SpeciesHorsfield's tortoise
Horsfield's tortoise
Testudo horsfieldii
Four toes instead of five, from Central Asia rather than the Mediterranean. It digs more than any other tortoise and, in its home range, rests in both winter and summer.
- Group
- Tortoise or turtle
- Level
- Intermediate
- Origin
- Central Asia
Where the species comes from
- World region
- Central Asia
- Countries
- Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Iran
- Habitat
- Dry steppe with hot summers and cold winters
The app does not yet hold an origin entry for this species. The distribution given here comes from the specialist literature.
The natural habitat is the yardstick for how you furnish an enclosure. Knowing where an animal comes from is knowing why it needs heat zones, hides and a particular humidity.
Husbandry at a glance
The same details appear in the animal’s profile inside the app.
- Enclosure
- Outdoor enclosure from 8 m² with a cold frame. A keen digger: Sink the border at least 40 cm.
- Temperature
- Basking spot at 35–40 °C, shade essential. Overwintering at 4–6 °C.
- Humidity
- Dry, with a moist digging area.
- Lighting
- Natural sunlight; indoors, strong UV-B.
- Substrate
- Deep soil-sand mix, at least 30 cm.
- Furnishings
- Stones, roots, dense planting, an escape-proof border.
- Water
- Shallow dish, refreshed daily.
- Feeding
- Wild herbs, drier and more fibrous than for the European species. No fruit.
- Behaviour
- Diurnal, digs persistently, disappears into the ground in both heat and cold.
- Handling
- Only for checks and weighing.
- Cohabitation
- Alone or several females. If a male harasses the females constantly — persistent mounting, biting, no way to get away — castration is, from an animal welfare point of view, a better solution than separation in a confined space. The procedure belongs in the hands of a vet experienced with reptiles; it takes away the pressure to breed, not the animal's character. This recommendation comes from Zürcher Tierschutz.
- Health
- Robust provided it is dry enough. Damp keeping causes shell problems.
- Seasonal cycle
- Hibernation from October to March at 4–6 °C is mandatory, not optional. Horsfield's tortoise lives in Central Asia with a very short growing season and additionally takes a summer rest of four to eight weeks when it gets too hot and dry. Both phases are part of its annual rhythm. Stop feeding two to three weeks before hibernation so the gut is empty.
- Safety
- No keeping permit required, but proof of origin (Art. 10 BGCITES). Switzerland has no general marking requirement.
Legal position in Switzerland
No permit foreseen
No permit required. The species does not belong to any of the groups listed in Art. 89 of the Swiss Animal Welfare Ordinance
No certificate of competence foreseen
No proof of competence required. It is only demanded for the animals named in Art. 89 of the Ordinance
Species protection applies
CITES Appendix II (Washington Convention). In Switzerland you need papers for every animal that prove its origin and lawful acquisition. They go with the animal when you pass it on (Art. 10 BGCITES). Anyone offering the animal publicly states the CITES appendix, the scientific name and whether it comes from captive breeding or the wild (Art. 7a VCITES). Switzerland has no general marking requirement. The EU lists the species in Annex B
Minimum enclosure dimensions
Annex 2, table 5 of the Animal Welfare Ordinance does not prescribe centimetres but multiples of body length. For this species, item 4 (European tortoises): floor area 8 × 4 body lengths. The floor area applies to at most two animals; each further animal requires an additional 2 × 2 body lengths.
For this group, body length means the carapace length, measured in a straight line from the front to the rear edge of the shell, not over the curve. The largest animal in the enclosure is what counts. The enclosure may not be smaller even if fewer animals live in it than the table names.
| Carapace length | At least |
|---|---|
| 12 cm | 96 × 48 cm |
| 15 cm | 120 × 60 cm |
| 18 cm | 144 × 72 cm |
| 22 cm | 176 × 88 cm |
Animals may temporarily be kept in smaller enclosures: for quarantine, for the treatment of illness and injury, for acclimatisation, for breeding and rearing, and for winter or cold dormancy or aestivation (preliminary remark D on reptiles).
This is the legal lower limit, not a recommendation. An enclosure that meets exactly these dimensions is permitted, but not good for that reason. The details under “Husbandry at a glance” describe how the enclosure should be furnished, not how small it may be.
What the enclosure must provide
Provide species-appropriate heat and light zones, UV-B where needed, suitable substrate, retreats, climbing or digging options, water and natural rest periods.
Paperwork
Ask for proof of origin and keep it. Use the scientific name to determine the appendix unambiguously.
These details are a guide, not legal advice. Binding information comes from the cantonal veterinary office; the text of the ordinance is what counts. More on the legal position
