Ideas needed to prepare for next winter

[Jentortmom]

I know it sounds wierd for some of you, but I want to start planning for next winter now. I need some ideas for winter houses, that way the russians can stay outside to hibernate, they hate being inside and I worry all winter if I can't check on them. So I want to build house that I can setup with a thermostat to keep the temp set at a certain temp all winter. I've seen some boxes, but wanted ideas so I can keep them in it all winter and they can't get out to hibernate in ther pen. I'm also considering one for my big DT, I don't know if he has ever hibernated before, but I would like to provide him somewhere warm to hang out if he decides not to hibernate (he doesn't burrow), and I don't want to make him stay inside all winter again.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions, also if anyone has setup a thermostat and heat lamp before any suggestions would be great.

 

[Yvonne G]

How cold do your winters get? I don't offer any heat to my guys. I just protect them from getting wet. I took in two adult desert tortoises last Autumn because their owner was being evicted from his house and couldn't keep them in the apartment he had to move to. I told him that I would keep them for him over the winter and if he circumstances changed by Spring he could have them back. One was sick and had to be kept "up" over the winter, but the other hibernated outside in the dog house that came with him. I had placed his dog house under a tree and filled it with dry leaves. He went inside and slept in there all winter, dry as a bone. I took him out yesterday and he was fine. No heat, just dry. Our winters here get down into the 20's at night, but no snow.

But the problem with Russians is they don't always go where you want them to go. I tried to find all my Russians to take them inside to hibernate, but I always miss one or two because they dig in before I can find them. If you only have one or two, you can probably keep track of them and make sure they are inside their hibernatorium, and unless it gets really, really cold, I don't think you need to provide any heat.

Yvonne

 

[Jentortmom]

Our winters get to the low 30's, a few nights maybe a little cooler. I have 8 russians currently, but I was thinking about locking them in at night once it got to the low 60's in hope of catching them before they dug under. Hopefully by the time the sullys are huge I will have moved and they will have there own room in the house w/ a tort door, then I won't have to worry about them for winters.