Russian tortoise
Testudo horsfieldii · Horsfield's tortoise, Steppe tortoise, Agrionemys horsfieldii
The Russian tortoise, also called Horsfield's or steppe tortoise, comes from the steppes and semi-deserts of Central Asia. It digs long burrows, copes poorly with damp and in the wild is active for only about three months a year. The German report considers it a species for specialists only. In the EU it is a protected species, and in Germany you have to register it.
Contents 11 sections
Quick tips
- Keep them dry: Damp and cold make steppe tortoises ill. The shelter must be heatable.
- Build it escape-proof: They dig and climb well. Sink the fence deep and put large rocks along the edge.
- Never with other species: Russian tortoises often carry herpesviruses that can be deadly to other tortoises.
- Register them: In Germany, keeping them must be reported to the authority.
- Keep new animals apart for months and have them tested before they join the group.
Profile
- Length
- shell usually 12–20 cm, large animals up to about 25 cm; females grow larger than males
- Weight
- no reliable figure for adults
- Life span
- over 40 years; the TVT gives 50–80 years for tortoises
- Activity
- active by day, digs a lot; in the wild active for only about three months a year
Climate and light
- Day
- 25–30 °C (77–86 °F)
- Night
- 18–20 °C (64–68 °F)
- Basking spot
- 35–45 °C (95–113 °F)
- Humidity
- 40–60%
- Light
- Sunlight in the outdoor pen. Indoors, 12–14 hours of light with UVB. Austria requires 6–14 hours of light depending on the season and daily UV exposure.
Steppe tortoises cope poorly with damp: keep them dry and well ventilated. Austria requires the shelter to be heated to at least 20 °C (68 °F) in cool spells, 60–80% humidity and daily misting for juveniles, and outdoors at least 15 °C (59 °F) by day and 10 °C (50 °F) at night.
Enclosure
The Russian tortoise also belongs in an outdoor pen with a heatable shelter or cold frame, but according to the German report only in summer. The TVT recommends at least 8 × 4 shell lengths, so 1.6 × 0.8 m for a 20 cm shell, and advises more. Indoors, use an open floor pen rather than a glass terrarium, because the animals cope poorly with stagnant, damp air.
- Substrate
- Plenty of loose, dry substrate for digging, such as soil with sand and clay. In the wild, Russian tortoises dig tunnels up to 2 m long. Avoid waterlogging; in this species, substrate that is too damp especially often leads to shell necrosis.
- Setup
- A heatable shelter or cold frame with a heat lamp, basking spots, flat rocks to climb, a shallow water bowl and a sunny laying site. The fence is at least 40 cm high, smooth and set about 15 cm into the ground, with large rocks along the edge against digging out.
Sources [10] [4] [1] [8] [9] [2] [3] [7]
Minimum sizes
GermanyGuideline
Length 8 × shell length, width 4 × for two animals. Outdoors only in the summer months, with a heatable shelter. The species is considered suitable for specialists only.
Source [10]
AustriaLaw
1–2 animals up to 6 cm: 0.5 m² · 6–12 cm: 1.0 m² · over 12 cm: 2.0 m². Add 0.2 / 0.4 / 0.5 m² for each additional animal. Heat the outdoor shelter to at least 20 °C (68 °F) in cool spells.
Source [7]
SwitzerlandLaw
For up to two animals, 8 × 4 shell lengths of floor area, add 2 × 2 shell lengths for each additional animal. Plus outdoor access while the weather allows, diggable ground, hides and a hibernation period for all ages.
Source [11]
Feeding
All agesfrom hatchingdaily
Wild greens, Hay · high in fiber and low in protein
Feed daily; in the outdoor pen the animals find part of it themselves. Wild greens such as dandelion, sow thistle, plantain, clover and mallow, plus hay. Vegetables only now and then, fruit rarely and under 5% of the diet, no animal protein, at most 10% crude protein. Always offer calcium, for example as cuttlebone. Too much protein causes pyramiding, soft bones and kidney damage. In the wild, Russian tortoises feed for less than 15 minutes a day during their three active months. Before hibernation, feed less for about four weeks and not at all in the last two weeks.
Shedding
Tortoises shed too. If skin remnants stick to toes, tail or around the mouth and eyes, have a vet check them.
Source [1]
Brumation
The German report and UK animal hospitals provide for hibernation, while a US vet considers it unnecessary in captivity. No source gives a duration specifically for this species. For tortoises in general, UK animal hospitals name at most about 3 months at a constant temperature of about 5 °C (41 °F). Have a vet examine the tortoise and test the feces beforehand, stop feeding, keep it warm for a week and then lower the temperature by about 5 °C (9 °F) per week. Weigh regularly: losing more than 8–10% points to a problem. Austria requires 3–5 months at 4–8 °C (39–46 °F). In the wild, the animals stay buried for over nine months, with summer and winter rest running into each other.
Breeding
- Sexual maturity
- usually at 5–8 years, depending on feeding
- Clutch
- usually 1–5 eggs, one to three clutches a year (values for Testudo in general)
- Incubation
- 55–80 days at 29–31 °C (84–88 °F)
There is little breeding data specifically for this species, so the values apply to Testudo in general. A hobbyist source gives 61–75 days at 30–31 °C (86–88 °F). In the wild, the animals mate shortly after hibernation and egg laying starts at the end of April. Males don't get along with each other: keep a male only with several females.
Protection status and registration
As of October 31, 2026
EU
CITES Appendix II and Annex B of the EU Wildlife Trade Regulation. Anyone selling animals must be able to prove they were acquired legally.
Germany
Specially protected and subject to registration: report keeping, and every addition and departure, to the responsible authority in writing without delay. Unlike Hermann's and Greek tortoises, marking is not required. You must be able to show proof of origin on request.
Austria
Report keeping reptiles to the authority within two weeks. Since July 1, 2026, you need a training course (at least 4 × 60 minutes) before your first reptile. A UV lamp, a thermometer and a hygrometer are required.
Switzerland
No permit needed. You must be able to document origin and legal acquisition. The Animal Protection Ordinance requires outdoor access and a hibernation period for all ages.
This is not legal advice. Rules change, so check with the responsible authority if in doubt.
Health
No substitute for a vet. If your animal seems sick, refuses food for an unusually long time or loses weight, see a vet with experience in reptiles.
Herpesvirus
Signs plaques in the mouth, nasal discharge, not eating; Russian tortoises often carry the virus without signs and infect other species
What to do Have new animals tested and keep them apart for months, never with other species. See a vet right away if signs appear.
Runny nose and respiratory infections
Signs nasal discharge, often after hibernation or when kept too cool and damp
What to do Keep dry and warm and see a vet.
Shell necrosis
Signs patches on the shell discolor, soften or come loose; more common in this species, mostly from damp substrate and cold
What to do See a vet, keep the substrate drier and the tortoise warmer.
Intestinal parasites
Signs diarrhea, weight loss
What to do Have a fecal sample tested, for new animals and then yearly.
Pyramiding and bone disease
Signs soft shell, bumps, fractures, weakness
What to do Check calcium and UVB and see a vet.
Not eating after hibernation
Signs no eating or urinating seven days after waking, cloudy eyes
What to do See a vet.
Sources
- Basic Information Sheet: Mediterranean Tortoises
- Analyse der Ernährung und der Haltungsbedingungen von in Deutschland gehaltenen paläarktischen Landschildkröten (Testudo spp.)
- Russian Tortoise – Agrionemys horsfieldii
- Merkblatt Europäische Landschildkröten
- Foraging behaviour and diet of an ectothermic herbivore: Testudo horsfieldi
- Mitochondrial diversity of the widespread Central Asian steppe tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii Gray, 1844)
- 2. Tierhaltungsverordnung, § 5, § 8 und Anlage 3 (Mindestanforderungen an die Haltung von Reptilien)official
- Mediterranean Tortoise Care
- Caring for Mediterranean tortoises
- Gutachten über Mindestanforderungen an die Haltung von Reptilienofficial
- Tierschutzverordnung (TSchV, SR 455.1), Art. 89 und Anhang 2 (Vorbemerkungen, Tabelle 5 Reptilien)official
- Tortoise Hibernation
- A short spring before a long jump: the ecological challenge to the steppe tortoise (Testudo horsfieldi)
- The Horsfield's tortoise: Testudo horsfieldi – A brief review of its biology, ecology & captive breeding
- Verordnung (EU) 2026/1383 zur Änderung der Anhänge der Verordnung (EG) Nr. 338/97 (CITES-Vertragsstaatenkonferenz 2025)official
- Verordnung (EG) Nr. 338/97 über den Schutz von Exemplaren wildlebender Tier- und Pflanzenarten durch Überwachung des Handelsofficial
- Bundesartenschutzverordnung (BArtSchV), § 7, §§ 12–13 und Anlagen 5 und 6official
- Bundesnaturschutzgesetz (BNatSchG), § 46 Nachweispflichtofficial
- Tierschutzgesetz (TSchG), § 13 und § 25official
- Bundesgesetz über den Verkehr mit Tieren und Pflanzen geschützter Arten (BGCITES, SR 453), Art. 10official
Values without a source are common experience from keeping and breeding. Every animal is different, so watch yours and adjust its care. As of October 31, 2026.
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