A Hermann's tortoise walking through daisies on a lawn
UK tortoise care

A home for the next fifty years.

A tortoise is the slowest-moving long-term commitment you'll ever make. Get the warm spot, the UV and the food right, and it'll be grazing your lawn long after the kids have left home.

Set up a tortoise tableSize calculator
30–35 °CBasking spot under the lamp. The cool end around 20 °C.
10 ×Shell length: the minimum length of their table.
1% a monthThe most weight a hibernating tortoise should lose.
50+ yearsHow long Mediterranean tortoises often live.
Start here

Sunshine, in a box

In the wild, Hermann's and spur-thighed tortoises spend their mornings warming up in Mediterranean sun before they can move, eat or digest. Indoors in Britain, that sun comes from two lamps: one for heat, one for UVB. Most tortoise health problems start when one of them is missing, too weak or in the wrong place.

Our tortoise table guide shows you how to lay it out, with the temperatures to aim for at each end.

How to set up the table
Close-up of a tortoise's face and front legs on a rock
Table size calculator

What size tortoise table?

Measure the top shell in a straight line from front to back (not over the curve). Most keepers use 10 times the shell length for the table's length.

Species
How many tortoises?
Minimum indoor table

    Two Hermann's tortoises side by side in the grass

    The best tortoise food grows between your paving stones.

    Dandelion, plantain, clover and sow thistle beat anything from the supermarket. High in fibre and calcium, low in sugar. Just keep them away from sprayed ground.

    What tortoises eat

    The guides

    Written for UK keepers, UK weather and UK rules.

    A Hermann's tortoise walking through daisies on a lawn
    Tortoise careThe whole picture: what your tortoise needs every day, season and year.
    A Hermann's tortoise on warm paving stones
    Tortoise tableSize, layout and temperatures, with a diagram you can copy.
    A spur-thighed tortoise facing the camera on sandy ground
    UVB and heatTubes, combined bulbs, heights and when to replace them.
    Two Hermann's tortoises side by side in the grass
    Outdoor enclosureSun, walls they can't climb, and a warm bolt-hole for cloudy days.
    Close-up of a tortoise's face and front legs on a rock
    HibernationVet check, wind-down, fridge at 5 °C and the 1% rule. Plus waking up.
    A spur-thighed tortoise among wild flowers
    FeedingWeeds, flowers and calcium. Plus the foods to keep out of reach.
    A baby tortoise climbing out of its egg
    Buying a tortoiseArticle 10 paperwork, finding a good breeder and what a healthy tortoise looks like.
    Hibernation weight check

    Is the weight loss safe?

    A healthy hibernating tortoise loses about 1% of its starting weight a month. Weigh weekly on the same kitchen scales, at the same time of day.

      The checklist

      Thirteen things, one tortoise

      Everything for the table, the lamps, the garden and winter, with the reason each one matters. Tick as you buy: your list stays saved on this device, ready to share with whoever's going halves.

      Open the checklist
      A Hermann's tortoise on warm paving stones
      Two-minute check

      Are you ready for a tortoise?

      Quick answers

      What size tortoise table do I need?
      At least 90 × 60 cm for a young tortoise, and about 10 times the shell length by 4–5 times its width as it grows. Use the table calculator.
      Do tortoises need UVB?
      Yes. Without UVB light they can't use calcium properly, which leads to soft shells and bones. Replace UVB lamps on the maker's schedule, even if they still light up.
      Do I need a licence to keep a tortoise?
      No licence to own one. Hermann's, spur-thighed and marginated tortoises need an Article 10 certificate to be sold. Horsfield tortoises don't.
      How long do tortoises live?
      Mediterranean species commonly live 50 years or more with good care. Many outlive their first owners.
      Should my tortoise hibernate?
      Healthy adult Mediterranean and Horsfield tortoises usually do. Get a vet check first, and never hibernate a tortoise that's ill or underweight.