A tortoise is a calm, gentle pet that can live for decades. To stay healthy, your tortoise needs fresh greens, clean water, warmth, shade and a safe space every day, and someone to care for it when you’re away.
This guide answers the questions tortoise owners ask most, in simple steps.
What Does a Tortoise Need Every Day?
A tortoise needs fresh greens, clean water, a warm spot, shade and a quick health check every day.
- Food: fresh leafy greens, weeds or grasses
- Water: a clean, shallow dish
- Warmth: a sunny or heated spot to bask
- Shade: a cool place and a shelter to hide
- Check: is it eating, moving and looking well?
Keep this routine the same every day, and your tortoise will stay healthy.
How Much Space Does a Tortoise Need?
A tortoise needs as much room as you can give it, because tortoises like to walk, explore and dig.
- Outdoors: a safe, fenced area with grass, shade and a shelter
- Indoors: a large, dry enclosure with a warm side and a cool side
- Hiding spot: a box, shelter or burrow where it feels safe
An indoor tortoise also needs a UVB lamp. This special light works like sunshine and keeps the shell and bones strong.
What Does a Tortoise Eat?
A tortoise eats mostly plants, such as leafy greens, weeds and grasses.
Feed:
- Leafy greens, like romaine lettuce and dandelion leaves
- Weeds and grasses
- Calcium powder, if your vet suggests it
Avoid:
- Too much fruit
- Bread, meat, cat food or dog food
- Large amounts of spinach
Give fresh food every day or most days. Take away old food so it doesn’t spoil in the heat.
How Do You Give a Tortoise Water?
You give a tortoise water in a clean, shallow dish every day, and many owners also give it a warm soak.
- Use a dish shallow enough to climb in and out of
- Refill it with fresh water every day
- For a soak, place your tortoise in lukewarm water up to where the shell meets the body
- Soak for 15 to 20 minutes, a few times a week
Soaking helps your tortoise drink and stay hydrated, especially in hot weather.
How Do You Keep a Tortoise Cool in the UAE Heat?
You keep a tortoise cool by giving it deep shade, a shelter and fresh water every day, and bringing it indoors on very hot days.
- Always give shade, even in a sunny garden
- Give a shelter or burrow where it can cool down
- Check its water twice a day in summer
- Never leave it in direct sun without a way to escape
If your tortoise stops moving, stops eating or looks weak on a hot day, take it to a vet.
When Should You Take Your Tortoise to the Vet?
Take your tortoise to the vet if it stops eating, has runny eyes or nose, or its shell looks soft, cracked or smelly.
Other warning signs:
- Breathing with its mouth open
- Very sleepy when it should be active
- Losing weight
Tortoises hide illness well, so small changes matter. A yearly check-up helps keep your tortoise healthy.
How Do You Pick Up a Tortoise Safely?
You pick up a tortoise with both hands, holding the sides of its shell and keeping it close to the ground.
- Never turn it upside down
- Don’t hold it high up, in case it wriggles
- Wash your hands before and after
Who Looks After Your Tortoise When You’re Away?
When you’re away, a pet sitter can look after your tortoise at home, giving it food, water, shade and a daily check.
Your tortoise is happiest in the space it knows. With Pawland’s pet sitting, a sitter visits your home to:
- Give fresh greens and remove old food
- Clean and refill the water dish
- Give a warm soak if needed
- Check its shade, shelter and lamp
- Watch for any signs it isn’t well
In summer, ask for daily visits so your tortoise always has fresh water and shade.
If your tortoise is small and easy to move, it can also stay with a sitter through pet boarding in a home setting.
What Should You Tell Your Tortoise’s Sitter?
Tell your sitter what to feed, how often to soak, where the shade is and how to reach your vet.
- Food and amounts
- Soaking days
- Lamp timer settings (for indoor tortoises)
- Where the shade and shelter are
- Your vet’s phone number
Tortoise Care FAQs
Mostly leafy greens, weeds and grasses. Fruit should be a rare treat, and you can add calcium powder if your vet suggests it.
Many owners soak their tortoise in shallow, lukewarm water a few times a week, and more often in hot weather, to help it drink and stay hydrated.
Give deep shade, a shelter or burrow and fresh water every day. On very hot days, bring it indoors to a cool, shaded spot.
Not for long. Your tortoise needs fresh food, water and shade checked every day, especially in summer. A pet sitter can visit while you're away.
A pet sitter gives fresh greens, cleans and refills water, gives a soak if needed, checks shade and lamps, and watches for signs of illness.
Most tortoises are happiest staying at home with a sitter visiting. A small tortoise can also stay with a sitter through home boarding. Pawland offers both.
