How to set up a tortoise table
How to set up a tortoise table: the right size, substrate, basking lamp at 30–35 °C, UVB, hide and water, laid out so your tortoise can warm up and cool down.
Size
The minimum for a young tortoise is about 90 × 60 cm. As it grows, aim for a table at least 10 times its shell length and 4–5 times its width. An adult Hermann's needs 1.5 m or more. The table calculator works it out for your tortoise.
Why a table and not a vivarium
Mediterranean and Horsfield tortoises come from dry, airy places. A glass vivarium traps humidity and makes it hard to give them a cool end. An open table lets air move and makes the temperature gradient easy to get right.
Substrate
A mix of plain topsoil (no fertiliser) and play sand, 5–10 cm deep so they can dig in at night. Avoid wood shavings, which get eaten, and anything dusty.
Heat and UVB
The basking lamp goes at one end. Measure the temperature directly under it at the height of the top of the shell, not on the floor, and adjust the height until it reads 30–35 °C. The far end should drop to around 20 °C. More on bulbs in UVB and heat lamps.
Furniture
- Hide at the cool end: half a flower pot, a wooden box with a door, or a dense plant.
- Water in a dish shallow enough to walk through.
- Food on a slate or flat tile, which also helps keep the beak worn down.
- Something to climb over: a flat rock or a gentle slope breaks up the space.
Light timing
Put both lamps on a timer: 10–12 hours in winter if they're awake, 12–14 hours in spring and summer. Lights off at night; room temperature is fine for sleeping as long as it doesn't drop very low.
Checked November 2026. General information, not veterinary advice.