There are few books out there that comprehensively summarise everything you need to know in order to provide your pet tortoise the best possible care. However, a new book titled Tortoise Husbandry and Welfare by Jane Williams bridges this gap as an authoritative guide that combines up-to-date scientific research with practical husbandry advice. This 304-page volume is structured to serve both new and experienced tortoise keepers, as well as veterinary professionals, and welfare researchers. The book’s strength lies in its balance between scientific depth and applied care, providing detailed insight into how to meet tortoises’ physical, behavioural, and emotional needs in captivity. The opening chapters explore tortoise biology and physiology, explaining how their unique evolutionary traits (such as ectothermy, shell structure, and slow metabolism) affect their health and welfare. Williams lays a strong foundation for understanding how a tortoise’s body functions and why certain environmental and dietary factors are so critical to its wellbeing. From there, she moves into an in-depth discussion of environmental requirements, including housing design, heating and lighting systems (which are often overlooked), humidity control, and substrate choice. These sections emphasise the importance of mimicking natural habitats and seasonal cycles, with particular attention to species-specific needs.

Diet and nutrition receive dedicated attention, with Williams outlining the nutritional principles of tortoise feeding, including the balance of fibre, calcium, and vitamins essential for shell and bone health. She also explores common dietary mistakes made by keepers and how to prevent metabolic bone disease and other nutrition-related conditions. The chapters on health and welfare indicators are especially valuable: Williams provides practical checklists and clear behavioural signs that indicate whether a tortoise is thriving or under stress. These are supported by guidance on disease prevention, health monitoring, and when to seek veterinary assistance. One of the book’s strongest features is its focus on species-specific guidance. Williams recognises that tortoises from Mediterranean, tropical, and desert environments have vastly different ecological and behavioural needs. By addressing the requirements of species such as the Horsfield’s (Russian) tortoise, Egyptian tortoise, and African leopard tortoise individually, she ensures the advice is relevant and precise rather than generic. This level of detail is particularly useful for zookeepers or other specialists, who must tailor their care practices to each species’ natural history.

The book also discusses reproduction, hibernation, and brumation, outlining best practices for breeding and caring for hatchlings while maintaining high welfare standards. Williams takes care to explain the risks of improper hibernation management and how to replicate seasonal cycles safely in captivity. Later chapters expand into the human side of husbandry, highlighting the knowledge, skill, and ethical reflection required to be a responsible tortoise keeper. She examines welfare from both individual and population perspectives, questioning the ethics of wild capture, the pet trade, and the challenges of ensuring long-term welfare in captivity. Williams’ writing demonstrates a clear commitment to evidence-based welfare. Her approach integrates behavioural science, veterinary medicine, and ethical reasoning, making this book much more than a simple ‘care manual’. Instead, it is a holistic treatment of what good welfare means for a reptile species that is often misunderstood or neglected in mainstream pet care literature.

While Tortoise Husbandry and Welfare excels in depth and detail, there are some limitations. As an academic text, it may be relatively expensive and more technical than typical pet guides but some owners may be looking for the additional information contained within. Some recommendations (such as precise humidity or temperature gradients) may be difficult for some casual hobbyists to replicate without specialist equipment, I’d hope that this is the kind of book people invest in ahead of purchasing a pet tortoise but the world doesn’t always work that way. Some of my favourite sections are those on the natural history of different species and their conservation, who could have seen that coming? Overall, Williams has produced a landmark text in reptile care literature. Her integration of biology, behaviour, ethics, and welfare science makes this one of the most comprehensive resources available on tortoise husbandry. It offers an indispensable reference for improving the welfare of captive tortoises. Finally, I’ve found it extremely helpful as a background source for a number of tortoise-related projects I am currently working on and can’t recommend it enough.

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