Egyptian Tortoise (Care And Ultimate Guide) By our Experts

Egyptian Tortoise Pet

Egyptian tortoise is one of the most beautiful desert tortoises. It is referred to as golden beauties having a desert life.

Egyptian tortoise is much sought after tortoise and it is one of the endangered species of tortoises. You should try to get only captive hatchlings. If you go in for wild ones, they may be stressed due to shipping, exposure to the foreign pathogens and may perish even after a lot of medical care.

Other common names:

• Egyptian tortoise
• Neck hiding tortoise
• Negev tortoise

Size:

Egyptian tortoise is one of the smallest tortoises approximately 6 inches. Female tortoises are larger than their male counterpart.

Life Span:

Egyptian tortoise may live up to 50 years or more

Origin:

Egyptian tortoise is the native of Egypt as the name suggests. It is also found in Israel and Libya.

Egyptian Tortoise Food:

• Tortoise food for your Egyptian tortoise pet should be high in fiber. The food should be low in proteins and rich in calcium. This will ensure good growth with the smooth functioning of the digestive tract
• The tortoise food should not contain any fruits as the sugar is harmful
• Additional calcium supplements may be given along with D3 if it is being kept indoors

Egyptian Tortoise Housing

Egyptian tortoise is well adapted to live in extreme conditions and they find it difficult to live in the human world. You should go to great lengths to provide them with a duplicate environment. You should provide your pet tortoise with proper housing that resembles the natural habitat. You should take care o its special needs as its life and health in captivity depends on the housing you provide.

• Avoid clear or opaque walls as it may give a hint of a world beyond the housing
• A humidity level of 20-30 % should be kept as it works well and mimics its natural environment
• 12 hours of light is necessary for your Egyptian tortoise. This is also required for basking as they are desert tortoises
• Egyptian tortoise tends to get stressed very easily hence you should provide ample hiding spots
• The size of the habitat should be at least 3 feet by 2 feet for housing a single Egyptian tortoise. A larger enclosure will make your Egyptian tortoise pet happier and you can provide him with more hiding places
• Peat moss is an excellent substrate but they can also live among compact sand, scattered rocks, and gravel
• Temperatures of 85 F are good for the growth of Egyptian tortoise.

Special care for Egyptian Tortoise

Egyptian tortoise are endangered and hence you should be very careful while dealing with them

• You should not mix them with other species as they tend to be very sensitive to diseases carried by other species
• Egyptian tortoise does not hibernate but aestivates for some time during hot and dry periods

Egyptian tortoise pet will be a very good pet if you consider the beauty and the size of this tortoise. You will have to pay special attention to tortoise housing and other things like tortoise food. Egyptian tortoise is an endangered species of tortoise and should be handled with utmost care.