I love to keep mine out as long as possible so what do you think?

[LRTortoises]

Let's say I am getting highs of 75 and lows of 60. What is the lowest high where they need to be brought in. Or does it go by the lowest low.

Does that question make sense? I have read the caresheets and know what is optimal.

Is that kind of weather just a bring them in to a heated area at night weather?

I am talking full grown adults here.

 

[Yvonne G]

Any reason you can't let them hibernate? I leave mine outside until they have dug themselves in and they don't come out anymore. Then I dig them up, box them in shredded paper and put the away for the winter.

Wait - your signature says "Russian" but this is in the Marginated section. Are we talking Russians or Marginateds?

 

[LRTortoises]

We are talking Marginateds. I need to update my signature.

It gets wet here or I'd hibernate them outside. Although I have been thinking of hibernate in December and January where are highs are in the 50s and lows in the 10s.

 

[tglazie]

Yvonne lives in Clovis, CA, so her setup is probably a little different than yours. I live in San Antonio, TX, which is probably closer to your climate type (though it is certainly drier here overall than it is in your neck of the woods). What I've done that is successful is keep the tortoises outdoors until it starts dropping into the fifties at night. Keep in mind, you must have insulated shelters for them to retreat to. You can't just leave them out with a little uninsulated cave and no substrate. I have an insulated wooden box (like the ones Tom is always showing off for his sulcatas, though much smaller and not heated; we're talking a box measuring 3x3x1.5 feet, with an eight inch by eight inch square entrance covered by a piece of carpet that hangs like a doggy door) for each of my torts, with treated wood that is covered by a peat moss/soil substrate, which I cover in the fall with fallen mulberry leaves. This keeps the tortoises from becoming soaked during the flash flooding of autumn, but I always make sure to wet the top layer of substrate once per week to ensure that the tortoises don't become too dehydrated; what I like about the dried mulberry leaves is that they are wide and can absorb quite a bit of moisture, ensuring that when I water the substrate, the tortoises don't get wet and cold but still benefit from the humidity; this seems natural to me, though I have no scientific evidence to prove it. Once the temperature starts dropping below the fifties, the tortoises stop coming out to bask in the morning. Then, when I measure the temp at a solid forty five degrees overnight, I remove the tortoises to the hibernation fridge in my garage.

Another option, which I had used successfully in the past, before my margie population got so large, was bringing the torts inside whenever the weather dropped below fifty. San Antonio has famously variable climate (eighty degree days in December are not unheard of, and long warm stretches and flash floods make outdoor hibernation virtually impossible, even with raised insulated housing; the flood of '03 comes most readily to mind, when my property was inundated under eight inches of water, just barely creeping into the house), so I used to bring the tortoises in during the cold nights, then put them out during the warm days. In early November, I would start the conditioning period, the three week fast with daily warm water soaks, and then I would put the tortoises outdoors on a sunny day, when I was assured the temp would drop into the forties (early December, that usually wasn't a problem). I'd keep the guys under until late February, by which point spring time conditions would return.

There are several options at your disposal. The trick is finding the one with which you are most comfortable. But ultimately, I recommend the box method. Keeping tortoises indoors is just such a laborious hassle. Not to poo poo those who keep tropical species that must come indoors during inclement weather. I have all the respect in the world for folks willing to overcome the many obstacles of keeping tropical torts without the benefit of Floridian winters.

T.G.

 

[akbecker]

Any reason you can't let them hibernate? I leave mine outside until they have dug themselves in and they don't come out anymore. Then I dig them up, box them in shredded paper and put the away for the winter.

Wait - your signature says "Russian" but this is in the Marginated section. Are we talking Russians or Marginateds?

Yvonne, here in CO we keep having intermittent days of like 70s, and I notice my male Russian comes out. I'm positive the female has dug herself in as I haven't seen her in a couple weeks. How long do you wait to make sure "they don't come out anymore"?

 

[Sirromo]

Yvonne:
I live in the Clovis area too. This is my first year hibernating my marginateds and Hermanns. Is it really as simple as just taking them inside in November and placing them in a box with shredded paper until April ? I have not done this before and this is my first year hibernating them. I would appreciate any advice or suggestions. One thing that does come to mind is what temperature should I try to keep them at during hibernation? Thanks