Cool snap in South Florida

[ZEROPILOT]

It has finally gotten into the high 50s at night time here.
Almost cold enough to bring all of my RF inside my "Sun room" With a heater.
They are all hunkered down in their houses even in the afternoon when it's in the 70s.
This is a rare experience.
55 degrees is when I take action.
You?

 

[Anyfoot]

It has finally gotten into the high 50s at night time here.
Almost cold enough to bring all of my RF inside my "Sun room" With a heater.
They are all hunkered down in their houses even in the afternoon when it's in the 70s.
This is a rare experience.
55 degrees is when I take action.
You?

I don't let mine out if its below 15°c/60f. Just because thats what I was advised.
Hopefully this year I will get to know when the torts themselves decide it's too cold to go out, under there own accord.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

They must be shocked.
(It was 84 on Christmas day.)

 

[Anyfoot]

They must be shocked.
(It was 84 on Christmas day.)

Your rubbing it in now.

 

[cdmay]

In south Florida too. I usually bring my animals inside for the night if: 1) it gets down into the 50s and it's wet and rainy outside. 2) it gets down into the 50s and it's very windy. And then 3) it gets down into the 50s and it will be cloudy in the morning.
If the weather is reasonably stable and sunny, a dip into the 50s at night doesn't seem to bother them at all.
Oddly, even though it has been very warm so far this winter in south Florida, my cherry heads have been fairly inactive anyway. Except for the nesting females, they spend most of the time in their hides. They only have been eating once or twice a week....other than some random browsing on fallen hibiscus flowers.
I assume that the shorter periods of daylight have them cycled in to a semi dormant phase regardless of the temperatures. Probably as a result of being maintained outdoors here for many years.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Yep. The last two days I pretty much tossed out the food. It wasn't even touched.
Also, the water pools are clean!!!

 

[cdmay]

Zeropilot PM me, ok?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Done.

 

[Alaskamike]

Yes it's burrrrr today. I've only brought in my RF this week. She doesn't have a heated hide in her enclosure.

My sully's , leopard & aldab have hated boxes that stay 85-90 f

Thankfully this will only be about 2 months of cold - then back to the heat . Great place to raise torts

 

[ZEROPILOT]

It looks like it's going to be warmer the next couple of days, so all is fine.

 

[Tom]

We have had the coldest most consistent winter here that I can remember. The high has been 50's or low 60s every day since November. We haven't reached the 70 even once since then. Its never like this here. On the other hand we've only hit freezing on two nights…

I can't wait for warmer weather to return. Keeping tortoises in cold weather sucks.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Yes. even now I am ill prepared for bringing inside my six, fully grown tortoises and dealing with their needs in a small scale.

 

[Tom]

Yes. even now I am ill prepared for bringing inside my six, fully grown tortoises and dealing with their needs in a small scale.

All my big ones are set up outside with heated houses, but the days just aren't' warming up like usual. We will always have a cold spell like this for a week or two, but this has been going on for two months. No bueno. My little ones have both indoor and outdoor set ups and they've been cooped up indoors all this time. Its awful.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Cold weather is so infrequent here that I really don't have a really good plan for it.

 

[Anyfoot]

I just love listening to you guys moaning about it in the 50/60f range. We've had it around the 55f this winter. . It's ridiculous, last time it was like this I was -31 yrs old.
It's T-shirt weather. The norm would be about 25f this time of yr.
Although we have weather warnings for snow over the next few days. We will see, cause they always get it right

 

[allegraf]

In south Florida too. I usually bring my animals inside for the night if: 1) it gets down into the 50s and it's wet and rainy outside. 2) it gets down into the 50s and it's very windy. And then 3) it gets down into the 50s and it will be cloudy in the morning.
If the weather is reasonably stable and sunny, a dip into the 50s at night doesn't seem to bother them at all.
Oddly, even though it has been very warm so far this winter in south Florida, my cherry heads have been fairly inactive anyway. Except for the nesting females, they spend most of the time in their hides. They only have been eating once or twice a week....other than some random browsing on fallen hibiscus flowers.
I assume that the shorter periods of daylight have them cycled in to a semi dormant phase regardless of the temperatures. Probably as a result of being maintained outdoors here for many years.

We are more chicken. If it goes below 57/58F and not going to go above 75F the next day, we take them all in and leave them in the garage. They all get put into the kiddie pools with mulch by sex and size. It is definitely not long term or anyway fancy, but it keeps them warm. Garage temps went to 70F on the coldest night so far. We have too many to pop them in and out now. If it is predicted to go colder, we have a radiator heater. Those don't dry out any humidity and just heats the area. They get sprayed down daily and have access to water. That's it.

Ours have also slowed down but the males are still patrolling the pen daily. Right now everyone is pissed at being in the garage.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Monday will be an issue. The temps are supposed to reach the LOWER 50s. I'll be ready.
All of the food went uneaten yesterday also. They are just looking around. staying put.

 

[cdmay]

We have had the coldest most consistent winter here that I can remember. The high has been 50's or low 60s every day since November. We haven't reached the 70 even once since then. Its never like this here. On the other hand we've only hit freezing on two nights…

I can't wait for warmer weather to return. Keeping tortoises in cold weather sucks.

Agree Tom. Can't imagine having to maintain my guys indoors for a long period of time. I guess all of us are experiencing WW, i.e. Weird Weather.

 

[tctpa523]

Always fun to play hide and seek with the herd. Usually if I know it's going to be in the mid 50's or below for more than an hour or two in the middle of the night I will bring the whole herd in. I usually bring the juveniles in if its going below 60°. Since thats rarely for more than 2 or 3 days at a time here in south florida, my indoor "enclosures" are stock tubs and plastic bins, side vented so everyone can breathe, and I can still stack them indoors. With another cold snap predicted for tonight, I can tell you that my afternoon is going to be spent getting everyone situated in the garage.

 

[allegraf]

Always fun to play hide and seek with the herd. Usually if I know it's going to be in the mid 50's or below for more than an hour or two in the middle of the night I will bring the whole herd in. I usually bring the juveniles in if its going below 60°. Since thats rarely for more than 2 or 3 days at a time here in south florida, my indoor "enclosures" are stock tubs and plastic bins, side vented so everyone can breathe, and I can still stack them indoors. With another cold snap predicted for tonight, I can tell you that my afternoon is going to be spent getting everyone situated in the garage.

Stackable??? Where? How? I must know more! I've kept mine in three large kiddie pools, various cement mixing tubs. Needless to say I have no floor space in my garage when it is cold. This may change my life!