Asian Forest Tortoise — Fact Sheet

Manouria emys · Asian Forest Tortoise

📋 At a glance

🏠 Enclosure

• Use a warm, humid room or secure outdoor pen; small terrariums fail
• Adult footprint: 400 x 300 cm (12 m²); larger animals and groups need more
• Use deep soil, leaf litter, cypress mulch, or clean forest material over a draining base
• Barriers must resist pushing and digging
• Avoid shallow substrate, waterlogged floors, slick surfaces, and exposed untreated wood

🪨 Enclosure furniture

• Open walking lanes, dense visual cover, and several full-body shaded shelters
• Deep leaf-litter zones for burrowing and natural foraging
• Robust edible plants or browse branches
• A large shallow soaking area with easy entry and exit
• Use duplicate shelters, feeding sites, and basking areas for groups

💡 Lighting

• UVB is essential indoors; aim for Ferguson Zone 2 at the basking area
• Preferred setup: T5 HO UVB tube plus a separately controlled basking lamp
• A measured mercury-vapor system may suit a room-sized enclosure
• Check UVI at shell height; replace lamps by measured output and manufacturer guidance
• Direct sunlight is useful in suitable weather; glass and plastic block UVB
• Photoperiod: 10-12 h with modest seasonal adjustment; no night light

🌡️ Temperature

• Basking spot: 30-32 °C

• Warm zone: 24-29 °C

• Cool zone: 22-24 °C

• Night: 20-24 °C

• Maintain warm humid air with a clear gradient

• Measure basking surfaces with an infrared thermometer and ambient zones with digital probes

• Use guarded, thermostatically controlled heat; avoid heat rocks and cold wet floors

💧 Humidity & water

• General humidity target: 70-90%, with local short-term access around 80-95%
• Pair high humidity with ventilation and drainage
• Provide a large shallow soaking area; replace fouled water
• Keep deep substrate evenly moist below the surface, not saturated
• Monitor juveniles and imported animals for hydration and shell condition

🥬 Diet

Feed freely:

• Broadleaf weeds, grasses, plantain, squash leaves, hibiscus, mulberry leaves, and safe seasonal browse

In moderation:

• Mixed leafy vegetables, edible fungi or forest foods, and soaked high-fiber tortoise pellets

Avoid:

• Fruit-heavy feeding, animal food as a staple, dog or cat food, bread, dairy, and spoiled vegetation

Supplements:

• Plain calcium or cuttlefish bone; use multivitamins sparingly and maintain effective UVB

🩺 Health — warning signs

• Dry skin, sunken eyes, or hard urates → insufficient humidity or water access
• Shell abrasions or limb injury → cramped housing or sharp barriers
• Foul skin, shell lesions, or persistent odor → dirty water, poor drainage, or infection
• Nasal discharge or wheezing → respiratory disease or unsuitable temperature
• Distorted growth → excess calories or poor calcium and UVB balance
• Diarrhea or sustained weight loss → parasites, infection, or poor quarantine

Consult a reptile-experienced veterinarian for breathing signs, injury, shell lesions, diarrhea, or sustained weight loss.