Has anyone covered part of their out door enclosure in Hay for the Fall/Winter?

[LRTortoises]

We have Ornate and Three Toed Boxies all over Arkansas and Oklahoma that will often times hibernate naturally in the wild under hay in our barns.

At one side of my enclosure I have kept a small amount of Hay that my Russians love to Nest in.

The sun heats up the hay during the day and keeps the hay insulates the ground suprisingly well keeping the ground and tort temps higher at the bottom of the pile. I was wondering about putting 2 or three feet of hay in one side of my outdoor enclosure with my Russians.

The enclosure is on a hill also so I dont have to worry about water staying around.

Any thoughts?

 

[shellfreak]

Chris leone recommends straw instead of hay, due to hay having the capability to grow mold. But I think it's a good idea.

 

[Tom]

I think leaf litter will work much better for this purpose than either straw or hay.

 

[Yvonne G]

In my opinion, russian tortoises should NOT be hibernated outside, unless you live in a climate that is similar to where they are found in nature.

When I first had my Russian tortoises I allowed them to hibernate outside. I lost quite a few of them. The winter weather in most of our states is too wet for outdoor Russian hibernation. Box turtles do just fine, but Russians, no.