i have a eastern box turtle and what is the best way to hibernate them
best way to hibernate
- Thread starter Turtle Guru
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All my adults are outside for good now. On one end of the turtle garden, I loosen up the soil and add some peat moss for easy digging. On top of that I put about two or three feet of leaf litter and on top of that I put some pine hay. I cover this whole section with a piece of plywood covered with some pond liner that I staple to the ply wood. This forms a big cave where they dig in for the winter. Two weeks before I stop feeding I give them canned or fresh ground up venison to make sure they have a good weight. Any that look too small, or are underweight I take in for the Winter. This isn't written in stone, and I'm sure others do it differently, but it's just how I do it.
This is what it looks like in the Winter
This is the cave in the Summer
This is the pine hay on top of all the dried leaves before I put the plywood on top
This Fall I'm going to take step by step pictures of the hibernation cave. I hope this all helps.
This is what it looks like in the Winter
This is the cave in the Summer
This is the pine hay on top of all the dried leaves before I put the plywood on top
This Fall I'm going to take step by step pictures of the hibernation cave. I hope this all helps.
ok well ill be taking mine in for the winter do you have any tips and if i do take them in will they be fine and will they hibernate if it is warm.
Also if taking them in will it affect their health at all
Also if taking them in will it affect their health at all
I have been told by many many people that box turtles do best hibernating outside. A lot of people say they do not do well in artificial incubation like other species tend to do well in.
if your box turtle doent hibernate does it hurt it
Turtle Guru said:
It depends on who you ask. You can overwinter them a season or two, but I personally think it's not good for them to do this over and over unless there is a good reason. I hibernate mine outside in a large wooden box, but I'm in So Cal and my situation may be different from yours. You have a few months until hibernation time, so I would recommend you read - read - read about hibernation and hibernation techniques so you will be able to make an informed decision. Good luck!
kimber_lee_314 said:
thats what i came up with too. Ive been watching videos and reading articles on it, and what i have came up with that it helps breeding your turtles but if you dont it doesnt harm them in the least.
(that is what i have read though)
(dont hold to me ok thhanks) If anyone else has a opion on this matter please do share with us
I have many friends who do not hibernate, but keep there's inside for the Winter. They usually will slow down and stop eating for a month or two even if they are inside. The little one I still keep inside stops eating and stays buried. Every two weeks I will dig her out and soak her and make sure she is OK. Eventually she comes out and starts to eat again. I personally like to keep the outside and let them hibernate. I still get nervous waiting for them to come up in the Spring.
terryo said:
That would be my problem too, but i dont think im going to hibernate mine because ill have a good place for her inside for the winter and also it gets so bad here during the winter that im afarid it will kill her. There are absolutly some bad weather here during the winter.
Turtle Guru said:
I hibernate my box turtle in a large, deep plastic container with a lid (with small holes drilled in the side, top and bottom), full of shredded leaves. I have a bilco door in my basement, and a wood door leading to it in the basement, so I put the container with the turtle in there. If it gets cold outside, I open the inside door a little so it doesn't go near freezing in there (warmer air from the basement heats it up just enough to help). It usually stays in the 40's. Once or twice during the winter, I will let it get down to around 37 F degrees, to simulate a cold winter for the turtle. I soak him every two weeks to one month while in hibernation, depending on how dry the leaves get in between waterings (you have to make sure they are moist). He stays in hibernation for around 3 months or so, depending on his weight. Sometimes he stops eating too early (late August usually). If he's lighter than normal, I hibernate him less time.
I would never hibernate mine outside. I want to be able to have control over the entire process. I also would NEVER not hibernate mine at all, unless the turtle was sick. If you have a basement, garage, crawlspace, etc. that you can be certain will stay above 40 F, and can protect the turtle from rodents, car fumes, etc., than you need to hibernate it.
Hibernation is beneficial not just for breeding and egg producing, but for the long term overall health of the turtle. Unless you have a good reason not to (illness), you should hibernate him/her.
You may also want to look into hibernating the turtle in a refrigerator. I have no experience doing so, but maybe someone will come along and post with experience with that method. You would need to read up on it first, as there is a certain way to do it, not just stick him in a fridge and forget about him. For one thing, I was told you need to use one of those older manual defrosting refrigerators (antique fridge), because they have more humidity inside than the new ones. You would also have to ensure air circulation and exchange with the air outside the fridge.
I let my adult box turtles hibernate the natural way, I leave piles of leaves in the enclosure and they crawl into them and go to sleep. All I do is after they get settled in, is make sure that they are not against the outside wall, if they are I move them in a little away from the wall and replace the leaves.They don't dig down, just sit under the leaf pile all winter.I save the leaves that fell last fall for this years hibernation,they are all mulched up when it's time to use them. I have never had a problem doing it this way, and for me it is the safest way to hibernate them. Len
ok thanks
??Len?? said:
I basically do the same thing Len. I just loosen up the soil first and then pile on the leaves, and on top of that I put a lot of pine hay. I also save some bags of leaves from last Fall in my garage to use this Fall. I have a cave on the higher end of the turtle garden. I put a cover on top of the cave just to keep it dry in there. I try to keep it as natural as I can too.
well i have read that you can do that and also i have heard they have something made in a bag that has everything that you need but i forget what it is but yea thanks Terryo.
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