Ely Tortoise

31/05/2026

Tortoises do drink, and fresh water around the outside of the enclosure encourages them to find it and enjoy as needed.
A terracotta or stone dish is advised as they are heavy, and prevents saucers flipping over ✨️🐢

31/05/2026

Sunshine corner 💛

21/05/2026

Tortoises are not slow!
Be prepared for super charged dinosaurs as the sun kicks in this Summer 🌞

Good reminder that they are little escape artists and microchipping is strongly advised!

🐢☀️ IMPORTANT WEATHER UPDATE FROM MANUEL TO TORTOISES ACROSS THE UNITED KINGDOM ☀️🐢

Attention fellow tortoises.

A bank holiday heatwave is approaching.

The warm weather begins TODAY, and by the weekend, humans will be distracted by barbecues, gardening, children running around, and “just one more drink” in the sunshine.

This means only one thing.

Prepare for your mighty escape.

Before attempting your mission, please ensure:
• You are fully hydrated
• You have eaten enough w**ds for energy
• You have thermoregulated responsibly
• You have rested under bushes and shady plants
• Your human has supplied a large soaking tray for pre-escape spa treatment

Then… begin your preparations.

Inspect all fences carefully.
Monitor gates left slightly open.
Study weak points behind flowerpots.
Wait patiently until the humans are carrying burgers outside.

Remember:
The hotter it gets, the more powerful tortoises become.

Humans still think we are slow.
This is excellent news for us.

By Monday afternoon, thousands of Mediterranean tortoises could be exploring flowerbeds, patios, and housing estates across Britain while their owners crawl around the garden shouting:
“HE WAS JUST HERE FIVE MINUTES AGO.”

Stay cool.
Stay hydrated.
And move only when the humans aren’t looking 🐢💚

21/05/2026

💚💚💚

🌿🐢 Creating a Natural Tortoise Enclosure 🐢
A great enclosure isn’t just secure, it should encourage natural behaviours like exploring, grazing, basking and hiding.

Here are a few simple ways to enrich your tortoise’s space:

🌱 Hiding spots
Use upturned flowerpots, low shrubs, logs or planted areas to give your tortoise places to retreat and feel safe.

☀️ Basking areas
Create a south-facing spot, ideally with a gentle slope, to catch the morning sun and help your tortoise warm up and get moving.

⛰️ Mounds and terrain
Add small hills and uneven ground to encourage movement, build muscle tone, and keep them active.

👀 Top tip:
Get down to your tortoise’s level and look around. Can they see straight across the enclosure? Add visual barriers (plants, logs, features) to break up sightlines and prevent pacing or circling.

A naturalistic setup leads to a more active, enriched, and healthier tortoise.

If you’ve made it to the end of this post, we’d love to see a picture of you down at tortoise-level!

18/05/2026

A firm favourite here 💚🐢

16/05/2026

25kg of limestone (high calcium) for £20 on eBay

If you are setting up an enclosure - buy a bag and tip onto thre ground, mix with topsoil and tortoise seed mix/ wildflowers

No brainer and cheap as chips!

🐢💚🐢💚🐢

12/05/2026

🌈🌈🌈

12/05/2026

Tortoise rehoming 🐢

Many lovely solo male tortoises seeking new homes. I am one of the rehoming mentors for www.tortoiseclub.org , please check out the website and put in an application if you can provide a great home (wild food, heat lamps, short hibernations) for these Mediterranean reptiles.

Happy to offer advice and support locally with talks, health checks and rehoming 💚

[email protected]

11/05/2026

Sure our new neighbours are questioning the UV lights, constant discussions about 'w**d collection' and masses of white powder all over the garden... 😅

Come on rain, need the seeds to grow 🤞🌧🐢

10/05/2026

Fortunate to see these two leopard torts wild in Kenya.

Rain every day currently, with torts in lush green grass and chalky ground locally.
Tort chose to come and sit at our feet (probably looking for shade or a randy male checking out the boots! 👞)

Interesting to see the elevated humidity levels, the tort freely choosing to roam openly and the fact both had mild pyramiding despite being 100% wild.
Climate change is really altering the seasons here, leading to boom and bust rain and vegetation growth.