Tips & tricks for reptiles

• Do not administer any human medications to your animal without consulting a veterinarian, even in an emergency!
• All pesticides, insecticides, and rodenticides should be treated as highly toxic. The same applies to fertilizers and all types of cleaning agents!
• If you suspect poisoning, please take your animal to a veterinary center immediately. If possible, bring the suspected source of the poison (ideally with its packaging), as well as any partially eaten material or vomit!

Plants and substances toxic to reptiles: boxwood, yew, monkshood, ferns, pheasant's eye, yellow foxglove, common laburnum, poison hemlock, water hemlock, autumn crocus, cherry laurel, carbolineum, privet, daffodils, lily of the valley, pyrethrin-based insecticides, rhododendron, black locust, foxglove, disinfectant sprays, snowdrops, celandine, henbane, deadly nightshade, cedar wood shavings.

These tips primarily apply to the care of the following species: Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni), spur-thighed tortoise (Testudo graeca), marginated tortoise (Testudo marginata), and Russian tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii).

The import of these animals into Germany is generally prohibited. However, all four species are now being bred in captivity by numerous dedicated breeders. Purchasing and keeping these captive-bred animals is permitted, provided that their legal status can be proven and their ownership is registered with the nature conservation authority.

Acquiring other tortoises, such as hinge-back tortoises (Kinixys spec.), leopard tortoises (S. pardalis), African spurred tortoises (C. sulcata), or North American box turtles (Terrapene spec.), should be reserved for experienced keepers, as these species have far more demanding requirements than European Testudo species.

Time commitment

• daily water changes
• twice-daily feeding
• daily removal of waste
• weekly weighing
• monthly change of substrate in the indoor terrarium
• veterinary check-up before and after hibernation

Prerequisites for acquisition and care

• Keeping tortoises "free in the house" is not species-appropriate!
• Tortoises are not suitable for children under 14 years of age!
• Appropriate care requires a high level of financial, technical, and time commitment!
• With proper care, tortoises can live for more than 40 years – a long-term responsibility.

Indoor keeping

Tortoises require a terrarium with a length and width of at least five times their shell length. For each additional animal, the area must be increased by 30%. As "cold-blooded" animals, they need a heat source (heat lamp) with a localized temperature of 35–40 °C, as well as an unheated area to allow them to regulate their body temperature. For shell development, they require calcium and vitamin D3, which is only produced under sufficient UV-B radiation (not through glass, not through plant lights).

Outdoor keeping

Outdoor keeping is recommended from late spring to autumn; a cold frame or greenhouse should be available. A medium-sized tortoise should have 2–5 m² of space. The enclosure should be at least 45 cm high and buried deep into the ground (Russian tortoises can dig up to 1 meter deep). Young and small animals must be protected from crows, cats, and martens with a wire mesh cover.

Diet

The digestive tract is specialized for a diet high in crude fiber and very low in protein. We recommend good quality meadow hay, hay cobs, and fresh, unfertilized meadow herbs; leafy greens can be used as a substitute. For calcium, provide cuttlebone or crushed, boiled eggshells. Fruit, bread, milk, meat, or turtle pellets are unsuitable. Do not overfeed your tortoises – feed them twice a day, but not excessively, otherwise they risk shell deformities and limb malformations.

The intensity of UV output can vary significantly even within the same lamp model; manufacturers may make unannounced changes to their products. Furthermore, the level of UV radiation decreases as the lamps age.

Using aluminum reflectors can significantly increase UV output; it is highly advisable to check the radiation levels in the animal's enclosure to ensure the effective radiation is not too intense.

Before using any UV lamp, please be sure to research the specific needs of the reptile species you are keeping – reptiles from rainforest habitats are generally more sensitive to UV radiation than species from arid regions.

The following UV lamps are recommended: Bright Sun UV by Lucky Reptile (lamp type depends on the species and terrarium size; distance as per instructions; lighting duration up to 12 hours/day depending on the species and season); Osram Ultra Vita Lux (160 cm distance); Repti Sun 5.0 and higher (max. 50 cm distance). We recommend using the Solarmeter 6.5 UV meter for regular checks.

For all lamps, the following applies: no glass between the lamp and the animal; no fine-mesh grid between the lamp and the animal; irradiation must always come from "above," never "from the side." If you suspect burns (skin changes; closed, red, or swollen eyelids; cloudy corneas) due to excessive UV exposure, please take the animal to a veterinarian immediately!