Hibernation of Russian Torts

[fgately]

How do you hibernate torts inside? My torts have free roam of my backyard, but it gets too wet during the winter. I would not be confident that they could dig a burrow that would stay dry. What do I do here? Do I risk letting them dig a burrow and see what happens? Or, do I bring them in to hibernate? How do I do this by the way?

Thanks!

 

[dmmj]

simple way box dirt tortoise shed. I hibernate mine inside my shed/garage.

 

[wpk]

There is a good article on russiantortoise.org about how to hibernate your torts in your refridgerator.

 

[fgately]

I read that refrigerator one, and it kinda freaked me out. Also, not too keen on the idea of a tort that close to food. No way would the wife go for it.

 

[dmmj]

the fridge idea also freaks me out i know people use them successfully but it just weirds me out, also they use a seperate fridge for this purpose, not one you keep food in.

 

[fgately]

Yeah, and how about getting fresh air in there for them?

 

[GBtortoises]

If you just have a small number of tortoises to hibernate a small dorm style refrigerator works fine. Just make sure that it's in an area out of the sun or other areas where temperature extremes may take place. This includes areas that may get too cold as well as too hot. To supply fresh air during hibernation when using the refrigerator method you simply open the door every few days for a couple of minutes to allow for air exchange.
Tortoises should be visually checked at least once a week while in artificial hibernation so the door would be open then anyway.
Other methods of hibernation are possible including, but not limited to, sheds, garages, outdoors, etc... But with most of these methods there is little to no control of temperatures & moisture so it's important that the keeper really know their local climate conditions. Knowing your climate conditions well can not only help determine where and how safely you can hibernate your tortoise(s) but also general keeping methods throughout the year.
I live at about 1,850' above sea level in the Catskill Mountains of New York where average summer daytime temperatures are in the high 70's to low 80's, nights in the 50's to low 60's. Cold winter like weather starts in late October and stays that way through early April. Winter temperatures are often below freezing and not uncommonly below zero. We often get light fall rains, lots of snow throughout the winter and lots of rain in March.
My Russian tortoises, (along with most of my Eastern Hermann's) live outdoors 365 days a year. This includes hibernating "naturally" outdoors in their enclosures. Many of them have been doing so here for 20 years or more. But again, you really have to know your climate well and what your tortoises can withstand.

 

[fgately]

Thanks GB,

I would really rather them dig a burrow, and hibernate on their own, but I don't think it's possible in my yard. We had a very rainy season last year, and this is supposed to be another rainy year (el nino apparently). The soil in my yard got wet, and stayed wet almost all winter. I would worry the burrow would get full of water, or get muddy and wet.

I have built a rain proof hibernation shelter that I plan in putting in a quiet and shady part of my yard for the winter. It will always be in the shade so that will hopefully keep temps as consistent as possible for being outdoors. I will post a couple of pics about how I designed it. It is also predator proof and will allow the torts to come out if they need to during the winter. It is 3/4 inch, outdoor plywood, with roofing shingles on top. It is made just big enough that the Russians can get in and out, but anything bigger cannot. The first part is also designed so they have to make two turns to get in, so even if a predator could get it's head in, there is no way it will get in any further. I also have a side door made so I can check in on them, and have access to them should I need it. It has a hinge I can also put a pad lock on it.

 

[GBtortoises]

I can't make suggestions related to you local climate and environmental conditions, only my own. But generally speaking I wouldn't consider allowing tortoises to hibernate in soil that is noticeably wet. The dampness, combined with cold temperatures can be fatal. Having said that, mine always come out of hibernation usually covered with dried mud! The soil that they're hibernating in isn't actually wet, but it does retain some moisture which I believe is beneficial to the tortoises staying hydrated. But there's a fine line between adequate moisture and dampness. It is probably just dumb luck that the natural soil on my property is a good spot for them to hibernate because it wasn't by my design!

My Russian tortoises, unlike my Hermann's, will hibernate anywhere within the enclosure that they see fit. They simply dig a burrow, pushing the dirt behind them and filling the tunnel up as they go. The hibernation chamber at the end of the tunnel is usually slightly bigger than the tortoise's body, probably enough for them to turn around and to allow for some oxygen exchange. The tunnel lengths vary from about 10" long to as much as 24" long but none of them are ever more than 8" deep at the hibernation chamber. Pretty amazing considering the frost line here can be as deep as 30"+!

Occasionally, some of my Russians do hibernate under their summer shelters which consist of a 3' square fiberglass roof panel one foot off the ground and protected by side panels on the north and west. The shelter is stuffed full of straw. The entire thing is covered by more straw and then plastic sheeting in order to keep out rain and melting snow. So far, every spring, every Russian tortoise has "popped" up the first few days of warm, sunny weather.

"Predator proof" really depends upon the predators that you have to deal with in your area. Having most every type of potential predator here where I live I don't believe that anything is predator proof! If a Russian tortoise can get in and out, so can a weasel, rat and other small animal. Amazingly, I've never had any real problems with predators. I live in very rural farm country and the predators seem to have enough food available without having to come too close to human existance to find it. But some animals like racoons and bears are always more interested in the easiest meals they can find.

Does your hibernation shelter have a bottom in it or does it sit on the ground? Again, depending upon the climate in your area, they will most likely have the urge to dig down below ground level to safely hibernate.

 

[Yvonne G]

Here in Central Calif. we get too much rain to safely allow the tortoises to hibernate outside.

Here's how I hibernate my desert tortoises and my Russian tortoises:

I have an old, abandoned, vacant house on my property. A shed or garage would serve the same purpose. In the house I have two chest-type freezers that are NOT plugged into an electrical socket. The freezers are insulated quite well, and once they reach a certain temperature, they hold it for a long time. So, even though the old house gets kind of hot on sunny days (doors and windows open for cats to live in there), the inside temp of the freezers stays steady. Days in the 60's sometimes 70's, and nights down into the 30's, but the temp averages inside the freezers and stays steady at around 45 degrees.

I box up the tortoises individually in cardboard boxes slightly larger than the tortoise, placing a full issue of the Sunday newspaper, folded in half for a floor. Then I shred up newspaper and fill in and around the tortoise to the top of the box. I fold over the flaps so the lid stays closed.

I place the boxes on shredded newspaper on the floors of the freezers, then I fill in the spaces around the boxes with shredded newspaper.

Then I place a pencil across one corner of the freezer and close the lid down onto the pencil.

I have been hibernating tortoises this way for over 12 years and the only ones that I've lost were rescues that should not have been allowed to hibernate.

 

[fgately]

Great. They don't try to dig out of the cardboard? Also, when do know it's time to unhiberhate them?

Here in Central Calif. we get too much rain to safely allow the tortoises to hibernate outside.

Here's how I hibernate my desert tortoises and my Russian tortoises:

I have an old, abandoned, vacant house on my property. A shed or garage would serve the same purpose. In the house I have two chest-type freezers that are NOT plugged into an electrical socket. The freezers are insulated quite well, and once they reach a certain temperature, they hold it for a long time. So, even though the old house gets kind of hot on sunny days (doors and windows open for cats to live in there), the inside temp of the freezers stays steady. Days in the 60's sometimes 70's, and nights down into the 30's, but the temp averages inside the freezers and stays steady at around 45 degrees.

I box up the tortoises individually in cardboard boxes slightly larger than the tortoise, placing a full issue of the Sunday newspaper, folded in half for a floor. Then I shred up newspaper and fill in and around the tortoise to the top of the box. I fold over the flaps so the lid stays closed.

I place the boxes on shredded newspaper on the floors of the freezers, then I fill in the spaces around the boxes with shredded newspaper.

Then I place a pencil across one corner of the freezer and close the lid down onto the pencil.

I have been hibernating tortoises this way for over 12 years and the only ones that I've lost were rescues that should not have been allowed to hibernate.

 

[Yvonne G]

If I don't hear them early enough after they awakened, then yes, they do try to dig out, and sometimes there are holes in the boxes.

I listen to the freezers daily, and when I hear movement, I will get them up, give them a good soak, and put them outside. Because they are acclimated to being cold, I don't worry if the weather is warm enough for them. They can stay inside their shelters if the sun doesn't come out, or if it rains.

 

[John Apple]

hello
My Russian torts have been outside here in the cold Michigan weather for over a decade [zones 4-5]...losing only one tort over that time...It gets cold here [-20 on occasion with many days below zero]...they do thier own thing and I see them in the early spring , sometimes moving around at 40 degrees and eating...oddly enough it gets quite hot here also in the summer and I rarely see them in the hottest days or weeks...Reproduction seems to happen every other year....
very cool torts that seem to recognize me when I come to the end of the pen which is heavily seeded with oyster shell...many many pounds mixed in the soil...hoping the plants absorb some of this as the torts feed.[/align]

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi John:

Welcome to the forum!!

Maybe your guys are in a spot where the ground doesn't get too wet. If we allow our Russians to hibernate in wet soil, they will surely die. When I first got my Russians I allowed them to hibernate outside and I lost almost all of them.

 

[John Apple]

well it does get wet here but they do fine...I usually cover the burrows with some boards if I see them early enough...we sometimes get feet of snow...the thing is that when the snow all melts the frostline is still present and the melted snow does not permiate the soil, it just runs off.
These guys are pretty adaptive and can adjust to most areas of the U.S. and Canada
thanx for the warm welcome

 

[pugsandkids]

It sounds so simple, yet so intimidating...Oscar is spending this winter in the house with us. I'm planning his "snowbird" home right now. Maybe next winter...

 

[pugsandkids]

I'm re-reading this thread, keeping in mind what the tort yard looks like right now...I'd like to predator proof the yard, and let Oscar be a solely outdoor tortoise this next year. Any other ideas to share? I'd love to hear what/how everyone else does this. Also, how do you keep from being a neurotic mess all winter until they pop up?

 

[tortoises101]

In Canada, outdoor hibernation is far too risky. We have the MOST extreme temperature swings you'll ever see. A few weeks ago we have temps in the -20 area and today the snow was almost melted! I would NEVER hibernate outdoors in the place where I live. For most people I recommend fridge hibernation. It's safe, effective, and convenient, as you can regularly check on them (although it's best to leave them undisturbed). http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Articles/refrigeratorhibernation.htm Don't worry about them getting air though. In the wild, torts in their burrows slow down their heartbeat and seem "comatose."

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I'm re-reading this thread, keeping in mind what the tort yard looks like right now...I'd like to predator proof the yard, and let Oscar be a solely outdoor tortoise this next year. Any other ideas to share? I'd love to hear what/how everyone else does this. Also, how do you keep from being a neurotic mess all winter until they pop up?

As for securing the enclosure, here's what I've thought of;
I've planned to fence the top of the enclosure with chicken wire and bird netting to keep out animals like mammals and birds. The perimeters are made with bricks and concrete, and there will be chained padlocks along the cage for added security against human predators. The inside will be boardered with wood planks so the torts don't scratch their shells. In addition, there will be a 30cm deep trench filled with poultry netting to keep out badgers and such.

And you might want to see a psychiatrist about the neurotic mess, I'm not much help in that area.