Outdoor habitat for tortoises

[Jozzep]

Hello everyone,
I'm planning on starting to keep tortoises, and was curious to know what species would live comfortable outdoors in colder winter climates like NJ....
Don't think there are any native species of tortoise here, so that's what made me ask the question.Keeping them outdoors would be my first option since lights and heating pads would increase the "already $$" electric bill.
This is another one of those cases when i wish i lived in florida

 

[Yvonne G]

Any kind that hibernates would be fine (no lights, heaters, etc. needed during hibernation). My hibernating tortoises are set up in disconnected chest-type freezers during hibernation. The freezers are in an old abandoned house on the back of my property. It stays very cold in the house, but the freezers are insulated so well, that they eventually reach a constant temperature of about 40-43 degrees, even on the coldest nights and the warmest days.

You can also box them up and put them on a shelf in a back bedroom closet. You just have to be sure they don't get below freezing, as their eyeballs will freeze.

Yvonne

 

[tortoisenerd]

Great post Yvonne. I wouldn't have thought of that (hibernating tort types)!

How much outdoor space do you have for the warmer months? A heated box/shed for spring and fall if necessary when they are not hibernating, so they can retreat to as they please, does not have to cost too much in energy if you use insulation, and especially for smaller torts. It's great you are thinking ahead.

 

[Jozzep]

Great post Yvonne. I wouldn't have thought of that (hibernating tort types)!

How much outdoor space do you have for the warmer months? A heated box/shed for spring and fall if necessary when they are not hibernating, so they can retreat to as they please, does not have to cost too much in energy if you use insulation, and especially for smaller torts. It's great you are thinking ahead.

I have 18 turtles between diamondbacks,painteds,musks,and res.
I'm getting an animal dealers permit to breed and sell turtles and torts.
I'm doing my homework cause i want to get torts that would give me more bang for the buck, but i also want them to live comfy in my climate.
Wouldn't they be oxygen deprived in a closed freezer or a box?Also how do you know when to put them in there, and when to take them out?
Thanks to both you guys for the replies....

 

[tortoisenerd]

I think with the hibernation process unless they were completely suffocated of air, their system is so slowed down they do not need a large supply. Also, I believe it is common to check on the tortoise periodically and let fresh air in. You would put them in after their systems are cleaned out (you would stop offering food for awhile), and then check on them to see if they wake up early, or you would warm them back up and they would come out of it.

If you think about it in terms of the wild, as the weather gets cold their food supply dies. As it hits a certain temperature for them, their instinct will tell them to dig a burrow and go into hibernation. As the ground warms up they will "wake" up and come up and look for food after a bit.

In captivity by cutting off the food to clear them out, and then controlling temperatures, you can simulate this.

Even though you quoted my reply, I don't have enough knowledge to completely answer your questions as I have not hibernated torts. Someone else should be along soon.

 

[Jozzep]

Thanks for the info