Malagasy spider tortoise — Care Sheet & Morphs

Husbandry requirements

Malagasy spider tortoise — origin: Southwestern Madagascar, along the coastal strip: dry forests and spiny forests on sandy soils. A narrow and fragmented range..

Terrarium temperature gradient

Night min18 °C

Cool side24–27 °C

Warm side28–32 °C

Basking spot32–35 °C

A diurnal dry-forest tortoise that thermoregulates in the sun: provide a genuine hot spot under a spotlight during the day and a cool zone. A nighttime drop is beneficial. Reproduce seasonality (a warm/humid active period, then a drier and slightly cooler period triggering estivation).

Enclosure (adult)

120 × 60 × 40 cm

Tortoise table or closed terrarium allowing a stable thermal and humidity gradient to be maintained (tortoise table / closed vivarium)

PROTECTED SPECIES: listed on CITES Appendix I and Annex A of the EU regulation; classified as Critically Endangered (IUCN CR). Its keeping and trade are very strictly regulated or even prohibited; any wild-caught specimen is illegal. Never acquire without complete legal CITES/CDC documentation. Dimensions given for a single adult; larger is always better. Provide a deep substrate for burrowing, a humid hide and a dry area.

Humidity

50–75 %

Very sensitive to changes in humidity. Maintain moderate humidity with a humid hide (microclimate), higher during the rainy season (65-75%) and lower during the dry season (~50%). Avoid any abrupt swings; good ventilation remains essential to prevent respiratory infections.

Substrate

Sandy loam mix (topsoil/sand)Coconut fibreLeaf litter (dead leaves)

Loose, deep substrate (at least 10-15 cm) allowing burrowing and estivation. A layer of dead leaves reproduces the spiny-forest litter and helps regulate surface humidity.

UVB

Recommended

Essential. Provide a quality UVB tube (T5 10-12% type) covering the basking area, for a UV index (UVI) of about 3-4 at the tortoise's level. Replace the source according to the manufacturer's recommendations; without adequate UVB, there is a high risk of osteodystrophy.

Water source

Always available

Always provide a shallow water dish (the tortoise must be able to enter it without drowning). Regular lukewarm baths (especially to stimulate activity and hydration when resuming after estivation and during the rainy season).

Origin

Testudinidae

Southwestern Madagascar, along the coastal strip: dry forests and spiny forests on sandy soils. A narrow and fragmented range.

Feeding & health

Diet

Herbivore — Not applicable (herbivore); occasionally ingests invertebrates found in zebu dung in the wild.

A fibre-rich plant diet: leaves, flowers, succulents (e.g. spineless prickly pear), wild grasses and various weeds. Avoid fruit (occasional at best) and excess protein. Supplement with calcium (cuttlebone); animal protein is not necessary in captivity — do not feed dung.

Breeding

Oviparous

Clutch 1–2 eggs/young. Extremely low fecundity: most often a single egg per clutch (very rarely 2). Long incubation, often marked by an embryonic diapause that can last from several months to over a year, around 28-30°C. Breeding is difficult and rarely successful in captivity; it contributes to the species' vulnerability to overexploitation.

Health watch points

Respiratory infections (linked to poor temperature/humidity management and stress)
Osteodystrophy / metabolic bone disease (UVB or calcium deficiency)
Dehydration, gout and kidney damage
Heavy internal parasitism (nematodes), very common in wild-caught individuals
Wasting, anorexia and estivation-related disorders (failure to resume, acclimation stress)

Morphs & genetics

Registry of 2 documented genes for Malagasy spider tortoise.

High Yellow / Gold WebDom
Dark PhaseDom

Frequently asked questions

Answers to the most common questions about keeping the malagasy spider tortoise.

Is keeping a Madagascar spider tortoise regulated?▾

Yes, very strictly: the species is listed on CITES Appendix I and on Annex A of the European regulation, and classified as critically endangered by the IUCN. Its keeping and trade are extremely controlled or even prohibited, any wild-caught specimen is illegal, and you must never acquire one without full CITES/CDC documentation — wild individuals are, moreover, often carriers of heavy internal parasitism.

Is this tortoise suitable for a beginner keeper?▾

No, its husbandry is rated expert-level. It is a shy and cryptic animal, very sensitive to variations in humidity and temperature, which stresses easily, can slip into anorexia and does not tolerate frequent handling; its husbandry also remains poorly standardised due to the scarcity of captive-keeping feedback.

What size does an adult spider tortoise reach?▾

It is a true dwarf species: the adult carapace measures only 10 to 15 cm, with females being slightly larger than males.

What is its lifespan?▾

Estimates, based on field data and closely related species, suggest 50 to 70 years, but precise captive data over a full cycle remain limited given how rarely the species is kept. It is therefore a potential commitment spanning several decades, to be anticipated seriously.

What enclosure and what substrate suit it?▾

Provide a tortoise table or a closed terrarium allowing a stable thermal and hygrometric gradient, of at least 120 x 60 x 40 cm for a single adult — bigger is always preferable. The substrate must be loose and deep, at least 10 to 15 cm, to allow burrowing; a sandy-loam mix, coconut fibre and a leaf litter reproduce the original spiny forest well.

What temperatures should be maintained?▾

Offer a genuine basking spot of 32 to 35 °C during the day for this heliophilic tortoise, with a warm side at 28-32 °C, a cool side at 24-27 °C and a nighttime drop down to 18 °C. It is beneficial to reproduce a seasonality, with an active warm and humid period followed by a drier and cooler period that triggers aestivation.

What humidity level should be maintained?▾

This tortoise is very sensitive to changes in humidity: maintain a moderate humidity with a humid hide as a microclimate, higher in the rainy season (65-75 %) and lower in the dry season (around 50 %), without abrupt swings. Good ventilation remains indispensable alongside to prevent respiratory infections.

Why does this tortoise burrow for several months?▾

In the wild as in captivity, it is only truly active during the rainy season (the austral summer, roughly November to March); the rest of the year it buries itself and enters aestivation, strongly slowing its metabolism to get through the dry season. You must therefore give it a substrate deep enough to burrow into and respect this seasonal rhythm rather than trying to keep it active all year round.

What should a spider tortoise eat?▾

It is a strict herbivore: leaves, flowers, fleshy or succulent plants such as spineless prickly pear, wild grasses and varied weeds make up the bulk of the diet. Strongly limit fruit to occasional treats, avoid any excess protein and supplement calcium with cuttlebone; animal protein is not necessary in captivity.

Should it be provided with water?▾

Yes, permanently a shallow dish of water in which it can enter without risk of drowning. Regular lukewarm baths are also recommended, in particular to stimulate its activity and hydration when it resumes after aestivation and during the rainy season.

Is UVB lighting indispensable?▾

Yes, absolutely: a quality UVB tube (type T5 10-12 %) covering the basking area is required to obtain a UV index of about 3-4 at the tortoise's level, replaced according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Without adequate UVB, the risk of metabolic bone disease is high.

How does the Madagascar spider tortoise reproduce?▾

Its fecundity is extremely low: the female most often lays a single egg per clutch, very rarely two. Incubation is long, around 28-30 °C, and often marked by an embryonic diapause that can last from several months to over a year; reproduction remains difficult and rarely successful in captivity, which heightens the species' fragility.

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