you decide to use for your pet, preventing a tortoise escape needs to be a priority. Vertical walls, as opposed to slanting, will prevent your pet from climbing out. Make sure that any bedding is not high enough to allow the tortoise to use it to crawl out. All cages, even a swimming pool with vertical sides, should have a cover of some sort. Soft screen material works well if it is securely fastened to the enclosure.
Tortoises love the heat, they even require it. The enclosure will need to be heated to around 90 degrees Fahrenheit to keep your tortoise healthy. An incandescent light bulb will supply quite a bit of heat, but be sure to actually measure the temperature to make sure that it is not too cool for your heat seeking tortoise. Experts also suggest that there be a heat source under tortoise cages to ensure even heat distribution throughout the enclosure. This is really only practical if you are using a glass aquarium. Heat place underneath plastic or wood could be a fire hazard. Finally, be sure to have plenty of natural substrate or bedding in the enclosure and it’s very important for tortoises to have access to water for a swim.