Housing Your Tortoise
Tortoise Tables (For Mediterranean Tortoises)
A Tortoise Table would be your best option for your tortoise. However, if you had a species such as a Red Foot, a vivarium set up would be your best bet. But as we're speaking on the behaf of Mediterranean tortoises, we'll jsut stick to the tables.
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Despite them looking rather nice, they also allow the humidity will stay low (thus creating the perfect habitat for your desert species). A tortoise table will also allow you to grow your own plants as they can grow above the sides. Attaching heat lamps (I find) is also easier and looks nicer on the table. Heat lamps on a table are also much more efficient because you can pull them up to the desired height. Having a tortoise table enables you to have complete control of the temperature and the humidity levels.
Building a table yourself is a great way to save some money. The table that we built cost about £70, which is quite a bit of money but to buy one for the same price, we would have ended up with one about a third of the size. Building a table also allows you to customize the shape and size of it. We made ours so it fits perfectly in the corner of our conservatory so we can still move around the table. You can make the table to fit your tortoises needs, whether they need a lot of space or less space.
Places to Hide
Offering places to hide is essential for your tortoise(s). There are many different styles of hidey huts on the market. My personal favourites are the natural looking ones. Hidey huts provide a nice environment to make your tortoise feel safe and secure. You could also provide plants for your tortoise to hide in. Tall tree like plants are great at providing shaded areas for your tortoise and can also create a sense of security. My tortoise absolutely loves to hide in his pansies.
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I provide three hides for my tortoise, one in the cooler end, one in the warmer end and one in the middle. If you own a species such as a Red Foot, a moist hide would have to be required.
Burrowing
Tortoises like to burrow down to cool themselves off. My specific tortoise does this all the time, especially under/in his hides. When you first get your tortoise, s/he will be scared of you, that't when you need hides the most. When I first got Arlo, I would often come downstairs and not find him anywhere, only to realise that he had burrowed so far he had covered his whole shell!
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It's important not to uncover your tortoise or dig him/her up out of its burrow. The burrow helps him feel safe and secure so if you are constantly digging him up, he's going to feel stressed and become scared of you. The same goes for his hides, you musn't grab them away from their hides unless something is wrong. Don't worry, tortoises will not suffocate in their burrows while they sleep.