Russian scare

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K9KidsLove

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Hi...I had a scare today. I went out to check my outdoor pens this morning. I was gone all day yesterday. I couldn't find one of the Russian females. The pen is only about 8' x 14'. It is an oval shape made of aluminum flashing with bricks around the bottom to help keep them from digging out, and a small igloo. I walked thru the grass with bare feet feeling for her, looked for any holes & found none. So, with my arthritic hands & spine killing me, I pulled out each brick & felt for loose dirt. About half way around I found a loose dirt area. I dug down about 4"-5" to find her sound asleep. I can't really let them hibernate cause it warms up to the 70's and occasionally the low 80's still. Some nights have been in the low 40's but sometimes in the 60's. Plus within the last couple of weeks they ate full plates of greens. So I guess I will get their inside table set up tomorrow after I go to town for substrate. I am so glad I found her. I felt like I'd lost one of my children!
Patsy
 

Jacqui

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Bet the scare really had your heart beating fast for awhile there. It never stops amazing me, how well they can hide or dig in and almost leave no trace behind.
 

Yvonne G

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I have heard that if you cover box turtles up too tightly they will die during hibernation because of CO2 poisoning (or is it CO??). And yet a little Russian tortoise digs down into the dirt and pushes it behind him so that you can't even see where they have dug. Why doesn't the carbon dioxide poison them during hibernation?

Yvonne
 

egyptiandan

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I'm glad you found her Patsy. Mine do that most falls, I even had a female do that for 1 1/2 months last summer. My biggest female is out hibernating now.

Yvonne my box turtles dig in just like the russians do and they don't have any trouble here hibernating.

Danny
 
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