Tortoise care: the UK guide
How to look after a pet tortoise in the UK: indoor table, UVB and heat, garden time, diet, hibernation and the health signs that mean a vet visit.
- Common UK species
- Hermann's, Horsfield, spur-thighed, marginated
- Basking spot
- 30–35 °C at shell height
- Cool end
- About 20 °C
- UVB
- Essential, 10–12 hours a day
- Diet
- Weeds and leaves, plus calcium
- Lifespan
- Often 50+ years
The tortoises kept in British homes are mostly Mediterranean species (Hermann's, spur-thighed and marginated) plus the Horsfield, from the dry steppes of Central Asia. They're cold-blooded: they can't move, eat or digest until they've warmed up. Almost everything about their care follows from that.
The set-up
Indoors, an open-topped tortoise table with a basking lamp at one end and UVB over the warm half. Outdoors, a secure, sunny enclosure for warm days. A glass vivarium traps humidity and heat, which suits tropical species but not these.
A normal day
- Lamps on in the morning, off in the evening: 10–12 hours in winter, up to 14 in summer. A plug-in timer helps.
- The tortoise basks, then wanders, eats and digs in at the cool end.
- Fresh water in a shallow dish. Many keepers also give a shallow warm bath a few times a week, especially for young tortoises.
- Food on a flat slate or tile, so it doesn't get coated in soil.
Through the year
| When | What's happening |
|---|---|
| Spring | Waking from hibernation, bathing, eating again within about a week |
| Summer | Out in the garden on warm days, back to the table if it turns cold |
| Late summer | Vet health check if you plan to hibernate |
| Autumn | Wind down: less food, then fasting before hibernation |
| Winter | Hibernation, or a warm table for tortoises that aren't hibernating |
Health: what to watch for
- Runny nose, bubbles at the nostrils or puffy eyes
- Not eating when warm and awake
- Soft or misshapen shell, or a beak that overgrows
- Weight dropping between monthly weigh-ins
- Swelling, wounds or anything stuck to the vent
Tortoises hide illness well. By the time they look ill, they often are. Weigh monthly, keep a note, and see a reptile vet if anything changes.
Quick answers
Can a tortoise live in the garden all year?
Not in the UK. Even hardy species need a warm indoor set-up or a heated greenhouse for cool days, and protection from frost.
Are tortoises good pets for children?
They're great to watch and care for together, but an adult has to own the responsibility. They don't enjoy being picked up, and they'll likely outlive childhood by decades.
Do tortoises need a companion?
No. They're solitary. Two males together often fight.
Checked November 2026. General information, not veterinary advice.