I have a marginated tortoise that is about 4 years old. We've had him for about 7 months at this point. At his previous home he had an insulated house that he could go into and I was told that nothing special was done for the winter. We live the Fort Worth area and while our winters aren't really too bad (especially for this former New Englander) there are a lot of temperature fluctuations. The average highs are in the 50's and the lows are in the 30's, but there will be 70 degree days and 30 degree days a few times during the winter. I'm concerned that the temperature swings would be hard on him, but them again, this isn't his first DFW winter.
The current plan was to add an insulated house (formerly a cat house) to his enclosure and fill it with straw. He also has a somewhat underground cave (surrounded by rock), but I'm concerned that won't be dry enough for him. We have a ceramic heater bulb and could certainly rig up a different set-up. We have also considered getting a mini-greehouse for him.
Overall he seems healthy, though very shy. He took a while to adjust to his new home, but by the end of summer was eating like a champ. He has slowed his eating down, so I know it's time to make the final decision and I'm looking for advice on what sounds like the best course of action.
The current plan was to add an insulated house (formerly a cat house) to his enclosure and fill it with straw. He also has a somewhat underground cave (surrounded by rock), but I'm concerned that won't be dry enough for him. We have a ceramic heater bulb and could certainly rig up a different set-up. We have also considered getting a mini-greehouse for him.
Overall he seems healthy, though very shy. He took a while to adjust to his new home, but by the end of summer was eating like a champ. He has slowed his eating down, so I know it's time to make the final decision and I'm looking for advice on what sounds like the best course of action.