Desert Tortoise Care Guide
The desert tortoise is found throughout both the Sonoran and Mojave deserts and has been split into two separate species. The Agassiz’s desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) lives in the Mojave deserts of California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona west of the Colorado River. The Morafka’s desert tortoise (Gopherus morafkai) resides in the Sonoran deserts of Arizona east of the Colorado River and Mexico. The two species can interbreed and many captive tortoises are hybrids.
Wild desert tortoise populations are threatened by habitat destruction. Captive populations, meanwhile, have become over-populated — wildlife officials cannot return captive tortoises to the wild due to hybridization risks and the potential for exposing wild tortoises to disease.
Important legal notes: Collecting a desert tortoise from the wild is illegal. Breeding desert tortoises is illegal in Arizona. Possession limits are determined by the Arizona Game and Fish Department. For current regulations, visit azgfd.com or contact a local Arizona Game and Fish Department office.
Size: up to 20 pounds. Lifespan: 60–100+ years.
Enclosure
Outdoor housing is strongly recommended whenever possible. Outdoor pens should be constructed with solid, opaque walls — tortoises will attempt to walk through fences they can see through. Walls should extend 6–12 inches below ground to prevent digging underneath. The enclosure must also protect against predators and family pets such as dogs. Minimum outdoor enclosure size for an adult is 18 square feet.
Indoor housing is appropriate only for small or sick tortoises. Use opaque-sided enclosures for the same reason solid outdoor fencing is recommended. Commercially available options such as the Zoo Med Tortoise House or Waterland Tub work well, as does a good-sized storage container.
Provide a hide or cave for indoor tortoises and an artificial burrow for outdoor tortoises. Use a flat dish or patio stone as a food dish to prevent accidental substrate ingestion while eating.
Cleaning: Remove droppings from indoor enclosures daily. Replace substrate 1–2 times monthly or more as needed. Disinfect the enclosure and furnishings at least monthly with a freshly made 1:10 bleach solution — rinse thoroughly and allow to dry in the sun. For outdoor enclosures, rake up feces regularly and clean and sanitize water bowls every 2–4 weeks.
Substrate
Natural soil (outdoors) or compacted organic topsoil are preferred. A mix of cypress mulch and coconut fiber bedding can also be used. Avoid reptile barks, wood shavings, sand, and gravel — these can be accidentally ingested and the dust can cause respiratory irritation. Rabbit pellets have been used but mold very easily. Substrate should be at least 3–5 inches deep to allow burrowing.
Temperature
Indoors:
- Daytime: 85–88°F
- Basking spot: 95–100°F
- Nighttime: 75–80°F
Provide heat with a lamp placed to one side of the enclosure to create a temperature gradient. A digital thermometer and thermostat are recommended to ensure proper temperatures.
Outdoors: While desert tortoises can handle natural seasonal temperature fluctuations, they must have access to adequate shade and deep burrows to insulate against summer heat and winter cold. Tortoises can overheat and develop heatstroke if left in direct sun without access to a burrow, or if they become overturned. Freezing temperatures during brumation can cause injury to the eyes and brain — proper burrow construction is essential. Please refer to the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum website for burrow construction guidance.
Lighting
Indoor desert tortoises require artificial UVB lighting for proper calcium absorption. Use a commercially available fluorescent or mercury vapor reptile UVB bulb — bulbs designed for desert species (such as 10.0 bulbs) are recommended. Follow manufacturer instructions for placement; most require the animal to be within 12–18″ of the bulb. Replace bulbs every 6–12 months — bulbs stop producing UVB long before they stop emitting visible light. Outdoor tortoises receive all the UVB they need from the sun.
Humidity & Water
Maintain humidity at 30–50%, monitored with a hygrometer. It is important to limit access to water for this species. Rather than providing a constant water bowl, soak your tortoise in shallow warm water for 15–30 minutes 1–2 times weekly. This encourages drinking and full bladder voiding, which helps prevent bladder stones. If a water dish is used, it should be shallow and wide enough for the tortoise to climb fully inside.
Diet
Desert tortoises are herbivores and require a high-fiber diet for healthy growth and digestion. The majority of their diet should be grasses and weeds. Providing access to grassy grazing areas is the easiest way to achieve this. Grass hay such as timothy, Bermuda, or orchard grass can also be provided. Edible shrubs and native plants are especially important for growing juveniles — planting Dichondra alongside grass is an easy way to achieve dietary variety in outdoor habitats.
Leafy greens, edible flowers, fruits, and vegetables can supplement the diet but should be limited to no more than once weekly, as these tortoises are adapted to grazing grasses. Mazuri LS Tortoise Pellets can be given no more than weekly — avoid pellets with artificial colors, as desert tortoises do not do as well on other brands.
Never feed meat, insects, dog or cat food, or monkey biscuits — these high-protein foods lead to shell abnormalities and kidney disease.
Supplementation: Indoor tortoises and young, rapidly growing tortoises should have their diet supplemented with calcium carbonate powder (such as ReptiCal) 2–3 times weekly and a multivitamin containing D3 once or twice monthly.
Wellness & Preventive Care
We recommend an annual fecal exam and wellness checkup. Desert tortoises brumate (hibernate) during colder winter months. A pre-brumation veterinary examination is recommended for all desert tortoises each year to ensure they are healthy enough to withstand brumation.
