Hermans overwinter outside?

hermansjackandlola

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Jun 7, 2014
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So ….meet Jack and Lola, two 4 year old Herman tortoises that live in the UK…. A year ago, 'Jack' escaped from an outside pen that had a small hole in the net roof, quite how she did it I still don't know. We lost her for a year in our walled garden. One month ago, we found her again. She had survived a fairly mild british winter with few frosts. but temperatures definitely did drop below zero . She was smaller than Lola, but looked really healthy with a shiny shell and is very active. We have now built a large enclose out in the garden for them both and seeded it with lots of edible plants and weeds. and places to hide. My question, given that 'Jack' survived one winter presumably hibernating for quite a bit of the time, is shall I let them naturally hibernate in their outside pen this winter? What do Hermans do when they hibernate in the wild? Do they dig down?? We had a very wet time here last winter. Should I make them a really dry place to hide?? Or would you suggest bringing them in??? We live in the south of England so don't tend to get extreme winters but we can get snow. Any advice would be very gratefully received.
 

yillt

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May 4, 2014
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They are still quite young and I would recommend the fridge as I live in England to and the weather is unpredictable. When you hibernate them in the fridge you can keep a close eye on them and there are no predators like foxes or rats which we have a lot of here. Obviously if you want to keep them outside you can and soon someone will come along and tell you how but my tortoise has survived the fridge for 3 years now. ;) good luck. :)
 

ascott

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http://www.shelledwarriors.co.uk/Site/Welcome.html

Since you are in the area, this is likely a good point of reference for folks directly in your area.....just another source of information.....

Now, I do not house Hermans....however, I would not suggest allowing the torts to burrow in deep in an area that will become cold and wet....I also am not first hand versed in fridge tortoise keeping either....I do know that I bring the CDTs in here for winter, I let them rest comfortably indoors in a cool, dry, dark, quiet and secure place for their entire rest...all comes out just fine....

I do know that there are others here that shelf their torts in fridges during brumation and do so successfully....so please do wait around for those first hand experienced folks to pop in with their information....and, welcome to the Forum. We also LOVE PICS.
 

hermansjackandlola

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Jun 7, 2014
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They are still quite young and I would recommend the fridge as I live in England to and the weather is unpredictable. When you hibernate them in the fridge you can keep a close eye on them and there are no predators like foxes or rats which we have a lot of here. Obviously if you want to keep them outside you can and soon someone will come along and tell you how but my tortoise has survived the fridge for 3 years now. ;) good luck. :)
They are still quite young and I would recommend the fridge as I live in England to and the weather is unpredictable. When you hibernate them in the fridge you can keep a close eye on them and there are no predators like foxes or rats which we have a lot of here. Obviously if you want to keep them outside you can and soon someone will come along and tell you how but my tortoise has survived the fridge for 3 years now. ;) good luck. :)

http://www.shelledwarriors.co.uk/Site/Welcome.html

Since you are in the area, this is likely a good point of reference for folks directly in your area.....just another source of information.....

Now, I do not house Hermans....however, I would not suggest allowing the torts to burrow in deep in an area that will become cold and wet....I also am not first hand versed in fridge tortoise keeping either....I do know that I bring the CDTs in here for winter, I let them rest comfortably indoors in a cool, dry, dark, quiet and secure place for their entire rest...all comes out just fine....

I do know that there are others here that shelf their torts in fridges during brumation and do so successfully....so please do wait around for those first hand experienced folks to pop in with their information....and, welcome to the Forum. We also LOVE PICS.
What temperature do you recommend over wintering at ?
 

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