Tortoise Table or Vivarium: Which Is Best for Your Pet?
One of the oldest and fiercest debates within the reptile keeping community has been on the type of enclosure best suited to European tortoises.
Many online resources will favour the tortoise table, while we, for the most part, have advised wooden vivariums. Both enclosures have their pros and cons, and awkwardly, there will be some variance depending on which type of vivarium you are using as the example.
It is definitely a grey area because we aren’t really talking about a single piece of equipment when we ask which is better, a tortoise table or vivarium; we are evaluating which is most likely to provide the necessary conditions for the tortoise with the least risk.
Tortoise Table
Tortoise tables have been used with Hermanns, Greek spur, marginated, and Horsfields tortoises for a really long time, and many people have been able to keep their tortoise happy and healthy in this type of open-top enclosures.
They are normally around 3 or 4ft wide and 2ft front to back. There will be a sidewall around 10-12” tall around the enclosure to prevent the tortoise from escaping. The main benefit of this style enclosure is that it has no lid, so its ventilation is unrivalled.
The tortoises listed above can struggle in high humidity environments, so as long as the room isn’t humid, tortoise tables normally build up humidity much better than a vivarium.
Pros
- Excellent ventilation thanks to the open top
- Ideal for tortoises that don’t cope well with high humidity
- Easy to access for feeding and cleaning
Cons
- Poor insulation - heat escapes easily
- Can be difficult to maintain a consistent temperature in UK homes
- Not ideal for colder or draughty environments
Wooden Vivarium
Tortoise vivariums are essentially wooden boxes with glass front doors and vents. The vivariums we recommend are normally around 4 x 2 x 2ft (width x length x height) with large back vents and front vents if possible.
The Viva+ range of vivariums sold on our website includes metal ventilated front rails as well as large vents on the back wall. This allows more movement of air within the enclosure, which drastically improves its ventilation.
We have been using wooden vivariums in store for 20+ years and have seen our tortoises thrive. They do not have as much ventilation as a tortoise table, but we are able to control the temperature within the enclosure much better, and we find that this is the main concern for most households in the UK.
Tortoises are cold-blooded and require a significant amount of heat to function and thrive when out of their natural habitat. The main benefit of an enclosed wooden vivarium is that it will keep heat inside and give you better control over the temperature in the enclosure.
Pros
- Excellent heat retention
- Easier to maintain consistent temperatures
- Good choice for homes that aren’t always warm
Cons
- Less natural airflow - adequate ventilation is more limited
- Humidity levels need close monitoring
Tortoise Table or Vivarium? It Depends on Your Home
Our conclusion is that both of these enclosures are a good option, but there is likely a factor at home that will make one of these better for your tortoise than the other.
It’s a bit of an open-ended conclusion, but when you get into the habit of considering the enclosure conditions over the hardware used to reach them, you’ll start to spot a lot of these.
In our experience keeping tortoises in the UK, we find that the heating is normally a more common problem for our customers than humidity, so we will still lean towards wooden vivariums, but it really is dependent on the conditions at home.
When to Choose a Tortoise Table:
If your enclosure is going to be in a temperature-controlled room that will be kept at 20°C all year round and the room isn’t getting too cold at night, then the tortoise table would be great.
If you choose to use the tortoise table, you need to keep a really close eye on the temperatures throughout the day.
When to Choose a Wooden Vivarium:
If your home can be a bit draughty or if you are planning to keep the tortoise in a room that isn’t particularly warm, then a vivarium will be much better.
If you go for the vivarium, you need to be careful to put any water or fresh veggies on the cool end and monitor humidity throughout the day.
Need Help Choosing an Enclosure?
If you’re unsure whether a tortoise table or vivarium is right for your setup or pet tortoise species, our team at Reptile Centre is here to help.
- Email us at sales@reptilecentre.com
- Call us on 01604 753823
Contact us now - we’ll be happy to talk you through your options and help you build the best home for your tortoise.
