We much prefer outdoor housing because it allows our tortoises more space, requires less maintenance, and you can plant many foods and seeds that will provide a nonstop food source. Once juvenile marginated tortoises reach about 4 inches in length, they are very much capable of living outside, even in relatively harsh conditions. A day/night cycle is good for tortoises we generally run lights 12 to 14 hours per day. If humidity is artificially high (above 60 percent), I would keep them above 80 degrees at all times, as cool and humid can be a bad combination that causes respiratory issues. Marginated tortoises don’t need a heat source at night under normal conditions they will be fine at 65 to 70 degrees during the night. (There has been mixed results with the coil-type UVB bulbs, and many people have blamed them for eye issues and overall problems with baby tortoises, so we don’t use or recommend them.) We have also raised marginated tortoises successfully with strip UVB lights, such as Reptisun 10.0 bulbs, though these will need a secondary heat source, such as a spot bulb or ceramic heat emitter. Temps should taper down to room temperature in the other parts of the enclosure. Position one to maintain a temperature directly beneath the bulb of 95 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Our favorite lights for marginateds are 100-watt Zoo Med Powersun mercury vapor bulbs, which provide heat, light, UVA and UVB all in a single bulb. Marginated tortoises that are kept indoors require intense lighting to grow normally and remain healthy and active. Sand/dirt in their wild habitat is very hard packed, and the tortoises aren’t eating directly from the substrate like they often end up doing in captivity (we offer food on a slate tile or plastic feeding tray). We never use sand for indoor tortoises because it sticks to their food and can irritate eyeballs. Marginated tortoises like tight hiding places, so half-log hides don’t work as well as smaller, tighter hides.Īs young tortoises grow, they can be moved to thicker substrates such as cypress mulch if they are kept indoors. The substrate should be at least 2 inches deep to allow for burrowing and some microclimates we also keep it moist to maintain some humidity in the enclosure.Ī few hiding areas are provided, using items such as ceramic reptile caves magnolia leaves flat rocks that are stacked, leaving a tight spot underneath or similar cage furniture (make sure anything you use, especially if you’re stacking rocks, can’t fall and crush a tortoise). We start them on coco coir or peat moss, sometimes with a handful of cypress mulch or grass/hay placed on the top of it, or in certain areas. In an indoor setting, we start babies in low-sided plastic tubs measuring about 3 square feet, minimum (smaller enclosures would not allow proper temperature gradients and room to explore). marginata is hardy, and its small to medium adult size (12 to 15 inches) is manageable for most enthusiasts. In our experience, these imports have generally done well, compared to other imported tortoises that often struggle after importation.Ī first tortoise for many keepers, T. They are also produced in large numbers in Europe, and occasionally 4-inch imports are shipped to the U.S. Marginated tortoises are quite prolific in captivity and captive-bred babies are commonly available in the U.S.
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