According to recent housing tests conducted by The Tortoise Trust, the open topped tortoise table is the only suitable indoor accomodation for a tortoise.

The Pet Zoo Ultimate Tortoise Setup is designed for Mediterranean species such as Hermmans, Spur-thighed, Marginated and also the Russian Horsfields Tortoise.

There are many things to consider when it comes to tortoise habitats and after spending countless hours reading Tortoise Trust articles and scouring dedicated tortoise forums we have put together The Ultimate Tortoise Setup, available exclusively at Pet Zoo.

It must be stressed that while this is an excellent indoor tortoise home, if you cannot provide suitable outdoor accomodation also then a tortoise is not the pet for you.

The first thing to consider is the size of the table. Exercise is as important to your tortoise as it is to you and I. As a rule, the bigger the floor space the better. This table has a surface area of ten square foot and is a good size for a baby-juvenile tortoise.

Heating & Lighting

Correct heating is vital for your tortoises' health. Tortoises need to be able to choose their temperature, so a lamp positioned at one end of the table for basking under will provide an appropriate temperature gradient, leaving the opposite end cooler.

To heat and light your tortoise table we've chosen the Powersun combined UVB heat bulb which is favoured by many tortoise keepers worldwide. Combined with the adjustable reptile lamp stand, the bulb can be positioned at the optimum height to ensure that the warm end of your table reaches the correct temperature. It is a 100W lamp so the porcelain clamp lamp is designed specifically to cope with such heat output.

In the wild, tortoises rely extensively upon the UV-B radiation in sunlight to generate the vitamin D3 that they need for proper bone formation. The Powersun UV lamp included has a high UVB output and a 6 month guarantee.

Environmental Control

To ensure that you are providing and maintaining the correct temperature and humidity levels for your tortoise, it's vital that you have an accurate way to measure it. While many standard cheap thermometers simply give you a rough temperature, the Delxue Thermometer/Hygrometer included with your tortoise setup does so much more. You can measure the temperature at two places at once thanks to the sensor handy probe, which allows you to monitor both the basking spot and the cool end temperatures. Even more impressive though is that the minimum and maximum temperature and humidity levels are recorded by the device automatically so that you'll be in no doubt as to whether you've got it right.