Jacqui's Captive Bred Tortoises

Below is a shopping list for all you need for your tortoise set up.

Warning: Do not take advice from pet stores, even if they sell tortoises, as they are just dealers (selling imported farmed or wild caught tortoises) and looking to make as much money as possible on the equiptment they sell to gullable customers, such as vivariums, red bulbs, pellett food, heat mats, bark chip etc - NONE of this is needed!

1. Plastic indoor rabbit/guinea pig cage (minimum 3 foot)

OR

Tortoise Table -  (minimum 3 foot) This would need to be lined with plastic seed or under bed storage tray or lined with thick pond liner to make it safe and water proof.

Note: I prefer the indoor rabbit cages as they can easily be cleaned out, disinfected and even hosed and can be dried quickly with kitchen paper. However, if using the top cage bit you will need to cut out (with wire cutters) a section of the bars for the lamp to shine through, as there must not be anything in between the lamp and the tortoise, such as cage bars, or it will interfere witht the UV rays)

2. Combined UV/Heat lamp - these can be purchsed from Reptile specialists or on line and I recommend the 100 watt self ballasted ones, to use with the rabbit type runs. They are about £50 Arcadia D3 basking lamp (100 watt) or £40 mega ray, but last several years and are far superior to any others. I do not use anything else for my own tortoises.

2a. Thermometer - the digital ones with a probe that you can place under the hot end is best. aiming for 30-32 degrees.

3. Lamp holder - this can be purchased from Reptile stores too or from a farm/agricultural type place. It needs to be a ceramic holder that can take the heat of the bulb. The piglet/lamb heat lamp holders from farm places are fine as they can take up to 250w bulbs or reptile specialists sell clamp lamps and lamp holder stands which are complete with holder and shade.

4. Substrate - a mix of 50:50 TOP SOIL and PLAY SAND (or kiln dried sand) available both from B & Q stores. If it is wet it needs to dry out in the enclosure before putting a tortoise in it. The kiln dried sand is always dry. It needs to be about 2 inches deep.

5. A hide or log cave etc. These can be bought from reptile specialists as "exo terra" hides, or log hides or from a pet store as "play sticks" sold for guinea pigs etc and can be bent into a tunnel shape. Terracotta plant pots on thier side work just as well.

6. Nutrobal supplement - can be bought on line or in pet/reptile store. It is a high potency calcium and vitamin supplement for bone growth and general good health in tortoises and needs to be sprinkled at a rate of 1 pinch per kilo of tortoise on thier food daily.

7. Cuttlefish bone - can be bopught from pet shop. Tortoises will chew on it for calcium and it helps to keep thier beak in trim.

8. Water bowl - the medium exo terra ones are fine which can be bought from reptile stores. They are heavy and the tortoise will use the water to drink and soak in.

9. Slate or stepping stone - if you bury this flush under the heat lamp the tortoise will use it to warm up on and you can feed her on it, thereby keeping her beak in trim.

10. Pebbles or stones to add interest, but NOT under the heat lamp, as that would pose a hazard that may make the tortoise tip upside down.

11 Food - weeds - no cost, see the feeding guide pages. (winter feed can be Florette etc, see winter feed page)

12. Secure outside enclosure to go out on warm days. If using guinea pig, rabbit type fix board (eg decking strips) or deep tape around the bottom. If the tortoise can see out it will spend all the time trying to escape!

For simplicity -  a one stop tortoise starter set up that has been developed by myself and the owner of internet reptile. This kit is competitively priced, only contains products and equiptment tested, tried and endorsed by both of us. It will allow you to purchase everything but the substrate (due to weight and postage costs) in one place with satisfaction that is it the correct equiptment you need for a happy and healthy tortoise.

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