The 3 Best Tortoise Enclosures of 2023

Best Overall

Aivituvin Wooden Tortoise House

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A good tortoise enclosure needs to be able to protect your companion while giving them enough room to move around. This wooden house from Aivituvin gives you a solid foundation that’s easy to fill with dirt or bedding without leaks. The solid wood exterior is combined with a waterproof, plastic bottom, making it easy to wipe up messes. The Aivituvin Tortoise House is divided into two sections, separated by a 8.3-inch square door: a larger “public” compartment with acrylic viewing panels and a screen top, and an adjacent, fully-enclosed compartment where your turtle can find darkness and privacy. Each compartment has a separate latch and prop, so you can open either compartment separately, and keep it open for airing or cleaning.

Heat sources are crucial to any tortoise enclosure, and this house has an adjustable lamp holder that extends from 30.3 to 39 inches high and from 13 to 21.1 inches out. Combine that with the lamp holder’s 360 degree rotation, and you have enough adjustability to place light wherever your tortoise needs it most.

Though it's appropriate for outdoor or indoor use, its relatively small size and lamp configuration inclines us to recommend it more for indoor use. Its primary limitation is its size, which is only appropriate for some tortoise species, or as a starter enclosure for a juvenile tortoise.

The Aivituvin Wooden Tortoise House is also available in anelevated configuration with legs. It requires some assembly after purchase, with pre-drilled holes.

Price at time of publish: $110

_{Dimensions:38.1 x 22.4 x 39 inches|Materials:Wood, acrylic, metal|Included Accessories:Lamp holder}

Best Overall, Outdoor

Rockever Wooden Tortoise Habitat

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The Tortoise House Habitat enclosure is perfect for many types of smaller or medium-sized tortoises, like leopard or red foot tortoises. The wire top is divided into three panels, which can be partially or fully opened for easy access to the interior.

At 49 by 36 inches, the Tortoise House Habitat provides plenty of open space for them to bask in the sun, with a 13 by 36-inch interior that provides secure privacy. While the door to the interior space can be closed, we do wish the wire window could be sealed as well, to provide your turtle as much darkness as possible.

外壳确实需要一些大会,尽管the tools and instructions do come in the box. Overall, it's a great enclosure for outdoor tortoise aficionados, looking for a place that will give them some comfort while they leave their shelled friend outside. Plus, it’s also available in a smaller size that’s suitable for indoor or outdoor use.

The main downside to the Tortoise House Habitat is that it doesn’t have a floor, which makes it easy to escape, particularly for burrowing tortoise species.

Price at time of publish: $129

_{Dimensions:49 x 36 x 14 inches (large), 36 x 24 x 14 (small)|Materials:Fir Wood}

Best Heating

Zoo Med Reptitherm Habitat Heater

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A tortoise companion needs to have a good heating pad or lamp since these cold-blooded creatures can’t regulate their internal temperature. Zoo Med’s heating pad gives any tortoise who can fit on an 18 by 18-inch square a chance to relax and heat up at the same time. Made with water resistant plastic, it includes a metal-protected cord to prevent chewing. Reaching a maximum of 119 degrees, it comes with mounting rails so it can be easily installed on the floor or side of the enclosure.

Price at time of publish: $73

_{Dimensions:18 x 18 inches|Materials:Polyethylene plastic|Included Accessories:Coord, automatic thermostat, indicator LED and 1-year warranty}

Best Water Dish

OMEM Luminous Reptile Food Bowl

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Tortoises need a place where they can get a nice drink or a nice spot to eat at. Giving them a bowl that they can easily access without you having to worry about a mess is a must. With its resin makeup and availability in multiple colors, you should give the OMEM food bowl a shot.

Even if tortoises don’t drink too much, it's smart to keep a bowl inside just to add a little bit of humidity to the overall heat. This bowl, with its unique shape that isn’t deep, allows for easy evaporation while giving even the smallest tortoise a chance to catch a drink.

Price at time of publish: $17

_{Dimensions:14 x 9 x 1 inches|Materials:Resin}

Best Fencing

Lan Jia Hardware Cloth

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Since many of the enclosures sold by major retailers are too small for larger tortoise species, many people opt to build their own enclosures, typically using wire. But while standard chicken wire can work to keep your tortoise hemmed in, its large, hexagonal openings are less effective at repelling predators. Instead, consider a hardware cloth, like this highly-rated fencing from Lan Jia. Hardware cloth has square instead of hexagonal openings, and they’re really narrow, so raccoons or other opportunistic predators can’t reach through.

You can use hardware cloth in combination with a wood or PVC frame to build a custom outdoor enclosure for your tortoise. It can also be used to build a top to an existing enclosure, or even buried along the perimeter of your enclosure to keep your tortoise from burrowing out.

Lan Jia Hardware Cloth is galvanized after welding for a full seal that prevents the steel wire from rusting. It’s square openings are each a half-inch across, which offers maximum protection while still giving your tortoise full visibility of their surroundings. The 19 gauge wire is also sturdy enough (the lower the gauge number, the thicker the wire) that your tortoise shouldn’t be able to bend it.

Price at time of publish: $45/50 feet

_{Dimensions:24-inch height, variable length| Materials:Galvanized steel wire}