Aldabra Giant Tortoise · care and husbandry guide

warm end32 °C

cool end27–35 °C

Humidity55–65 %

Enclosure152×152

Aldabra Giant Tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea), photographed in the wild — Photograph · Eliane Küpfer · CC BY-SA

Photographed by an observer on iNaturalist and published under a Creative Commons licence; the photographer and the licence are named under the image. It is not an animal of ours, and no animal was handled by us to produce it.

The numbers

Thermal gradient

152025303540 °C

27–35°Cool side

32°Warm side

A real gradient, 32°C warm against 27–35°C cool, so the animal chooses. The sheet states no separate night figure.

Why

Same scale on every sheet here, so two species compare by eye.

The sheet stateswarm 32 °C / cool 27-35 °C

Humidity

55–65%Target RH

The sheet states55 to 65%

UVB

Requiredrequired

The sheet statesA UV source is a must if you cannot provide daily exposure to natural sunlight. For this a self-ballasted mercury vapor lamp is recommended

Diet

fed mainly grasses and broadleaf weeds; grocery greens including Romaine, Escarole, Endive, Green leaf, Red leaf, Kale, Collard greens; the greens are fed every 2 to 3 days; on the days in between, Mazuri tortoise diet is fed

Identity

Origin

Aldabra Atoll and the Seychelles, Indian Ocean.

Enclosure and conditions

Enclosure

warm side

50100150200 cm

5 × 5 ft · 152 × 152 cmWidth × depth

231dm² of floor

Substrate: not in our dataWater: not in our dataHides: not in our data

Drawn from the stated numbers. Seen from above: the sheet gives a footprint and no height.

Why

The rectangle carries the exact width-to-height ratio of the figures above it, and the ruler under it places that width on the 0–250 cm scale every sheet here shares, so two species still compare at a glance. Nothing is added that the sheet does not name: a lamp drawn on a sheet that never mentions one would be invented equipment. What the sheet leaves out is listed rather than left blank, because an empty tank reads as « none needed ».

The sheet statesThe minimum recommended space is 5 X 5 feet or 25 square feet of floor space for a single 8 inch animal

Temperature

warm 32 °C / cool 27–35 °C

Humidity

55–65%

What your climate adds

This sheet states a range to hold. Your local climate decides how much work holding it is. Pick the nearest city: nothing is sent anywhere, the choice stays in this browser.

Nearest city

Good to know

Among the longest-lived animals: individuals have passed 150 years.

Common questions

How big does it get?

Well over a metre of shell and 150 to 250 kg. It will eventually be stronger than you are.

How long does it live?

Over a hundred years. You are buying an animal for your grandchildren.

What does it cost to keep?

The animal is only the start. You need a large fenced garden, a strong shelter and a lot of greens every single day.

Is it safe around children?

It does not bite aggressively, but it is heavy and pushes through obstacles, so a child can be knocked over or have toes stepped on. Always supervise.

What it needs

A heat sourcebecause temp — warm 32 °C / cool 27-35 °C

A thermostat to regulate itbecause temp — warm 32 °C / cool 27-35 °C

A thermometerbecause temp — warm 32 °C / cool 27-35 °C

A hygrometerbecause humidity — 55 to 65%

UVB, stated as requiredbecause uvb — A UV source is a must if you cannot provide daily exposure to natural sunlight. For this a self-ballasted mercury vapor lamp is recommended

Not stated: The size of the enclosurethis sheet describes the enclosure without a figure: « The minimum recommended space is 5 X 5 feet or 25 square feet of floor space for »

Every line above is deduced from a value this sheet states, and names which one. Nothing here is a general recommendation. What the sheet does not state is listed too, rather than left out: a kit that looks complete is worse than one that names its gap.

Sources

reptilesmagazine.com — lu le 2026-08-04 turtlestore.com — lu le 2026-08-04 speciesplus.net — lu le 2026-08-08 gbif.org — lu le 2026-08-08 tortoisetown.com — lu le 2026-08-08

Others in this group

Russian TortoiseTestudo horsfieldiiHermann's tortoiseTestudo hermanniGreek TortoiseTestudo graecaEgyptian TortoiseTestudo kleinmanniLeopard tortoiseStigmochelys pardalisAfrican spurred tortoise (Sulcata)Centrochelys sulcataRed-footed tortoiseChelonoidis carbonariusYellow-footed TortoiseChelonoidis denticulatus

What this sheet states

77%

TemperatureHumidityEnclosure sizeActivityOriginDietSourcesUVB

This sheet states 5 of 7 of the fields this product runs on. What is missing turns something off: day/night engine and awake count on the globe, the diet section. We show the gap rather than fill it with a plausible number.

UVB is measured but does not count: it is absent from 421 of 678 sheets, and on most of them that is not a gap, since a nocturnal snake's sheet has no reason to state a UV index. Counting it would call the library incomplete without cause.