The Tortoise Trust has been involved in finding new homes for tortoises that the current keeper is unable to continue with since the early 1980's. In that time we have successfully homed many thousand...

A completely new course designed for those new to keeping tortoises (this particular course does not include aquatic turtle care) at an incredibly

Dr Mark R. WebbThis article originally appeared in a print edition of the Tortoise Trust Newsletter and has not been published online previously. It is still highly relevant, however, and may prove of...

by A. C. Highield/Tortoise TrustHingeback tortoises (Genus Kinixys) have an unenviable reputation as difficult' tortoises, particularly when newly imported or seized from the illegal wildlife trade. T...

Massively accelerated captive growth in a young Testudo horsfieldii (Russian tortoise). Metabolic bone disease (MBD) occurs if a tortoise has abnormal calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D3 levels, caused by a poor diet or incorrect environment (lack of UV-B, for example). It is especially prevalent in tortoises where unnaturally high growth rates occur. The reasons for this are fairly simple in some ways, but rather complex in others, however, at it’s most basic it is very difficult to ensure tha

YouTube video by Tortoise Trust

A. C. HighfieldThis article is a brief guide to how to handle some very common problems that arise in autumn during the period when tortoises are preparing for hibernation (brumation) or shortly afterwards. It includes quite a lot of links to far more detailed articles on this website that cover certain aspects in much greater detail. Just click these to read them. When mild weather is experienced in the autum, this causes many tortoise keepers serious concern, as animals that would normally alr

This is a simplified, but updated, article including advice incorporating our latest research, experience and observations. Obtaining perfect, natural-looking growth in tortoises and turtles is a multi-factorial challenge. The keeper must balance many different aspects of diet with extraneous (environmental) factors if this is to be achieved. There is no ‘quick fix’ or ‘ABC’ method guaranteed to produce reliable results under all circumstances. Instead, it is vital that keepers understand the b

YouTube video

This is the current and updated version of the classic booklet of which well over 100,000 copies were distributed free of charge in pre-internet days, saving countless lives. This text uses the term ...